Presenter at @RootsTechConf #RootsTechLondon

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Julie Goucher

LondonBadges_1200x717pxAmbassadorDelighted to say that I heard a couple of weeks ago that I have been accepted as a  presenter  .

The presentation topic is Delving Deep into Migration to and from the British Isles.

Posted in Genealogy, Genealogy Migration Series, RootsTech London 2019 | Leave a comment

Family Tree Magazine 2019 – Surname Research Series & #FamilyTreeLive

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Julie Goucher

FTM May 2019In the May 2019 issue, the surname series continues with us looking at the history of surnames.

Did you know Turkey only introduced surnames to their citizens in 1934 and in Iceland they organise names by first names.

How could you not be curious about surnames, especially since we all have one, well apart from Iceland!

 

 

Next week I am off to #FamilyTreeLive where I am giving a workshop and presentation. You can sign up, but be quick the event is next weekend!

Surname Research Guide FTM CoverThe Guild of One-Name Studies will be there and will have some copies of the booklet that was distributed with the April edition of Family Tree Magazine.

There will also be information on the Pharos introduction course for those tempted to start a One-Name study. Hopefully the series in the magazine and the posts in this blog will have inspired you!

 

Posted in #FamilyHistoryLive, Family Tree Magazine (UK) Surname Series (2019), Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – R is for Reconstruction of Families

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019RNot all members of the Guild of One-Name Studies reconstruct families as part of their study. The commitment when you join the Guild and register a surname is that the study will aim to be global and that you will answer all enquiries you receive.

When the Guild first formed in 1979, there was no internet. Researching outside of the UK was problematic and the majority of members researched typical British surnames. There were some members researching “foreign” names, but they were, and to some degree, still are in the minority. That is not a deliberate act, just the way things have worked out. That said, over the last four years we have grown from having 25 members researching “foreign” names to over one hundred. I an included in that, as I am researching an Italian surname – Orlando.

At the beginning of the Guild the only thing members could do with any degree of success was to collect references. It was not possible to accumulate material to the degree we do now, thanks to the internet.

On a personal note, I like to reconstruct family groups and as I have said previously, the best ways of doing so are to use the Census as the initial starting point or a marriage. I opt for the marriage and that is just my preference. Once I have the marriage in my Roots Magic programme I then start to locate children and follow them through the Census and parish records (or vital records if outside the UK and available). Once I have located the children and a marriage for those children they are linked in the programme. I then retract back to the parents, I usually have the name of the father already and then follow back to the rest of the family. I do then follow the family through the census and identify other useful bits of information – my own Great Grandmother, Mary Denyer was born in a different year and different place on every census between 1840 and 1901. I eventually found her birth in Lurgershall, Sussex and not Bramshot Hampshire, which she referenced a number of times.

I enter the material into Roots Magic, where I host a number of databases. For the purpose of my Butcher study I have a file called Main File which is my personal genealogy, back through my maternal (English) line, then that of my husband, again, English. I also have a separate file for my Butcher ONS. I extract the GEDCOM and upload to TNG. Effectively TNG is a method in which my own research or my ONS can sit, effectively. Those two GEDCOM’s become separate trees on TNG. I do something similar with my paternal line which is from Italy.

By using TNG I am able to display the family groups with ease and add media to give the study dimension. I am currently loading up photographs and evidence to support the material in my GEDCOM. Once the material is in Roots Magic and uploaded to the TNG site I can discard the paper, with the exclusion of certificates, documents and photographs etc.

My study sites are still very much in their infancy – butcher.one-name.net and orlando.one-name.net I have 30 years of material to process, by entering the material into my spreadsheet system which is akin to a holding pen, or directly into the database. I also keep an archive file of the documents etc in Google Drive and I will make this available via the Guild library.

One of the biggest issues is that people have is that they cannot get their head around that the programme has multiple trees, indeed my Roots Magic has at least six. When you load up multiple trees to TNG it will keep them separate and allow you to search restricted to a specific tree.

I will be back on Monday when I will be exploring study structure. We also cover this in the Pharos introduction course to One-Name Studies.

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Organisation & Structure | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – Q is for Questions and To Do’s!

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019QWhether it is your own research or that relevant to my One-Name study I advocate keeping a list of to do’s. As I examine each document, I use each individual item of information as a fact and that enables me to build a timeline up. Where I don’t have an obvious piece of information then that raises a question and is added to my research log

A good example, remembering that I begin my study with marriages as the core database and then build families, but more about that tomorrow! I enter the marriage into Roots Magic, then locate the children through births and baptism records. I then use the census recording any occupation. If someone is missing from the census the obvious question is where are they? I keep a list in my note book of missing individuals -nothing fancy, just name, place of birth, year of birth and name of parents. I then at some point go through the list and see if they have moved to another area, the name is spelt incorrectly, or were they incarcerated – prison or mental hospital? Were they transported or did they die? I then on my to do list refer back to the missing list so I know what I am looking for.

As I cross things off the lists I date them and add the details to Roots Magic, citing the source and reference. That approach is slow, but it is the way I am wired! I am a great fan of keeping a research log along with my questions and to do’s. I have used both a paper version of a research log and a paper and pen version and do prefer the latter. There is an electronic version of my Research Log on the list of links, at the top right (when you click the link, it will auto download).

More tomorrow when we look at reconstructing families.

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, One-Name Studies, Oral History Series | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – P is for Pharos Courses

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019PThe two courses organised by Pharos Tutors are sound and robust online courses.

Their aim is to encourage students to think about their research, plans, aspirations for their study. It is also a great way of listening and sharing information, hints, tips and knowledge with others via the online chats and the course forum.

To me the Introductory course is a right of passage to a successful study and I wish it had been around when I first started out.

 

The Introduction course information can be found HERE and the Advance course HERE

 

If you have undertaken either course, why not share a comment or two down below?

 

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Genealogy, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – O is for Organisation

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019OOn every intake of  the Pharos Introduction to One-Name Studies course one of the questions that is always asked, earlier than it appears in the course is how to keep and organise a study.

I have planned a series on that, giving some hints and tips to help researchers along the way. I can share how I do my study and how I keep it, but every researcher needs to find a way that works for them and is comfortable. Otherwise, the study will stop being enjoyable.

So here are a few considerations about organising your research and in particular your One-Name Study, some of which will be dependent on when you started your study

  • When did you start your study? Before the internet or after?
  • How do you keep your study? On paper, card index, spreadsheets or in a genealogical programme?
  • How do you want to keep your study? Go paperless?
  • What do you want to do with the study? Do you want to share it with the public and have a website?
  • How many others are assisting you on your study or are you working alone?
  • What is core data set that is your starting point for your study?
  • Do you have a back up of your research material?
  • Are you wanting to reconstruct families or collect data sets or a combination of the two?

However you answer those questions will influence the way in which you organise your study; and furthermore, there may be no quick win for processing the data. If you started 30 years ago and have reams of notes and certificates and now want to create a website then you will need to retype or at least spend time undertaking some data entry.

That is me and I do spend some time each week entering material into my genealogical programme as soon as the material is entered I discard the paper (unless it is an certificate or document). Over the next few days there is some overlapping of topics and I would always recommend that those undertaking a study & the course think about the questions above before making decisions.

Posted in #50Before50, A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Organisation & Structure | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – N is for Notes

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019NWhatever research you are working on, whether that be a school or college project, a genealogical one or a more specific genealogical project such as a One-Name or One-Place study you are going to take notes.

Notes are only as good as the value that they give to the person who has to read them.

We all start out with good intentions of writing nice and neatly and not using abbreviations and over time the writing becomes slopping, there are abbreviations creeping in and some time later when you look at the notes they are not clear or readable. I have done it too and as I became more familiar with research skills I began get better.

I am a prolific note taker and always have a notebook in my bag so I can capture thoughts and ideas. I have been known to scope out presentations and articles whilst sitting in a coffee shop.

So here are my tips:

  • Add the date to each page
  • Use page numbers and index the notebook
  • Record what the notes are about
  • Record where the records relate to

If I have a notebook which does not have an index at the front I leave a couple of pages and index as I go. If I am researching and trawling through Parish Registers for example I note the parish and the details as I see it. I do not abbreviate Thomas to Tho unless that is what the document says. I record the records office reference and the location. So it might read, Guildford, Surrey, England – Baptisms St Nicholas 1890 PR……..held at Surrey History Centre and accessed via Ancestry.

Even though I love pen and paper I also use Evernote and One-Note. I have become a little disillusioned with Evernote and I am reconsidering my options. I currently have a complete back up of my study material in Evernote. I also have two lots of archive material, so that is notes that were relevant once and not know – I don’t delete them, I have an archive file – I might do a post on that once the A-Z finishes.

However you keep your notes, be sure that you an easily read them and if you need to retrace your steps to the original source make sure to record where the material is located and what it is.

One of the things I do as each time the Pharos Introduction to One-Name Studies course runs is note down questions from students. I answer those questions of course, but some of them end up here as posts or even a series of posts. One question posed from a student I turned into an article for the Journal of One-Name Studies (in fact that became a series too, although that was not the intention at the beginning!)

If you want to read the background to my affair with notebooks you can read that HERE.

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Evernote & One Note, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies, Stationery, Filofax, Journals & Notebooks | 8 Comments

A-Z Challenge 2019 – M is for Distribution Maps

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019MOne of the great things I love is maps, especially those that show the distribution of a surname over time and consider why that geographical spread occurred.

My favourite site, World Profiler is currently unavailable. For sometime it has been giving a security alert, although the site was quite safe. It seemed to be selective depending on what browser you were using – it did not like Chrome for example!

I wrote almost a year ago about the surname Magro Malosso and for that post I used both Public Profiler and Gens.info -you can read that post HERE

Distribution maps aid us to understand what the geographical spread of a surname might look like. I have shown the map for Orlando previously too, so thought that I would show the map results for the surname of Licata, which was the name of my paternal Grandmother. LicataLicata is a place in Sicily, so there is likely some link with the place, although very often foundlings were given the name of the place they were found it.

Eventually it was considered that it created a stigma for a child that had been abandoned, so towns and villages then started giving surnames that were not already present in the area, which of course, made it just as obvious as previously. Whether there was a foundling in my family I don’t know. Before I generated the map, I did not consider that it would be a popular surname, well it is although not as popular as Orlando! It is especially popular in my part of Sicily, and that is determined by the dark pink colour.

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | Leave a comment

A-Z Challenge 2019 – L is for Learning and Reading to assist a One-Name Study

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019LI am passionate about learning and understanding the strategy of a One-Name Study. The methodology is important to understand and to find a way that works for you.

The Guild of One-Name Studies offers seminars, webinars and in 2012 wrote a publication, called the Seven Pillars of Wisdom to enable members and those starting out to find a method of research and produced some guidance.

Some members believe the book is very UK focused, and perhaps it is, but the method, learning and other factors are included in the book.

The Pharos course that I teach goes a step further and hopefully stretches participants to consider other elements of a study. You can read about the course and sign up for it here HERE.

The key thing to remember is that none of this learning is in a formal setting. The Guild and the Pharos course offers support to members starting off and fellow Guild members are very knowledgeable and always strive to help.

If you are new to the concept then please read the posts HERE consider a surname in your family and perhaps explore the various sites mentioned and consider how big the study is likely to be (for more information see J!)

Posted in A-Z Challenge 2018 - Surname Research Series, A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | 4 Comments

A-Z Challenge 2019 – K is for Keeping Track

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Julie Goucher

AtoZ2019KKeeping track of your research is very important. I am a prolific note taker. I use typically the same note book and planner and record what research I have undertaken, where the research was – did I go to a records office or use Ancestry online at home.

I note what I was searching for and if I found it or not – so I record positive and negative searches. I also date the note.

Whilst I am writing what I have looked at and why I also build my to do list. If I locate someone in the Census, I then add them to the to do list and track them through the following census, locate their marriage and if had any children etc.

All of this sounds rather a lot, but it is not. By spending this time now, you won’t have to revisit the same information in the future. If you do need to, then look at the citation of the record and that will enable you to locate the records and information in the future, should you need to.

I wrote about research logs earlier in the year and you can read that post HERE.

Posted in A-Z Challenge, A-Z Challenge 2019 - Tips, Tools & Starting Surname Research Series, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | Leave a comment