The most useful thing I learned this week about building and sustaining motivation can help me when I hit a brick wall in my genealogy research.  I learned that motivation and productivity go hand in hand, so here are a few tips to avoid online distractions:

• use self-discipline (or apps) to stay off your cell phone
• have a separate email account (genealogy work vs personal)
• have an organized work environment clear of unnecessary clutter
• use a research log to write down work accomplished and items to do in future
• listen to music to block out distractions

Another tip that I use to keep me motivated to maintain focus and meet my genealogy research goals is to plan for a trip to an area where my ancestors live.  Before I go visit I want to have as much information as possible about my ancestor and the history of that location. Learning what resources are in the area to further check out information allows me to keep a focus on what I can accomplish now and in the future.

The most interesting and useful thing I learned this week came from the module on Searching and Researching. Genealogy requires that you search for factual information and then follow up with research.  Examples of how you might search for genealogy information include using:

• a search engine like Google to find a genealogy website or blog with information about your surname, and/or 
• a website like Ancestry.com that provides access to databases that you can use to search for facts about your ancestor  

After finding facts about your ancestors, then the genealogy research begins.  For example, after you learn that your French-Canadian ancestor lived during the time of the Seven Years War and served in the military at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in 1758, you begin research to find out more about the history of Louisbourg and what you can find about the role your ancestor had. 

I am in the process of researching my sixth great grandparents who were married in Louisbourg on August 28, 1758, one month after British the siege at Louisbourg.  By reading various history resources, I learned that after the battle, the British were deporting civilians by ship to France and the military prisoners of war to England.  I am curious as to how my ancestors were not deported. They stayed in Louisbourg and had several children.  

I am speculating that my ancestor, Francois Bittner, may have been one of the Volontaires Etrangers, a regiment composed largely of Swiss mercenaries at Louisbourg.

• Is it possible he was one of the deserters during the siege?
• Did he join the British after the surrender?
• Why didn’t my ancestors get deported?

I will do more research to see if I can find information to answer these questions.  In genealogy research, you start by making a hypothesis and then do research to see if you can find the necessary evidence to back your hypothesis. I have used this process in the past in my research of other ancestors and sometimes you make a great find and other times, you hit the proverbial “brick wall”. Ideas from this module that I will put into practice in the future include: reading, scanning, looking at, and listening to information resources to develop research questions. 

My advice to genealogists is a tip for being organized and keeping track of your information when gathering your primary and secondary sources in your research.

TIP:
Experiment with citation management tools, like Zotero, to see if this helps you keep track of your research resources more efficiently.

In this week’s module, I watched the video provided by the Indiana University Student Academic Center about various note-taking methods.  I didn’t know about the Cornell method, a simple structure that includes 3 sections for notes, cues, and a summary. This is something I can use when taking genealogy notes in the future.  

I have been using Evernote for over a year to capture genealogy information and I still have so much to learn to use it efficiently. I think it is a very powerful tool to manage your notes with the ability to sync them on multiple devices. I love the ability to scan documents and photos and to do audio recordings.  The most useful thing I learned this week is a tip about emailing information into Evernote.   If you add @notebookname and/or #tagname into the email subject line, the email is automatically filed where you want it to go.  This means you don’t have to deal with it again when you go into Evernote.  

TIP: Search online for tips for using Evernote for genealogy and you will find a plethora of ideas you can use. Below are a few examples of information found on websites, podcasts, and videos:

Websites

Tonia’s Roots website: More Ways I Use Evernote for Genealogy

Cyndi’s List website: Evernote for Every Genealogist – Templates & Examples

Podcasts

Family Locket: Research Like A Pro Genealogy podcast

Videos

Spencer Wells TED TALK – A family tree for humanity

Learn Genealogy – Research Notes – Episode 6