The Year Ahead – January 12

In the January/February 2024 issue of Family Tree Magazine, they have introduced The Year Ahead, 366 genealogy tips will make 2024 your best research year yet by Lisa A Alzo. Lisa mapped out a day-by-day research plan.

January 12 – Start a research log or journal. The free online tool Trello www.trello.com can track your tasks in lists and cards. 

I am not big on research logs. However, I have used them and they can be very useful, especially when working on a specific research goal. You can easily see what you have already tried, where you already have research and where you might still need to look at.

My genealogy program, Family Tree Maker has a built-in research log and journal. It actually has research notes field for each person. This is set to private and thus if you sync to Ancestry, it will not sync or transfer to your Ancestry tree. I have used this many times, after a big research session to put my findings, conclusions, and possible follow-up suggestions. 

Version 2019 has a Change Log or journal of at least the last 1000 things I modified in my tree. I can go back and see what I was last working on and when it was done.

I also use the Task area to record things I might want to follow up on. I have used it to plan research trips, by creating a category to help me sort my future tasks.

Plus, I have a physical calendar planner where I write myself general notes of what I did today in regards to my genealogy research. 

However, you decide to track and record research, don’t forget this important step. You don’t want to waste time visiting the same courthouse, looking for the same records that are not there.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!