Shake the Tree - Discover Your Roots

Shake the Tree - Discover Your RootsShake the Tree - Discover Your RootsShake the Tree - Discover Your Roots

(412) 488-8090

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    • Personal Instruction
    • Public Speaking

(412) 488-8090

Shake the Tree - Discover Your Roots

Shake the Tree - Discover Your RootsShake the Tree - Discover Your RootsShake the Tree - Discover Your Roots
  • Home
  • Personal Instruction
  • Public Speaking

Personal Instruction: $25.00 per hour, plus supplies

Beginning Genealogy

If you need help getting started with your family history, you need to first ask yourself why. Do you have a general interest in your ancestors? Do you have a family member who researches but is not focused on your line? Does someone in your family not share? 4. Do you want to actively conduct your own ancestral research and share it? 5. Do you want to continue research from a DNA test? If you can say yes to any of these questions, I can help with personal instruction.

Start with yourself.

Gather everything you can find in your records, photos, books, and files. What to look for first:

  • Birth Certificates
  • Marriage Licenses
  • Death Certificates
  • Funeral / Obituary / Burial Records
  • Military Documents
  • Religious Certificates
  • Photos
  • Memorabilia

Learn how to make a simple chart from information you already know. 

Get Organized

Where will you be working?   Desk? Kitchen? Dining Room Table? Bedroom? Living room? Garage? Attic? That will determine how you organize your research.

Follow the rules.

Examples:

  • Names  - Use the name that a person was born with as the root for each person. Suggestion: If you don’t know the last name, use Spouse of /Child #1/Wife #1, etc. Never unknown.
  • Places – Use the name and location of a place as it was at the time of the event, with a note indicating any change of spelling and/or locality.
  • Dates - 2015Apr12

Record your sources.

  Genealogy without documentation is mythology! 

Use the right tools.

Paper or Digital?

Notebooks

Document Storage: File Folders and Binders, plus Labeling

Photo Storage

Digital Equipment:  Computer, printers, scanners, cloud services

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Personal Instruction:$25.00 per hour, plus supplies

What to Keep, What Not to Keep

The hardest part of determining what to keep and what not to keep is avoiding second-guessing your instincts. A lot of people worry they'll have regrets. TheDon't be afraid that one day you'll need that exact thing. But 99% of the time you just don't. You need someone to steer you in the right direction. Gift Certificates are available in $25 increments and can be used for any personal instruction. Email for details.

Sorting

The more memorabilia and files you have, the less emotionally valuable each individual item becomes. Instead of saving every card your daughter/son ever sent, pick the one that captures their spirit best and preserve that one.  You can always scan all the others and keep the file if you ever want to go back to them.  Did you even remember to write the date and/or occasion on them?  If not, why are you keeping all of them?

Cataloging

After you've sorted your "stuff," what do you do with it now?  Just put it back in that sme box?  Why not consider a better way to keep track of what you have and how to display or archive it?  Putting it back in a box is just predisposal. Any item worth keeping is worth creating a space for it.


Presentation

If you've managed to sort through all your "stuff" and have decided what to keep but just have no idea or inclination to take your collection to a final archive, let me do that for you.  Storage and presentation materials are your choice and extra.


Electrifying Your Family Tree

Download and instruction of computer software to track your family history names, dates, locations, events, documents, and photos in one convenient location. All personal sessions are $25/hour. Also available as all-day group instruction sessions. Gift Certificates are available in $25 increments and can be used for any personal instruction. Email for details.

Setting Up the Program and Entering Data

Create a database with you and your people, sorting, searching, alternate views.

Facts and Events

You can track every detail ina person's life in the form of "facts."  A fact can be an event like a birth or date, a phase of a person's life like an occupation or military service, or a description itme like an ID number or physical description.  

Adding Media & Producing Lists, Maps, and Reports

You can produce lists of people, places, and events, and place them on a map. Numerous reports can be created that include Pedigree Charts, Individual and Family Group Sheets, Narrative Reports, Box Charts, and Address Labels.

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