Carnival of Genealogy- 2010- Brick Walls, Paper Piles, Proof, & Expansion

This is my first participation in a Carnival event, and I am really excited!! 

Well, as any genealogist knows, there seems to be an endless supply of goals to achieve and my resolution list for 2010 could could fill a binder all by itself! I have spent some time over the past few days giving some thought to what I wanted to achieve next year out of that ever growing binder and came up with some overall goals that I hope will encourage you to stay dedicated as well. I call these categories Brick Walls, Paper Piles, Proof, and Expansion.

My Brick Walls

     I have a few ancestors who have chosen to remain anonymous up to this point, and I believe that in good conscious  it is my responsibility to bring them out from the shadows into the light so that they can be kindly recognized by their descendants. Some of their names are known at this time, including Lemuel TUCKER, Enoch MCDANIEL, and Fridolina EASTLEIGH, but others are merely a blank spot on my pedigree sheet waiting to be filled in and celebrated with the happy dance.
      So, I plan to use this blog as one of the places where I discuss these missing characters, hoping for guidance and a little prayer that some bricks will be thrown off to the side.

Paper Piles

     Many areas come into this category, but the most obvious has to do with the "paper piles" I have neatly sitting on my desk, near my bed, and by the washing machine.They all are there with a purpose, yet a regular reminder to me that I cannot consider all documents fully sourced in my computer program, or checklists fully noted until all papers have been filed in the right family binder, sourced, and listed on the checklist I have for each person. A consistent goal this year will be to maintain papers filed where needed, sources noted appropriately, and my list regularly updated of what records are needed for each ancestor. I do believe in "cluster genealogy", so those checklists are more engulfing, but how can I best utilize my time at the repositories and on the computer if those paper piles aren't dispensed.

Proof & Expansion

     I decided to put these two categories together just to keep things interesting for everyone. Proof really is my short lingo for completing the processes to provide application proof for the Daughters of the American Revolution, to get the records that serve as proof of relationships from courthouses, repositories, and the National Archives, etc.. All of these will help with my brick walls as well. 

     Another area is the continuation of my contact with cousins I've discovered through my genealogy pursuits as well as being very determined to contact any living relative that may be able to share just one tiny little piece of light about our family. This is the critical endeavor at the moment. During the last few months I have lost 2 people who could have shared so much, in part because I did not even know who they were, but now that is changing as contacts with distant relatives are beginning and plans for meeting are being set.

     The last part of my goals for 2010 is what I call Expansion, short lingo for expanding my knowledge base for all the many facets of genealogy, whether that be learning more about how to utilize my blog for growth, participating in the next ProGen study group that starts in February, reaching out to others to ask for help when I don't understand certain boundary laws for a state, or attending more conferences, finding ways to give back, and learn some time management skills so that I can finally catch up with all my readings.

Well,  there is a lot to achieve in 2010. if I am able to complete those steps I will have achieved much indeed. That doesn't even include my desire to start writing about part of the family or .........., but being ambitious is probably better than not listing anything at all. Besides, now that it will be on my blog for all to see, I have more invested. So, let's see how this goes.

Good luck to all of you and Have a Very Happy New Year as we Celerate a New Decade!!!

Kim