My Plan For The Genealogy "Do Over"


I have spent a few hours trying to catch up on all of the posts regarding Thomas McEntee's "Genealogy Do Over." I joined the group on Facebook, but didn't realize how many folks are actually doing this "Do Over."  Many are taking this challenge of walking away from the research they have done and start all over, from scratch. Others, plan to do a "go over" (reviewing their current tree) instead of a starting over completely.

Reading the posts in the Facebook group helped remind me of the sound reasons for my decision. Deep down, I had an idea what I wanted to do, but I suppose I needed to confirm those thoughts with some exploration first.

A couple of years ago (or has it been 3 years now?), I started my own "Do Over." It has taken me all of this time to redo my tree. In fact, I am not yet finished. I need to complete some sourcing and then make sure each document I have has had it's information logged for each individual. 

Yes, this has taken me a long time to do. I have cut out other things in order to focus on this project. I have limited amounts of time to work on it, but I can say I am super happy that I made the decision to "Do Over." 

Since I am still in the "Do Over" mode, why would I start over yet again? The answer is simple. I won't. I do not, by any stretch of the imagination, know all there is to know about genealogy and building a tree. I KNOW I will learn more just from belonging to this group. 

Here are my goals:

1. Consistency ~ I have been working on it, but there is always room for improvement.

2. Sourcing ~ I would love to be able to pop out a sourced bit of information, without having to look to see how to do it!

3. Research Log ~ Start using one and get in the habit of using it, always.

4. Share My Genealogy Tree ~ I want to share my tree. I never have because I always knew it needed sourcing. I needed to do the "Do Over" so I would know the source of all of my information. I was truly amazed at the lack of sources entered since day one of this journey.

5. Papers ~ Visit the mammoth stacks of papers in my office and deal with each appropriately. I do have a few piles of photos to be scanned, lots of paperwork printed from my printer, notes here and there which may, or may not, need to be added to my program. As a matter of fact, I have some vital records sitting in one of those piles... I pulled them to scan a while back, and of course they aren't scanned yet.

6. Unknown ~ I am saving this for an item I am forgetting at the moment, or that comes up through this challenge. 

So, I will not be doing an official "Do Over." I will be tagging along, learning, and applying what I learn when need be. Even though I have had a head start, I still have a lot ahead of me. I hope to post as we go along and I am very excited to eventually see my Genealogy where I want it to be, no matter how long it takes.
                
    Thanks for stopping by! 

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts! 





 Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Palmer All Rights Reserved

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