Ok so truth telling time. I resisted writing research notes cause I didn't need them. Then I found myself search for the same thing at the same place and figured Connie has got to know something I'm not getting. So I've watch everything she did on Research Notes and Lots and I am hooked. Thank you Connie for showing me the error of my ways.
I gave a copy of my research to my uncle. When I was visiting my cousin brought it out and told me , I don’t know where this came from, but you might find it interesting. From now on I will put my info in a footer.
I'm finally adopting this strategy after hearing you talk about it so many times in your videos. Thanks for breaking it down for us. This seems to me to be a great way to start a narrative on a specific person in my research; and since I've wanted to write such a narrative for several of my research subjects, this will definitely help. There are two additional lists that I'm adding to the top of my notes: one being a checklist of records to search for, and another listing the locations involved. Both of these lists will of course grow as I research further.
A great instrument for me as a beginner, I've been doing some genealogy research but never occurred to me to create a document for each ancestor. My notes are all over the place and about to become unmanageable.
IT Program Manager here. ALWAYS save your documents/pictures/files to Onedrive or Google Drive so that if your computer crashes, you get a new computer, or you're traveling and want to access your documents you can by simply logging into your OneDrive or Google Drive. (iCloud for Apple users.) Saving documents to the cloud rather than your local drive is the best way to ensure you never lose your documents.
I love this!! I couldn't believe some of the information that I overlooked. When you come across a document with several ancestors listed do you copy that note into research notes for each individual...even the collateral ancestors? If you don't copy it into a file for each person, how do you remember that the collateral ancestor was mentioned in a direct line ancestor's document?
I have been known to have research notes open for each ancestor... it's easy then to copy and paste that same info in to each timeline. Takes like 10 seconds.
@@SusanSzewczyk-rf7fb Connie usually puts instructions in her notes below each video on how to download handouts and templates. She didn't on this one but if you look through some of her other videos you should be able to find it pretty easy.
Love your videos. This is probably one of the most helpful to me. I've tried several different ways of keeping track of notes on excel, but this is a much better option. One question, How do you refer back to pictures in your notes? Do you keep all your pictures in one folder and use a footnote to redirect to it? Put a link in the text itself? Or do you just paste the picture into the Word document?
Wow, this makes my notes look like they were done by an amateur...oh wait, I am an amateur. I keep copies in Word and Open Office on a dedicated PC, as well as, an external hard drive. Great vid. Note: I've created translations to put alongside original docs or web pages. I only speak American English but use online translation programs.
I love that you broke it down like this. I’m getting confused as I research my brick wall. I have a question. Do you do the is in addition to the reports generated by your genealogy software?
No. My research notes are my primary go to for all information. I use Ancestry as my primary tree although I have trees just about everywhere for researching specific lines. I do add notes on Ancestry occasionally, but it’s usually a cut and paste from my research notes.
@@GenealogyTV thanks! I found another of your videos after I asked that question. They also helped clarify. I finally settled on the software that works best for me. (The most user friendly and works with Ancestry and family search) BUT I am in the struggle bus when it comes to keeping track of my notes. I am sort of doing a genealogy do over since I had bad habits before and didn’t understand the importance of verifying sources. I’m going one by one through my direct line and getting it cleaned up. I started with the shortest line thinking that would be the easiest. But it’s also a brick wall, so now I’m trying to piece their story together. That led really quickly to a lot of notes and questions. The format for my software and ancestry for sources makes it hard for me to SEE where something might be missing or where something might still need to be verified. (Like showing up in two different counties on a census and non-population schedule). I appreciate your explanations and strategies because it seems less overwhelming and better aligned to my visual style of learning and organizing. Thanks for making all of these videos and helping everyone. It’s a blessing to me because I’m the only one in my family actively researching (caring about) genealogy. 🥰
AWE SOME! You said the template is available for "certain level patrons"? New subscriber, binge watching. I found the "certain level patrons" I was looking for. Thank You.
Hi Darlene. You'll need to Join the Channel Membership at the Info Access Level. Then scroll through the blog posts for this episode back to when it was published to find the handout for this one. If you don't find it, let me know and I'll repost it. You're looking in the Community Tab on the UA-cam channel after you join.
I started using your template in March think year. I love it. I read and reread it constantly for more ideas and to locate gaps. Two questions: 1. Is there an updated template that includes up to 1950 census? And 2. I saw you click or right click in the video and a table of some sort listing citations or sources or something came up. I couldn't really tell. Is that in the template?
I recently joined Genealogy TV and love what I am learning, especially this segment on research notes. However, I have a few questions...do you add conflicting facts to your research notes (such as different birth dates for an ancestor) and where do you put your analysis of the document in your notes? Also, are you inputting the research notes into a software program or are your notes your final conclusion after a research session? I love the format of the chronological research notes and how easy it was to use when at a repository doing research, but I feel like I am duplicating my work when I am copying these notes into my software program.
Hi Tami. Great questions. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV. I don't believe in duplicating anything, life is too short and I would rather be researching. I put everything into my research notes as a summary and details in their own documents. I will put a brief comment about conflicts and my resolution. If it is a larger conflict that requires a detailed explanation, I will write a proof statement or proof argument in a separate document, which then becomes evidence just like any other document. So I will reference the proof argument in my research notes (with a source citation) and file both documents (research notes and proof argument) in the file folder for that ancestor. If two dates are unresolved, make a note of it. Research Notes are a living breathing document that you constantly add to... revise and update as you learn more. It is also designed so that you can quickly jump to the area you are researching chronologically without needed to read the entire document again. My research notes stay in my private archives. Someday I will donate them all to a library or archive, but since I continue to work on them, I'll save the donation for another day. I hope that answered your question.
@@GenealogyTV Thank you for the quick response, but I think I am more confused and maybe missing something. I understand your response regarding writing a proof argument, creating a citation for the proof argument, keeping that as a separate document and referencing it in your research notes. Where you lost me was when you stated you "put everything into your research notes as a summary and the details in their own document". I guess I don't understand "the details in their own documents" statement. Also, at what point are you entering data into your software program or do you have a different way of keeping all your ancestor's information organized?
@@tamimills3520 I have the same exact question about the statement you "put everything into your research notes as a summary and the details in their own document." Also, I am taking an e-course from Research Like a Pro, they provide a timeline, research log, etc. but I feel like I am writing or copying and pasting the same thing over and over, it is really tedious and taking the job out of research. I understand the importance but there has to be a better way, for instance the approach here leaves out source evaluation, which is done according to Genealogical Proof Standards even before you look for a record in a source, where do you put that? And how do you keep it all together? Just wondering if you ever received an answer as I did not see one, other than from Keanu Reeves!
Hey Connie...Looking at this template video (again). I was working with the template at the same time. I found the that in order to insert a footnote, that it is under the "References" tab not "insert" tab. I don't know if my version of Word is different than yours. Thanks for ALL your work, always learn something each video!
@@GenealogyTV Turns out, No, you didn't "miss speak" in the video... you show/tell us to go to the "reference tab". However, the template handout has it typed in the instruction portion on first page...▪ To insert a footnote go to the “Insert” Tab, then drop down to “Insert Footnote.” ▪.
Just joined the academy. I use Evernote to keep all my other notes and documents. I know you suggest keeping research notes on your computer (not public); however, putting them on Evernote allows me to access all my notes through my phone and other mobile devices. It is not accessible to the general public. So do you see any issues using something like EverNote? Thanks
Hi Robert. Yes you can use Evernote. However, my concern is will it pass the 200 year rule. Will Evernote still be around long after we're gone. If you like it then I would suggest you use it for research but keeping good research notes in a document based system like Word will likely survive for the long term.
I just came across this video and already have a very extensive tree on Ancestry (over 8k profiles) that I started 2.5 years ago. here's my question: For the citations referencing where and when a document was accessed, is it imperative to state WHEN a document was accessed? I can't for the life of me remember when I accessed docs up to my 3x greats in the first year of my research. I know I'm late to starting my notes, but figured better late than never.
If you were doing professional level research, then absolutely. if you look at the record again today, then you can use today’s date otherwise don’t worry about it so much, as long as people know where the record came from. Enjoy the journey.
Very informative video! Would you recommend any sources for finding ancestors in Europe? None of my ancestors are listed in US Census or US archives or Family Search. Is there a video for such a thing?
How does one go from genealogy products (research notes being one of those) to a published genealogy. whether that is produced in traditional print format or as a multimedia publication? Research notes seem to be the closest to a published genealogy, but they still require a very large amount of work. Can this be made more seamless?
It depends on what you want your published book to be. If it is just data from your family tree, you might be able to use the Ancestry publishing tools to do that. Other options might be to produce a family tree chart. Chart Masters does a beautiful job of this. If you want to publish a narrative, there are other software programs that might help get that started, but you're still going to need to modify it some.
I decided to work my research notes in reverse chronology so that I can easily see how the latest information led to the a record and where the information from that sent me backwards into history. Does that make sense? Eg Death certificate gave information that lead me to marriage. Marriage record led me to birth Location etc. Mostly because after a number of years you forget how you got to certain information but going backwards is logical.
That does make sense and it is an interesting concept. You do whatever works for you. You could also say in your notes this marriage is by evidence of the death certificate just to be clear to the reader years after you're gone. Great idea though.
I’m going to try this out first for my brick wall ancestor (3x-great-grandfather), and go from there to other ancestors I’m actively working on. Thank you so much for sharing extremely helpful resources & tips. 🤍
If it is on the same page you add another reference and write “ibid”. That means you’ve already given a full reference. I don’t ever use this unless it’s on a final written paper. You can also use a secondary reference which is similar to the first reference except for the truncated. See the book Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
I just reposted it for you in the membership tab. You would not have found it since it was from the summer of 2020. That's a lot of scrolling through old posts. Thanks for supporting the channel.
Do you expand abbreviations in your research notes? Put them in the correct format for example Sept.1,1929 = 1 September 1929, Cleveland O = Cleveland, Ohio, St. Paul Ev. Luth. Church = St. Paul Evangelical Church
Is anyone using this template, or other research notes doc in Notion for cross-linking and search-ability in conjunction with other research notes from your tree?
I just reposted it in the community tab for you. You can find it at www.youtube.com/@GenealogyTV/community or the membership tab. You'll need to be at the Information Access Level to see it. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV.
Hi Connie.I am Bernadette Carville from Goa, India. I just watched this episode today and subscribed to it. I am not joining because I cannot afford to pay. I know it helps your work but on a pension for me it's difficult. I just want to know am I allowed to download the Research Plan even if I don't pay. It would be a great help to me. My ancestors are a real jumble of German, French, Dutch and it's ever so confusing. Your research plan would hopefully help. Please let me know if that's alright.
You don't need my plan. You can create your own. Just keep everything you find in chronological order starting with the date, then the item, then abstracted information about each document you find. Make sure you keep track of where you found it using footnotes.
OK, I know I'm late to the party, but in MS Word, once you have your template set up with your header/footer styling, font selection, etc., you can save it as a template. Then when you want a new document, you click New-->from template-->choose your template. When you go to save, it will save your file as a .docx but the template remains unchanged.
When I coming and going in a document I always add the last time I edited the document. I always want to know what was happening when I updated the info.
@@GenealogyTV it’s very easy. You just need to dadd the [DATE] field and specify which date you want using conditions. I used a lot of functions to add things to my class prep notes.
Connie, I enjoy your videos and all of your hints and suggestions. So I thought I'll join channel membership in order to get the handouts. Little did I know that each handout then has a price to get it. Guess it's my fault I didn't find in fine print that each handout was not free after membership, anyway I found it to be very misleading. Thank you anyway
Linda, as an Information Access level channel member you do have access to all the handouts on the UA-cam channel You do not need to pay for them again. To go to the Community Tab directly... ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity. Handouts for Channel Members are in the posts in the COMMUNITY TAB on the UA-cam Channel. Once there, scroll down, look for EARLY RELEASE + HANDOUT. Sometimes you need to CLICK READ MORE to see the HANDOUT LINK. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. If you are at the Support level, you need to upgrade to the Info Access level. To go to the Community Tab directly... ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!
@@GenealogyTV Sorry Connie, I have done all this, clicked read more but still cannot see any link to download the templates. All I can click on is the you tube video which I have watched (and love).
According to Genealogy Proof Standards, each source should be evaluated before you even look for a record. So where do you put this evaluation? If you do it separate from the research notes, it seems like they might get separated and never the twain shall meet especially if you leave your genealogical records to heirs? And if you evaluate the source, which is the container, and then use that source/container for another ancestor, do you have to evaluate it again for that ancestor? Again, does it go in the research notes, research log, or somewhere else? For example, the 1930 US Census, might have different issues in Spokane, Washington records than in Bowling Green, Kentucky for that year. Do you do a source evaluation ever time you use that source (container) for another ancestor? Where do you collect this information?
I do all evaluations, transcripts, abstracts, worksheets, etc. in separate documents. Then the abstracted information and the source goes in the research notes.
The handouts are located in the Community tab on the UA-cam channel for Genealogy TV. Go here to go directly to the Community tab. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity Once there, scroll through the posts to find the ones (with handouts) that you want. You will need to be an “Information Access” level Channel Member to access these.
Do you do any notations in your research document to say that a source you've found isn't confirmed? That way you know to keep looking. Is this your main working document and then you have a clean tree on another platform, family tree Maker, ancestry or other?
Great questions. Absolutely, I will note items that I suspect is my ancestor, but only if it is strong evidence. I do try and keep my research notes clean and in chronological order so I can jump right to the area I'm working on. I will note them if they are not confirmed. I keep one set of notes per ancestor and back it up from time to time... but keep working on the same research notes. I have my primary "go to" tree on Ancestry and use the other trees on other services as a tool for research. I don't go crazy trying to keep up with all the other trees. I just update the lines I'm actively working on to chase the hints and do manual searches on those other services. Don't try to keep many trees going, it'll make you crazy. I do sync with Family Tree Maker once in a while as another form of back up and to keeps some research private if needed.
I still can't work out how to access the handouts. It's not clear to me. I just go around in circles. Can anyone help please? Im not really getting any benefits from my membership which I could not get from the free you tubes.
Hi Wendy. First, thanks for supporting Genealogy TV. As a channel member, you need to be at the Information Access level which is $9.99 per month to access the handouts. You are currently at the Support level. To upgrade, all you need to do is go to ua-cam.com/users/genealogytv and click the See Perks button under the main channel banner, scroll down and select the blue button that says Change Level. Access all handouts by going to the Community Tab and scroll through the posts, look for the word HANDOUT. Click the link & download. For older handouts, you may need to scroll down to the time they were originally published. If you can't find an older one, like the two comments you posted yesterday, go to genealogytv.org and send me a note through the contact portal and I'll repost them on the UA-cam channel.
Been researching for years with no notes. Sometimes research stuff I already have done. Do I start NOW to do this when so much research has already been done?
I prefer to use word, and it seems like adding sources using the manage sources button under References-> Citations& Bibliography -> Manages Sources would be helpful, HOWEVER. I see that the style choices for managing sources is a bit lacking. You can select from a number of styles, but none of them really seem to work for the variety of sources we deal with in Genealogy. Has anyone every created Evidence Explained style templates that can be used here? The reason I ask is that I often want to reuse a source as it provides multiple facts within my notes. Without using Manage Sources within word, I don't see a way to do this. Currently I just insert a footnote and cut and paste the citation. This leads to a lot of duplication of the source, and can fill up the footnotes needlessly. If you could add another Style, such as Evidence Explained Style, that would deal with say artifacts, and just enter the information there, or skip the form completely and just enter the EE citation format directly, then you could have multiple facts point to the same source citation. I just can't figure out how to do it. Anyone done this? Am I even making sense?
Are use macros and create specific examples, and then run the macro in the footnote and then modify it as needed. For example, I will use an EE example of a birth certificate, then run the macro in the foot notes and modify it to fit the current situation I hope that makes sense, I should do a video on that
@@GenealogyTV I'm not sure that completely solves the problem. For example on my timeline I have my birth date 18 May 1962 and I insert a footnote and add my birth certificate using the macro for a vital record. On the same page, I also have my residence, which happens to be listed on my birth certificate as well, or I refer to my Father, and his birth location, also on the birth certificate. I want to use the footnote once, not enter three separate footnotes on the same page for the same source. I don't see a way to have the same superscripted number point to the same footnote on different lines of the same page UNLESS they are managed sources, If they're managed sources though, they seem to need to be entered with a template from that dialog box in word. Maybe I'm just not getting it though. That happens a lot :).
Hi John. Thanks for becoming a channel member. If you're at the Information Access level channel membership here on Genealogy TV, you'll find the handout in the membership tab. I just reposted it there for you. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvmembership
Hi Lisa. Thanks for supporting GTV. If you are at the Information Access level channel membership you have access to the handouts in the membership tab on my channel. Go to the UA-cam.com/GenealogyTV/Membership tab and scroll down. I just reposted it about three weeks ago.
@Dale in Arizona I just reposted it for you here. ua-cam.com/users/GenealogyTVmembership If you are an Info Access level channel member, you should see it.
GenealogyTV - what does "penned at upper right" mean? Should this be "pinned" as in firmly placed into position? On a related note, there should be an apostrophe in Ancestor's Name Here, or just use Ancestor Name Here.
Penned means that the page number was handwritten with a pen as opposed to "stamped." In some census records the page number is stamped, in which case you would write "stamped" instead of "penned."
All handouts for Channel Members are in the blog posts on the Community Tab on the UA-cam Channel. Once there, scroll through the blog posts and look for HANDOUT. Handout links are in the blog posts. Don’t forget to download with the down arrow in the upper right corner. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. Go to this link to get there directly. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!
Thanks!
Hey Thanks for the Supper Thanks and your new membership. I appreciate the support.
Ok so truth telling time. I resisted writing research notes cause I didn't need them. Then I found myself search for the same thing at the same place and figured Connie has got to know something I'm not getting. So I've watch everything she did on Research Notes and Lots and I am hooked. Thank you Connie for showing me the error of my ways.
Yay! Another convert!
I gave a copy of my research to my uncle. When I was visiting my cousin brought it out and told me , I don’t know where this came from, but you might find it interesting. From now on I will put my info in a footer.
Nice!
I'm finally adopting this strategy after hearing you talk about it so many times in your videos. Thanks for breaking it down for us. This seems to me to be a great way to start a narrative on a specific person in my research; and since I've wanted to write such a narrative for several of my research subjects, this will definitely help. There are two additional lists that I'm adding to the top of my notes: one being a checklist of records to search for, and another listing the locations involved. Both of these lists will of course grow as I research further.
Yeah, Sean. A Research Notes Convert. I promise it will help you with your research.
This is great. I agree, it doesn't have to be "perfect". It just needs to be usable by us and easily followed by others.
Have a blessed weekend.
Thank you! You too!
@@GenealogyTV You're welcome. Thank you, too. :)
Love, love, love it. This is something that is sorely needed and explained. Great job! Thanks so much.
Wow coming from you that’s a huge compliment. Thanks.
Hello
A great instrument for me as a beginner, I've been doing some genealogy research but never occurred to me to create a document for each ancestor. My notes are all over the place and about to become unmanageable.
That’s why research notes are the most important document in your file. They contain all of those little notes, and evidence you find.
Wonderful information!! Just what I needed to know! (Loved the part about adding footnotes - never new that!)
Glad it was helpful!
As an academic historian, I can tell you we prefer footnotes to endnotes too, even for books. Publishers like endnotes for some reason.
I agree!
IT Program Manager here. ALWAYS save your documents/pictures/files to Onedrive or Google Drive so that if your computer crashes, you get a new computer, or you're traveling and want to access your documents you can by simply logging into your OneDrive or Google Drive. (iCloud for Apple users.) Saving documents to the cloud rather than your local drive is the best way to ensure you never lose your documents.
Good point. I need to turn my cloud server back on.
You’re the best! Thank you! 🌷💐💞
I love this!! I couldn't believe some of the information that I overlooked. When you come across a document with several ancestors listed do you copy that note into research notes for each individual...even the collateral ancestors? If you don't copy it into a file for each person, how do you remember that the collateral ancestor was mentioned in a direct line ancestor's document?
I have been known to have research notes open for each ancestor... it's easy then to copy and paste that same info in to each timeline. Takes like 10 seconds.
Just signed-up and downloaded the research note template. Thank You
How did you do that?
@@SusanSzewczyk-rf7fb Connie usually puts instructions in her notes below each video on how to download handouts and templates. She didn't on this one but if you look through some of her other videos you should be able to find it pretty easy.
This is great! Thank you!!
Glad you liked it!
Love your videos. This is probably one of the most helpful to me. I've tried several different ways of keeping track of notes on excel, but this is a much better option. One question, How do you refer back to pictures in your notes? Do you keep all your pictures in one folder and use a footnote to redirect to it? Put a link in the text itself? Or do you just paste the picture into the Word document?
Usually I copy the path, sometimes hyperlinks.
Wow, this makes my notes look like they were done by an amateur...oh wait, I am an amateur. I keep copies in Word and Open Office on a dedicated PC, as well as, an external hard drive. Great vid. Note: I've created translations to put alongside original docs or web pages. I only speak American English but use online translation programs.
LOL... Funny Leon. Thanks for sharing.
I love that you broke it down like this. I’m getting confused as I research my brick wall. I have a question. Do you do the is in addition to the reports generated by your genealogy software?
No. My research notes are my primary go to for all information. I use Ancestry as my primary tree although I have trees just about everywhere for researching specific lines. I do add notes on Ancestry occasionally, but it’s usually a cut and paste from my research notes.
@@GenealogyTV thanks! I found another of your videos after I asked that question. They also helped clarify. I finally settled on the software that works best for me. (The most user friendly and works with Ancestry and family search) BUT I am in the struggle bus when it comes to keeping track of my notes. I am sort of doing a genealogy do over since I had bad habits before and didn’t understand the importance of verifying sources. I’m going one by one through my direct line and getting it cleaned up. I started with the shortest line thinking that would be the easiest. But it’s also a brick wall, so now I’m trying to piece their story together. That led really quickly to a lot of notes and questions. The format for my software and ancestry for sources makes it hard for me to SEE where something might be missing or where something might still need to be verified. (Like showing up in two different counties on a census and non-population schedule). I appreciate your explanations and strategies because it seems less overwhelming and better aligned to my visual style of learning and organizing. Thanks for making all of these videos and helping everyone. It’s a blessing to me because I’m the only one in my family actively researching (caring about) genealogy. 🥰
@@BrandiFink hello
AWE SOME! You said the template is available for "certain level patrons"?
New subscriber, binge watching. I found the "certain level patrons" I was looking for. Thank You.
Hi Darlene. You'll need to Join the Channel Membership at the Info Access Level. Then scroll through the blog posts for this episode back to when it was published to find the handout for this one. If you don't find it, let me know and I'll repost it. You're looking in the Community Tab on the UA-cam channel after you join.
I started using your template in March think year. I love it. I read and reread it constantly for more ideas and to locate gaps. Two questions: 1. Is there an updated template that includes up to 1950 census? And 2. I saw you click or right click in the video and a table of some sort listing citations or sources or something came up. I couldn't really tell. Is that in the template?
1) use this new website for free source citations. cite-builder.com/
2) See number 1. I think you were seeing my macros.
I recently joined Genealogy TV and love what I am learning, especially this segment on research notes. However, I have a few questions...do you add conflicting facts to your research notes (such as different birth dates for an ancestor) and where do you put your analysis of the document in your notes? Also, are you inputting the research notes into a software program or are your notes your final conclusion after a research session? I love the format of the chronological research notes and how easy it was to use when at a repository doing research, but I feel like I am duplicating my work when I am copying these notes into my software program.
Hi Tami. Great questions. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV.
I don't believe in duplicating anything, life is too short and I would rather be researching. I put everything into my research notes as a summary and details in their own documents. I will put a brief comment about conflicts and my resolution. If it is a larger conflict that requires a detailed explanation, I will write a proof statement or proof argument in a separate document, which then becomes evidence just like any other document. So I will reference the proof argument in my research notes (with a source citation) and file both documents (research notes and proof argument) in the file folder for that ancestor. If two dates are unresolved, make a note of it.
Research Notes are a living breathing document that you constantly add to... revise and update as you learn more. It is also designed so that you can quickly jump to the area you are researching chronologically without needed to read the entire document again. My research notes stay in my private archives. Someday I will donate them all to a library or archive, but since I continue to work on them, I'll save the donation for another day. I hope that answered your question.
@@GenealogyTV Thank you for the quick response, but I think I am more confused and maybe missing something. I understand your response regarding writing a proof argument, creating a citation for the proof argument, keeping that as a separate document and referencing it in your research notes. Where you lost me was when you stated you "put everything into your research notes as a summary and the details in their own document". I guess I don't understand "the details in their own documents" statement.
Also, at what point are you entering data into your software program or do you have a different way of keeping all your ancestor's information organized?
@@tamimills3520 Hello how are you doing today
@@tamimills3520 I have the same exact question about the statement you "put everything into your research notes as a summary and the details in their own document." Also, I am taking an e-course from Research Like a Pro, they provide a timeline, research log, etc. but I feel like I am writing or copying and pasting the same thing over and over, it is really tedious and taking the job out of research. I understand the importance but there has to be a better way, for instance the approach here leaves out source evaluation, which is done according to Genealogical Proof Standards even before you look for a record in a source, where do you put that? And how do you keep it all together? Just wondering if you ever received an answer as I did not see one, other than from Keanu Reeves!
@@arlenewaters899 ,no I did not receive an answer. Did you figure out a way to include your analysis in your notes?
Hey Connie...Looking at this template video (again). I was working with the template at the same time. I found the that in order to insert a footnote, that it is under the "References" tab not "insert" tab. I don't know if my version of Word is different than yours. Thanks for ALL your work, always learn something each video!
Yes it’s in the reference tab. Perhaps I miss spoke.
@@GenealogyTV Turns out, No, you didn't "miss speak" in the video... you show/tell us to go to the "reference tab". However, the template handout has it typed in the instruction portion on first page...▪ To insert a footnote go to the “Insert” Tab, then drop down to “Insert Footnote.” ▪.
Ah. Okay. Thanks for the clarification.
Just joined the academy. I use Evernote to keep all my other notes and documents. I know you suggest keeping research notes on your computer (not public); however, putting them on Evernote allows me to access all my notes through my phone and other mobile devices. It is not accessible to the general public. So do you see any issues using something like EverNote? Thanks
Hi Robert. Yes you can use Evernote. However, my concern is will it pass the 200 year rule. Will Evernote still be around long after we're gone. If you like it then I would suggest you use it for research but keeping good research notes in a document based system like Word will likely survive for the long term.
I just came across this video and already have a very extensive tree on Ancestry (over 8k profiles) that I started 2.5 years ago. here's my question: For the citations referencing where and when a document was accessed, is it imperative to state WHEN a document was accessed? I can't for the life of me remember when I accessed docs up to my 3x greats in the first year of my research.
I know I'm late to starting my notes, but figured better late than never.
If you were doing professional level research, then absolutely. if you look at the record again today, then you can use today’s date otherwise don’t worry about it so much, as long as people know where the record came from. Enjoy the journey.
Very informative video!
Would you recommend any sources for finding ancestors in Europe? None of my ancestors are listed in US Census or US archives or Family Search. Is there a video for such a thing?
Findmypast.com specializes in UK and Irish records if that helps.
How does one go from genealogy products (research notes being one of those) to a published genealogy. whether that is produced in traditional print format or as a multimedia publication? Research notes seem to be the closest to a published genealogy, but they still require a very large amount of work. Can this be made more seamless?
It depends on what you want your published book to be. If it is just data from your family tree, you might be able to use the Ancestry publishing tools to do that. Other options might be to produce a family tree chart. Chart Masters does a beautiful job of this. If you want to publish a narrative, there are other software programs that might help get that started, but you're still going to need to modify it some.
I decided to work my research notes in reverse chronology so that I can easily see how the latest information led to the a record and where the information from that sent me backwards into history. Does that make sense? Eg Death certificate gave information that lead me to marriage. Marriage record led me to birth Location etc. Mostly because after a number of years you forget how you got to certain information but going backwards is logical.
That does make sense and it is an interesting concept. You do whatever works for you. You could also say in your notes this marriage is by evidence of the death certificate just to be clear to the reader years after you're gone. Great idea though.
I’m going to try this out first for my brick wall ancestor (3x-great-grandfather), and go from there to other ancestors I’m actively working on. Thank you so much for sharing extremely helpful resources & tips. 🤍
Question? How do you use the same Footnote for a different entry from the same source?
If it is on the same page you add another reference and write “ibid”. That means you’ve already given a full reference. I don’t ever use this unless it’s on a final written paper. You can also use a secondary reference which is similar to the first reference except for the truncated. See the book Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
@@GenealogyTV Thank you. That is what I've been doing. I didn't know if there was another way.
I subscribed and watched template for research notes WHERE or HOW do I download a copy from the video?
I just reposted it for you in the membership tab. You would not have found it since it was from the summer of 2020. That's a lot of scrolling through old posts. Thanks for supporting the channel.
To protect against broken links, back up web pages to the Wayback Machine if they allow it.
Good idea
Do you expand abbreviations in your research notes? Put them in the correct format for example Sept.1,1929 = 1 September 1929, Cleveland O = Cleveland, Ohio, St. Paul Ev. Luth. Church = St. Paul Evangelical Church
It’s always a good idea, as long as you’re sure of the abbreviation. However, when you transcribe a doc, do it exactly as you see it.
Is anyone using this template, or other research notes doc in Notion for cross-linking and search-ability in conjunction with other research notes from your tree?
Recently I saw where you interviewed a man about a British genealogy site.....Could I please get the site? TY
FindMyPast.com
So you keep a different document for each person?
Yes I do. Sometimes I will copy and paste parts of it that belong to a spouse and add it to the spouses research notes.
Just joined today. Where do I find the Handout for this video?
I just reposted it in the community tab for you. You can find it at www.youtube.com/@GenealogyTV/community or the membership tab. You'll need to be at the Information Access Level to see it. Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV.
Thanks much!
J
I just rejoined the membership. Where do I find the template? I have looked under Community, Membership, and Perks. Thanks!
Thanks Emily. I just reposted it in under the community tab for you. ua-cam.com/users/GenealogyTVCommunity
@@GenealogyTV When you title your research notes, do you prefer to use a woman's married name or birth name? What if she was married more than once?
Hi Connie.I am Bernadette Carville from Goa, India. I just watched this episode today and subscribed to it. I am not joining because I cannot afford to pay. I know it helps your work but on a pension for me it's difficult. I just want to know am I allowed to download the Research Plan even if I don't pay. It would be a great help to me. My ancestors are a real jumble of German, French, Dutch and it's ever so confusing. Your research plan would hopefully help. Please let me know if that's alright.
You don't need my plan. You can create your own. Just keep everything you find in chronological order starting with the date, then the item, then abstracted information about each document you find. Make sure you keep track of where you found it using footnotes.
Thank you
Apples no longer come with Word, and I’ve never used Google Docs, but I’ll work on on in the Pages program that comes with Macs.
OK, I know I'm late to the party, but in MS Word, once you have your template set up with your header/footer styling, font selection, etc., you can save it as a template. Then when you want a new document, you click New-->from template-->choose your template. When you go to save, it will save your file as a .docx but the template remains unchanged.
Excellent tip. Thank you.
When I coming and going in a document I always add the last time I edited the document. I always want to know what was happening when I updated the info.
In the footer. I added the date field in the footer. Sorry I always leave part of the comment unsaid in my head.
Good idea.
@@GenealogyTV it’s very easy. You just need to dadd the [DATE] field and specify which date you want using conditions. I used a lot of functions to add things to my class prep notes.
Connie, I enjoy your videos and all of your hints and suggestions. So I thought I'll join channel membership in order to get the handouts. Little did I know that each handout then has a price to get it. Guess it's my fault I didn't find in fine print that each handout was not free after membership, anyway I found it to be very misleading. Thank you anyway
Linda, as an Information Access level channel member you do have access to all the handouts on the UA-cam channel You do not need to pay for them again. To go to the Community Tab directly... ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity.
Handouts for Channel Members are in the posts in the COMMUNITY TAB on the UA-cam Channel. Once there, scroll down, look for EARLY RELEASE + HANDOUT.
Sometimes you need to CLICK READ MORE to see the HANDOUT LINK.
Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts. If you are at the Support level, you need to upgrade to the Info Access level.
To go to the Community Tab directly... ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity.
Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!
@@GenealogyTV I had to pay but cannot find how to download. I don't want it mailed to me.
@@GenealogyTV Sorry Connie, I have done all this, clicked read more but still cannot see any link to download the templates. All I can click on is the you tube video which I have watched (and love).
Linda were you able to access the handouts? I have followed all of the steps but cannot find the link to the hand outs. Wendy
GenealogyTV ,a bit of an odd question, have you ever found a family tree that could (maybe) bypass Noahs three sons, i was thinking maybe Chinese
An odd question indeed.
Vada Lucille olivier
@@vadaoliver2849 what year
According to Genealogy Proof Standards, each source should be evaluated before you even look for a record. So where do you put this evaluation? If you do it separate from the research notes, it seems like they might get separated and never the twain shall meet especially if you leave your genealogical records to heirs? And if you evaluate the source, which is the container, and then use that source/container for another ancestor, do you have to evaluate it again for that ancestor? Again, does it go in the research notes, research log, or somewhere else? For example, the 1930 US Census, might have different issues in Spokane, Washington records than in Bowling Green, Kentucky for that year. Do you do a source evaluation ever time you use that source (container) for another ancestor? Where do you collect this information?
I do all evaluations, transcripts, abstracts, worksheets, etc. in separate documents. Then the abstracted information and the source goes in the research notes.
Connie, I joined, but I don't see where to download? What am I missing?
The handouts are located in the Community tab on the UA-cam channel for Genealogy TV. Go here to go directly to the Community tab. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity
Once there, scroll through the posts to find the ones (with handouts) that you want. You will need to be an “Information Access” level Channel Member to access these.
Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV
Hi, Genealogy TV I'm subscriber of this UA-cam channel, I want to know how to JOINT in order to get those handout. I don't use Patreon.
Click on the join button under any video at the Genealogy TV channel on UA-cam.
Do you do any notations in your research document to say that a source you've found isn't confirmed? That way you know to keep looking. Is this your main working document and then you have a clean tree on another platform, family tree Maker, ancestry or other?
Great questions. Absolutely, I will note items that I suspect is my ancestor, but only if it is strong evidence. I do try and keep my research notes clean and in chronological order so I can jump right to the area I'm working on. I will note them if they are not confirmed. I keep one set of notes per ancestor and back it up from time to time... but keep working on the same research notes. I have my primary "go to" tree on Ancestry and use the other trees on other services as a tool for research. I don't go crazy trying to keep up with all the other trees. I just update the lines I'm actively working on to chase the hints and do manual searches on those other services. Don't try to keep many trees going, it'll make you crazy. I do sync with Family Tree Maker once in a while as another form of back up and to keeps some research private if needed.
@@GenealogyTV Thank You!
I still can't work out how to access the handouts. It's not clear to me. I just go around in circles. Can anyone help please? Im not really getting any benefits from my membership which I could not get from the free you tubes.
Hi Wendy. First, thanks for supporting Genealogy TV. As a channel member, you need to be at the Information Access level which is $9.99 per month to access the handouts. You are currently at the Support level. To upgrade, all you need to do is go to ua-cam.com/users/genealogytv and click the See Perks button under the main channel banner, scroll down and select the blue button that says Change Level. Access all handouts by going to the Community Tab and scroll through the posts, look for the word HANDOUT. Click the link & download. For older handouts, you may need to scroll down to the time they were originally published. If you can't find an older one, like the two comments you posted yesterday, go to genealogytv.org and send me a note through the contact portal and I'll repost them on the UA-cam channel.
Been researching for years with no notes. Sometimes research stuff I already have done. Do I start NOW to do this when so much research has already been done?
Start now on the lines you are actively working on. It is a living document that you will continually update.
Yes start now! You will love it so much that you will WANT to organize your existing documents because it’s so clear and shareable.
Yeah what she said! 👀 Thanks Kendra.
I can't find the link for the template
I've asked Ashley to repost it for you in the members tab here on UA-cam. It should be up within a few days. Thanks for your channel membership.
I prefer to use word, and it seems like adding sources using the manage sources button under References-> Citations& Bibliography -> Manages Sources would be helpful, HOWEVER. I see that the style choices for managing sources is a bit lacking. You can select from a number of styles, but none of them really seem to work for the variety of sources we deal with in Genealogy. Has anyone every created Evidence Explained style templates that can be used here? The reason I ask is that I often want to reuse a source as it provides multiple facts within my notes. Without using Manage Sources within word, I don't see a way to do this. Currently I just insert a footnote and cut and paste the citation. This leads to a lot of duplication of the source, and can fill up the footnotes needlessly. If you could add another Style, such as Evidence Explained Style, that would deal with say artifacts, and just enter the information there, or skip the form completely and just enter the EE citation format directly, then you could have multiple facts point to the same source citation. I just can't figure out how to do it. Anyone done this? Am I even making sense?
Are use macros and create specific examples, and then run the macro in the footnote and then modify it as needed. For example, I will use an EE example of a birth certificate, then run the macro in the foot notes and modify it to fit the current situation I hope that makes sense, I should do a video on that
@@GenealogyTV I'm not sure that completely solves the problem. For example on my timeline I have my birth date 18 May 1962 and I insert a footnote and add my birth certificate using the macro for a vital record. On the same page, I also have my residence, which happens to be listed on my birth certificate as well, or I refer to my Father, and his birth location, also on the birth certificate. I want to use the footnote once, not enter three separate footnotes on the same page for the same source. I don't see a way to have the same superscripted number point to the same footnote on different lines of the same page UNLESS they are managed sources, If they're managed sources though, they seem to need to be entered with a template from that dialog box in word. Maybe I'm just not getting it though. That happens a lot :).
Where do I find the download link for the MS forms?
Hi John. Thanks for becoming a channel member. If you're at the Information Access level channel membership here on Genealogy TV, you'll find the handout in the membership tab. I just reposted it there for you. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvmembership
I have my own Connie Knox folder in Microsoft email 📂❤️
Too funny
Where can I find this template?
Hi Lisa. Thanks for supporting GTV. If you are at the Information Access level channel membership you have access to the handouts in the membership tab on my channel. Go to the UA-cam.com/GenealogyTV/Membership tab and scroll down. I just reposted it about three weeks ago.
Can I purchase the template?
Yes here. genealogytv.org/product/research-notes-template-word-version/
I joined but can’t find the download version for me to use?
@Dale in Arizona I just reposted it for you here. ua-cam.com/users/GenealogyTVmembership If you are an Info Access level channel member, you should see it.
Check to make sure you are at the Info Access level as opposed to the support level. You need info access level to see the link in the membership tab.
I am part of the access level.
GenealogyTV - what does "penned at upper right" mean? Should this be "pinned" as in firmly placed into position? On a related note, there should be an apostrophe in Ancestor's Name Here, or just use Ancestor Name Here.
Penned means that the page number was handwritten with a pen as opposed to "stamped." In some census records the page number is stamped, in which case you would write "stamped" instead of "penned."
@@GenealogyTV - Thank you. I was not aware of that.
Vada Oliver
Where do i find the research notes template to download?
All handouts for Channel Members are in the blog posts on the Community Tab on the UA-cam Channel. Once there, scroll through the blog posts and look for HANDOUT. Handout links are in the blog posts. Don’t forget to download with the down arrow in the upper right corner. Info Access level channel members have access to all handouts.
Go to this link to get there directly. ua-cam.com/users/genealogytvCommunity.
Thanks for supporting Genealogy TV!
this would be much more helpful if you used a hypothetical Jane or John Doe and hypothetical facts.
This is about how to use a template not how to create a template. I am more interested in the structure and what is being recorded.
This doesn’t explain to me how to make a template as opposed to a document.
Verlis rudolph oliver
Barbara faye ruth