Almost Finished Initial Sorting

Almost finished with the initial sorting of twenty years of family history research. I already have notebooks for each ancestral line with family artifacts and pictures. I have sorted by families and places. I have just about finished all of my unsorted materials and now can focus on what to scan, keep in a notebook or shred. For my favorite family and New England line there is one large tote of materials. All my other ancestral lines fill just one large tote for all of them. The last large tote is for work for others which most likely will be scanned for teaching information. Any materials may be given to the clients, which I have already done. It is a long hard process, but this is over twenty years of research and numerous trips to the Family History Library in SLC. The wonderful thing is I am now at a time in my life when I can focus on organization so when I am gone the family might have some interest in it. I may also do more writing and even print a book or two. By knowing what I have there is less chance for duplication, but so far I have done well in the copies that I made.

DNA and what it can do for family history.

In 2000, probably before, I signed on for ancestry.com. In 2016 my husband and I took our first genealogy tests. In three years the journey of discovery has been amazing. At this point for me fourteen close relatives have been tested through ancestry.com. Of two immediate family members, two close family members, three first cousins, and twelve second cousins, only four second cousins am I unsure of. Of the thirteen third cousins seven are known relatives. There are a total of 40 matches through to the fourth cousins. Fourth cousins are way out there and will wait until I have more time to play with this. Searching by surname or location does help to pull up connections to the unknown.

Susie Watts Almond Collection At the Watts House in Scappoose, Oregon

On Friday my husband and I delivered the seven notebooks, containing the Susie Watts Almond collection to the Watt's house. The Columbia County Museum Association volunteers scanned the entire collection. They even provided a copy on a flash drive so now I have a copy on my computer. I will also send one to Andrea. It is absolutely amazing what is contained in these notebooks. There is one other notebook that I already left at the house and we hope to scan it also. This project is a miracle that happened because we connected and shared information. She thoughtfully sent me the collection of loose papers as a birthday present in August of 2018. It is an odd thing for a present and it required significant time to make it workable. It is not perfectly organized but it is usable, with page numbers added by the CCMA group. They are an amazing group of volunteers who are dedicated to preserving the history of this county. It is an honor and privilege to work with them.

The Future of My Work

I made great progress in organizing my research, class, client, volunteer work, etc. paperwork for the last few years. Following a similar process to that which was done in sorting the materials at the Watts' house, the collection is now divided up by family and personal mementos; volunteer work and donated time; my personal family research collection; the collection of work for others including clients. Those are contained in three small totes and one large tote. The remainder of materials to sort are in two large totes from when we moved. This is a project that has been patiently waiting for me!

There are a few things I learned along the way and I hope to be more careful in the future of my work. Here is a list of items to consider when processing genealogy work either for yourself or others.

Two Brain Surgeries

As I got caught up in my reading of the Ensign Magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (available to read online for free at lds.org) I enjoyed each and every one of them. Then on Saturday I was reading the one for June 2018 when I looked in the back at the last article. There was, "The Lord's Help Through Two Brain Surgeries" by Bryn Booker. It has been almost ten years since my two brain surgeries and this article means so much to me. While the reasons for our surgeries varied a little, there was so much more we could share with each other. After my surgeries I longed for someone or group where I could get understanding and support. I contacted Bryn and we spent time yesterday making that connection. I am so grateful that she wrote her article. While I have written about my experience of this very unique type of surgery, I have not felt ready to share it publicly. Even though Bryn and I are separated by thirty years in age, we now know someone who will truly understand what we are talking about. I have had many surgeries and I agree with Bryn that these were very painful and emotionally challenging surgeries. My husband, six children and six grandchildren are my motivation in moving forward. I know my life is in God's hands and he will lead me along.  I know Bryn will have the same support both from her family and from God. Our blessings surely outweigh the challenges that we face. Facebook.com/ensign.magazine

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2018/06/latter-day-saint-voices/the-lords-help-through-two-brain-surgeries?lang=eng

November 2018 Month of Gratitude

November 2018 Month of Gratitude

November 1

Let gratitude month begin. This is a year of looking at things with a renewed perspective. I am so grateful for my parents and all the good that they instilled in our family. My Dad's birthday is in two weeks and he would have been 84 and Mon's was in September and she would have been 84. Two very kind, generous and loving people that continue to bless our family in so many ways. They always put others first and worked hard to support our family. As we age and face personal struggles we continue to be encouraged to follow these values.

This week I completed a genealogy project for the Watts house. Over 700 pages of research notes, documents, family stories, etc. donated by Andy Watts Harrison. This collection certainly enhances what there was preciously. Not only did Andy copy the entire collection, but she paid for mailing it. It arrived as a birthday present for me about six months ago. It is now contained in eight 1" notebooks, with a list of what is found in each included. After 2 1/2 years this a nice capstone project to all that we have accomplished. Below is an updated listing of the materials as there was some reorganization to the materials.