Organize And Subscribe This Year

Sun., Jan. 3, 1999

Donna Potter Phillips The Spoke

Resolutions are made most every new year - and 1999 should be no exception for genealogists.

Take time to reflect on what you accomplished during 1998 and what must be done during the next 362 days.

Did you get really organized last year? Are all your facts neatly charted on proper forms, and are documents and photographs properly filed? Did you buy that filing cabinet? Sort the piles on the desk? Resolution No. 1: Begin organizing (again).

Did you contact every relative you could find? Did you actively seek out new “cousins,” by placing queries and rubbing elbows with folks at genealogy meetings? Resolution No. 2: Find those cousins; write those letters; attend those meetings.

Did you subscribe to a genealogical periodical like The Helper, Ancestry Magazine, Heritage Quest, Family Chronicle? To do genealogy, you must educate yourself.

(Family Chronicle magazine will send a free sample issue to anyone who calls by Jan. 31. Call (888) 326-2476, and mention this column, please.) Resolution No. 3: Subscribe to …

Did you join your local genealogical society? Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in Spokane meets 10 times a year. Send your $20 dues to EWGS, P.O. Box 1826, Spokane, WA 99210-1826. Dues of $15 for Northeast Washington Genealogical Society can be sent to Colville Public Library, 195 S. Oak, Colville, WA 99114. Send $12 dues to the Whitman County Genealogical Society at P.O. Box 393, Pullman, WA 99163-0393. Contact the Kootenai County Genealogical Society at the Hayden Lake Public Library. Resolution No. 4: Join your local genealogical society.

Did you learn to use resources at the Family History Center? More than just search the IGI and Ancestral File? This resolution could be your biggest help this year. Resolution No. 5: Visit one of the many Family History Centers at area Churches of the Latter-day Saints.

Did you read at least one genealogy guide book in ‘98? Why struggle to do genealogy the hard way, when a book can make it so much easier for you? Resolution No. 6: Call one of the following genealogy book companies for a list of their offerings: Genealogical Publishing Co., (800) 296-6687; Heritage Books (800) 398-7709; Ancestry, Inc., (800) 262-3787; Heritage Quest (800) 760-2455. Or visit Ancestors Plus, 825 W. Garland.

Did you make any progress learning how to do genealogy on the Internet? To help you over the hurdle, read “Netting Your Ancestors,” by Cyndi Howells; “Turbo Genealogy,” by John and Carolyn Cosgriff; and “Genealogy Online for Dummies.” Resolution No. 7: Learn and use the Internet.

Did you try to find your ancestors on every census year of their lives? A timeline is an excellent research strategy for this subject. Resolution No. 8: Find your ancestors on every census of their lives.

Did you begin to make some plans for the proper disposal of all your research, family artifacts, notes and materials to live on after you? Flea markets and landfills are full of wonderful “stuff” because their owners made no provisions for them. Resolution No. 9: Make a final disposition of your genealogy material. Don’t let your work go to waste.

Every genealogist has at least one “problem ancestor” who has eluded all attempts to find him. Resolution No. 10: Don’t give up on your phantom grandfather. Keep plugging away.

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