Blogs

Jul 13 2016

Transcribing historical manuscripts in PDF software

Make transcribing historical manuscripts easier and more valuable using a desktop tool you already have. PDF software can let you zoom in on the manuscript, while transcribing the text as comments. You have not only transcribed; you have made the document searchable without separating it from the scanned image.

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Jul 10 2016

Citing sources: the Desktop Dilemma series

5 Comments / Digging for genealogical gold, Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, Organizing for optimal efficiency / By Donna Cox Baker / 7 minutes of reading

This newest installment of the Desktop Dilemma series takes up the question of how the Big Three genealogy desktop software packages handle citing sources. How easy do they make it to leave an effective bread-crumb trail back to where you found your facts?

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Jul 7 2016

The Genealogical Society: Revise or Demise?

17 Comments / Golden Egg Genealogist, Leaving it better than we found it / By Donna Cox Baker / 6 minutes of reading

Genealogy is emerging, growing, thriving. So why do we hear rumors of the impending death of the local genealogical society? Is it “revise or demise” for these once-vital pillars of family history research? And what is the GEG’s obligation to local organizations? …

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Jul 4 2016

The Windows Snipping Tool: smart screen captures for free

Leave a Comment / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist / By Donna Cox Baker / 4 minutes of reading

You need to capture a single face out of that family reunion scan. Or perhaps you want to clip one newspaper article out of an entire page online. Maybe your clip needs to be an odd shape, or you want to draw a circle around one element. We find treasures online constantly and need to save what matters. The Windows Snipping Tool offers a simple, efficient way to do this. And it’s free.

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Jul 1 2016

First impressions: the Desktop Dilemma series

4 Comments / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, New developments in the field / By Donna Cox Baker / 5 minutes of reading

In this first post evaluating our shared Desktop Dilemma, I look at first impressions. Which of the Big Three genealogy desktop software packages has dressed for success — Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, or RootsMagic? And does it matter?

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Jul 1 2016

The genealogy desktop software dilemma: Family Tree Maker, Legacy, or RootsMagic?

10 Comments / Go-anywhere, paper-free solutions, Golden Egg Genealogist, New developments in the field / By Donna Cox Baker / 4 minutes of reading

I am starting my family tree over. If I want to do it right this time, I must have the right tools. What genealogy desktop software can best support decades of intricate research and documentation? RootsMagic™? Family Tree Maker®? Legacy® Family Tree? I will begin to examine the “Big Three” products, feature by feature, until the best path becomes clear. And I encourage group participation.

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Jun 26 2016

Junior, senior, and the perils of assuming they’re kin

2 Comments / Digging for genealogical gold, Every little thing in context, Golden Egg Genealogist / By Donna Cox Baker / 3 minutes of reading

It’s clearly a junior-senior kinship, right? Only two Tom Whatsits in the whole county–Tom Whatsit Sr. and Tom Whatsit Jr. You have moved up another branch in the family tree, right? Not so fast. . . .

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Jun 17 2016

Techniques, archives & graduation: IGHR Friday (6 of 6)

Leave a Comment / Digging for genealogical gold, Golden Egg Genealogist / By Donna Cox Baker / 4 minutes of reading

The classroom buzzed this morning as we turned in our class projects and absorbed a few more hours of vital education. Earning our certificates of completion, we departed eager to practice what we’ve learned. Proudly, we are at last qualified for the coveted Advanced Methodology course. Hopefully many of us will meet again there next July. (This diary began at Sunday’s Orientation.)
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Jun 16 2016

Newspapers, land, and courts: IGHR Thursday (5 of 6)

Leave a Comment / Digging for genealogical gold, Golden Egg Genealogist / By Donna Cox Baker / 6 minutes of reading

Thursday at IGHR, we learned to get smart about finding clues in newspapers. We examined the acquisition of lands and the federal, state, and local records that emerged. We explored wills, the intestate, and the path through probate — a path to some of genealogy’s most valuable gems. (This diary began at Sunday’s Orientation.)

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Jun 15 2016

Death, taxes & the “reasonably exhaustive” standard: IGHR Wednesday (4 of 6)

Leave a Comment / Digging for genealogical gold, Golden Egg Genealogist / By Donna Cox Baker / 6 minutes of reading

Wednesday at IGHR brought a breadth of instruction. The intricacies of tax records, creative substitutes for the “vital records,” the layers of military records, and that question that plagues all GEGs: what is “reasonably exhaustive” research? (This diary began at Sunday’s Orientation.)
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