"Image courtesy of Ohmega1982 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net".
There are many different techniques employed by genealogists
to help put their research in order, particularly when they are trying to solve
complicated problems or are preparing a project. Notebooks of paper, computer spreadsheets,
and word processing software are all popular tools used. One of my favorite items to use, however, are
sticky notes.
I don’t know how I would live without my sticky notes; they
are part of my office supply addiction.
Some of my larger genealogy conundrums were solved using these colorful
sticky pieces of paper. Oh, and if you
are a real techie, there are programs out there that do the same thing as these
little scraps of paper, but on your computer!
While many people love them, I have to say I prefer feeling the texture
of the paper and the physical act of rearranging the pieces of my puzzle.
For those of you who have never thought about using sticky
notes in your research, below I have suggested a few ways they could help
you. Hopefully you will learn a new trick or
technique to help you with a future problem.
Timelines
My sticky notes get a real workout creating timelines. When I have a serious problem, such as
determining a personal or family timeline, I turn my kitchen table into a large
blank work area. On each note I place a
fact with the date it occurred. Then I
lay them in order on my table (or sometimes my wall or white board if my table
is already being used) to create a visual of what occurred in that person’s
life. It gives me a great all-at-once visual
of what happened when and how long between events.
If you use different colors you can compare multiple
timelines to each other. This is great
when you are looking at more than one person, multiple family groups, or trying
to determine which John Smith is your John Smith. When you are done take a file folder and
place the notes in order on the inside of it.
They are now organized, safe, and ready to type up or put back out on
the table later when you need to reexamine your problem.
[Editor’s Note – you might
also take a picture with a smart phone or camera to make sure the order is
preserved]
Complex Families
The more complex the family dynamic, the more I use sticky
notes. Multiple spouses, dozens of
children, or siblings marrying siblings are some of the instances when I break
out the sticky notes. Even though I
could easily print out various forms from my software, I find it easier to make
corrections with my note method instead of trying to correct already typed information
on my computer. Plus cutting and pasting
here is just picking up the note and moving it to a new location.
Using a file folder, white board, or my kitchen table again,
I use small sticky notes to start my tree.
On each note I write name, birth, death, and I create a symbol for the person. Symbols (like colored squares,
stars, or circles) allow me to trace lines forward and back as I move the notes
around into the correct orders.
Different colored notes for blood relations and those that marry into
the family also help distinguish between the lines.
I particularly like to use this method when I have a line that
crosses multiple times. I can see the
double cousins, the shared grandparents, and how other family lines are
associated with the main trunk of the tree I am looking at. It can bring clarity to a muddy picture if
you are struggling with how various people all fit together.
Brainstorming and
Identification
Do you ever get a wild thought and just start jotting down
notes on scrap pieces of paper? Those
ideas that just come to you from nowhere and then bug the heck out of you until
you have to do something about it?
Usually I jot them down on my phone or the notebook I carry in my bag, or
more often than not, on a napkin from the local coffee shop. But when I am at
home guess what I do. Yep, sometimes I
brainstorm entire thought processes with my sticky notes.
They are a great way to organize your thoughts when you
write. Remember the idea web from school? Simply put the different subjects on
the notes and then rearrange as needed to the order you want. It’s similar to the notecard method for
research paper writing your middle school teachers may have taught you. Except these are cool colors and you can see everything at one time!
Lastly, small sticky tabs are great for marking pages in
books or files. Use a color code system
to flag information that you need to find quickly during your research. Or hang the tabs out of the book a little
more and write a surname or bit of information on it so you know at a glance
where to find the information you need.
I go so far as to tab books I use frequently with re-positionable divider tabs so I can turn to the information I need quickly without thumbing through the entire book.
I hope these ideas have created a spark of inspiration in
you. For me, I am off to work on another
writing project as my kitchen table is finally clean again!
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