​Like Riding A Bike…

I feel a bit like a parent hovering over a child as he or she learns to ride a bike.  Pedal! Steer! Balance! And all at the same time.
I guess it’s because in helping others to get started on the genealogy trail, it’s like a do-over for myself.  What would be the optimal way of doing it?  Which comes first, the source documents or the family tree?  Here’s my plan.

1. If you want to try the free version of Legacy to see how the program works, generally, that’s fine. You can download the free version and play around with it to see how it handles. Don’t enter too much, because I recommend you just delete the whole program off your computer when you’ve decided you like it. The free version does not include Source Writer, an amazingly valuable tool for recording your sources. It also lacks many great features found only in the deluxe version.
2. Investing in the deluxe version of Legacy is under $35 right now. If you can afford it, I suggest you start with the deluxe version and save yourself the hassle of potential upgrade problems.
3. If it gives you a special protocol for getting started, go ahead and use that.
4. Look for instructions on using the Source Writer. Look at the long list of types of sources and scroll down to “Personal Knowledge.”  Follow the prompts, listing yourself as the source of this personal knowledge.
5. Start with yourself on the database. Put in what you know by heart. Before leaving your panel, use Source Writer to attribute the information to “Personal Knowledge of (Your Name).”
6. Now add spouse, parents, siblings, children, all from what you know off the top of your head. You don’t have to fill in every blank.  Just record what you know. After you add info for each person, be sure to click one of the buttons under the Source to “apply” the source to that fields you just filled.
7. Have you finished listing all the family you can think of off the top of your head?  Did you remember to apply a Source button to each person? Great!  Well done! Now you’ve got the beginning of your family tree with a source for every person.

As you build your tree, you will use sources other than what you remember in your own head. You will have hundreds and hundreds of copies of census records, marriage licenses, school records, obituaries, and many other things.   You can’t just label each image “John’s report card,” “Margaret’s wedding license” or “Grandpa’s obituary.” You need an identification number system to definitively identify each piece of documentation you save on your hard drive, and for every photo. I created a system that works wonders for me, and I’ll be sharing it with you in the next blogs.