New Reference Guide for Maine Research

Legacy Family Tree has just added Maine to its offering of QuickGuides. These are very handy four page reference guides for genealogy research in each state, with online resource links, historical timelines, research tips, and migration routes. The Maine guide was created by New England genealogist and blogger Heather Rojo.

The PDF version of the Maine QuickGuide is only $2.95. You can also order a printed, laminated version. I ordered the PDF version and received my email with the download link within an hour. It's an excellent reference, and having it as a PDF allows me to view it on my laptop, tablet, or phone.

New Hampshire and Connecticut QuickGuides are available, as well as New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, with more New England states hopefully coming soon.

(Note: I have no affiliation with this product or Legacy Family Tree, and offer this simply as an informational resource.)

Tech Tips: Going Digital

One of my projects is to digitize the genealogical documents and photos that I have accumulated over the years. That also means finding a method for organizing and storing that digital information. After some trial and error, along with reading about the methods others are using, I have a method I'm fairly happy with. Of course, with constant changes in technology, this process will have to evolve over time. It is also going to take quite a while to convert my old information into the new system, and to scan the remaining paper documents and photos. It's likely to be a project that is never entirely finished.

Why is digitizing important? 

It's not a requirement and if you are happy with a paper system that is working for you, there isn't a need to change. That said, there are many advantages of going digital, and for someone like me who enjoys technology anyway, it's an obvious path. Some paper files are still necessary for storing original documents, as well as a safe, archival way to store old photographs and other heirlooms, but the goal is to have digital copies of everything and to eliminate paper as much as possible. With so much available online, including images of source documents, many research finds are obtained in a digital format from the start. I used to print out copies of census images obtained online for my paper files. Not anymore. I'll save the printer ink, file cabinet space, and have a more usable system to boot. Likewise, items originating as paper (vital records, copies of deeds) can be scanned or photographed to generate a digital copy. You can even photograph family heirlooms and include the photos as part of your family history files.

What are the advantages?

1. digital files can be tagged with keywords and metadata and easily searched
2. digital files can be backed up to multiple storage locations
3. digital files can be shared easily and used in reports and programs
4. digital files stored in the cloud can be accessed from any location and on various devices - laptop, tablet, or phone. You can refer to your notes or record new information from anywhere.

Systems and Tools

I'm using a combination of Reunion (genealogy database software for Mac), DropBox and Evernote. DropBox and Evernote are cloud services available free, with apps for tablets and phones in addition to desktop (the free services have limits and you may find it worthwhile to upgrade to paid versions at some point). 

Reunion: I use this program to keep track of all the individuals and their relationships, associated dates, facts, and some research notes. In the past I used the Notes feature associated with each individual as the place to store most of my research notes, links and clips from websites, but I'm moving to Evernote for that. The idea of having to copy all the existing notes from Reunion into Evernote is daunting, so right now that's on the "maybe in the future" list.

DropBox: This is for my files - source document images from the Internet or scanned from paper, scanned photographs, and reports and timelines I've written. The best article I've seen for how to organize these types of digital files is this blog post by Randy Seaver. I have a very similar system. In my Genealogy folder, I have an Ancestors folder; within that I have a folder for my mother's lines, my father's lines, and my husband's lines, and then folders for each surname within those. Each surname has its own Photos folder, and as the volume of files grows, I'll probably create family group folders. All of my files in DropBox are also backed up to another location (hard drive). It's important to establish and maintain a consistent way of naming your files. I use "surname-firstname-year-doctype-location" - for example: "Simmons-William-1880-census-Vernon-LA." Another thing to think about is adding metadata to your files.

Evernote: Right now, I'm using Evernote for text-based research notes, my research log, clipped articles and information from websites. The Evernote blog has an article by Jordan Jones on intensive use of Evernote for genealogy. The great advantage to this is the powerful tagging and searching it allows. I haven't decided whether to go to this extent, as it also requires a lot of storage in Evernote and maintaining your source files in both a file system and Evernote. You might also want to check out these articles:

• Evernote: The Total Recall Research Log (PDF)
• Some Handy Tips for Organizing Your Research with Evernote
• Dear Randy - Do You Have a Check List to Track A Person's Information? (more ideas about a research checklist/log you could keep in Evernote)  

Digital Bookshelf: I've noticed that I'm accumulating more reference materials in digital format (usually PDF), and I need a way to store, organize, and access this virtual library. This is a work in progress, but currently I have a Bookshelf folder in DropBox where I save all the PDF books, journals, etc. I'm exploring programs for managing this, such as Calibre. 

I'm loving this digital world, but it is important to keep in mind the risks and to safeguard your genealogy files. Be sure that you have your files backed up to multiple locations (hard drive, external hard drive, cloud) and that you pay attention to technology changes in order to keep up with standard formats. Just as floppy disks are a thing of the past, the software, formats, and storage media used today will be obsolete in a few years. 

Research Resource: Maine State Library

 
Yesterday I visited the Maine State Library in Augusta and had a tour of the genealogy resources from the library's expert, Emily Schroeder. The library is right next door to the state capitol building, in the cultural complex that houses the library, archives, and state museum. This is convenient for those studying Maine history and genealogy, as all three are excellent resources.

The genealogy collection is on the first floor (downstairs from the main entrance to the library). The library staff is currently working to consolidate all of the genealogy and local history material into one area, along with microfilm readers. It's a very pleasant place to spend an hour or several - plenty of work tables, free WiFi, online card catalog, public access computers, and the reference desk nearby. This is important (get comfortable) because most of the genealogy materials are limited to use in the library, though town histories can be borrowed. For the visiting researcher, this means that the materials you need will be available to look at when you visit.

What resources will you find?

Too many to list here, certainly. You'll find the expected genealogy reference books and periodicals, DAR records, and passenger records, but perhaps more important to the Maine researcher, there is a significant collection of Maine family histories, county and town histories and compiled records (vital records, cemetery records, etc.). The collection also includes books for other New England states, especially Massachusetts. I was surprised by the number of resources for Eastern Canada (Quebec and Maritime provinces).

Old newspapers: The library has a large collection of the state's old newspapers on microfilm. All you have to do is request the paper and dates at the reference desk, and you will be set up with the films and a microfilm reader. You can find the complete list of newspaper holdings online.

City directories: An extensive collection of old Maine city directories - find the complete list of directory holdings online.

Online databases: While at the library, you can access Ancestry and HeritageQuest. Maine residents can obtain a state library card in a few minutes, which will allow you to access HeritageQuest from home, as well as civil war databases through AlexanderStreet/University of Chicago.

Maps: Conveniently right near the genealogy stacks and work tables, several current and historical atlases are available, including a beautiful 1888 Maine atlas. Other maps are included in the catalog. In addition, the Sanborn fire insurance maps (1878-mid-1900s) are available on microfilm for certain Maine cities and towns.

Special collections: The library's manuscript and document collections are admittedly small, due to a lack of archival (environmentally controlled) storage facilities. However, the list of special collections is available online, and a few of these may be of interest to genealogists.

MSL Online:

The library has an excellent website, where you can find more about the genealogy collection as well as directions, hours, general information, and convenient online tools - find a local Maine library, access the catalog, request a library card, or learn about Maine writers and notable Mainers. You can also stay up to date through Facebook and Twitter.

Tech Tip: Not-So-Hidden Treasures on FamilySearch

Have you used the FamilySearch website lately? Even if you have, you may not be aware of the full spectrum of resources available on this site, available for free. Last night I listened to a webinar by Rootsonomy and learned some good tips about the site. (For a calendar of other free genealogy webinars, visit GeneaWebinars.)

What you probably already know:

• You can search millions of indexed online records by your ancestor's name and location, or other criteria. You can search easily right from the home page of the site. 

The treasures:

• Books: You can search the collection of over 40,000 digitized books. Try searching by a surname, location, or keyword (such as Civil War). If you are looking for a specific book you can also search by the book title and/or author. Click the "Books" link on the home page.
• Browse: You can browse FamilySearch record collections by location and/or record type (census, marriage, church records). Scroll down on the home page to the "All Record Collections" link. Then you can filter by location, dates, or record types. Some record collections include digitized images of the actual records, while others are indexes only. For example, take a look all of the Maine collections. You can tell which ones have images by the camera icon next to the collection name. The collections that say "Browse images" rather than a number in the "Records" column have not been indexed yet, but you can still look through the images. You may find your ancestor this way in a collection that would not show up in regular search results.
• Learn: Improve your research skills with free online courses. Want to know more about courthouse research or beginning research in France? Visit the Learning Center. There are hundreds of courses from beginner to advanced. You can view the most popular and the newest courses right from the main Learning Center page, or select a category to see what courses are available.
• Read and Share: The wiki allows site users to learn and to share their expertise by reading and contributing to articles on various topics. For example, you can find out what records exist for a certain location and dates and where to find them, or learn about computer software and how to organize your information.