Future Family History: Living through a Pandemic

Putting the pieces together
March, 2020

Dear future generations: I'm writing today about everyday life as the novel coronavirus spreads worldwide.

The public-health outlook at this moment is decidedly uncertain. Although my New England area has few confirmed cases, testing is not yet widely available here and therefore the pandemic is likely to be more widespread than we actually know right now.

Around the world, infections and deaths continue to increase, I'm sad to see. It's a worrisome time. As I wash, sanitize, clean, and repeat, I'm trying to follow the UK's WWII mantra: "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Social Distancing for Safety

Social distancing is not a phrase I'd heard in the past but now hubby and I have been doing just that. We've curtailed outside activities while public places and social events shut down, day by day. We're calling and/or videochatting and/or texting with friends and family to keep spirits up and be sure everyone is safe.

Last week, I was in my local public library several days in a row, borrowing books, puzzles, and DVDs. By the weekend, the library had closed its doors to protect both staff and the public. So did all other community places (senior centers, fitness centers, theaters, movies, schools/colleges). No concerts, no book clubs, no school theater productions, no classes, no nothing.

Local supermarkets have struggled to keep up with demand for cleaning supplies in particular and some foods too. Within a few days, these stores rebounded to stock their empty shelves, and some are offering early-morning shopping hours for people 60 and over.

My pantry is currently filled with shelf-stable foods in case hubby and I need to shelter in place. The fridge is full, and I removed my ice-cube trays to make room for actual food in the freezer.

Daily Life Has Changed Dramatically

Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning to keep ourselves and others safe. Also, hubby and I are planning meals more carefully, thinking about what has a shorter shelf life and what will be good for a longer period. Cooking and eating together is a time for conversation and listening to NPR.

Puzzles are a good diversion. At top, one of the three puzzles we have in the house and have been assembling little by little. Sis tells me she has a puzzle or two on hand, and is enjoying the challenge.

We watched a live Facebook concert by the Jolly Beggars to "celebrate" St. Patrick's Day, instead of attending their live concert (cancelled). It was very uplifting and we even sang along to "Charlie on the MTA." I bet lots of the 700 viewers did the same!

As a mystery lover, I have lots of printed books in the house and my local library gives me access to digital books. I bought, downloaded, and devoured Nathan Dylan Goodwin's latest genealogy mystery, "The Sterling Affair," which I recommend. It's his most complex to date, entertaining for anyone interested in genealogical methodology AND mystery.

Happily, with spring bursting out, we can enjoy buds and soon flowers as we take walks outside and greet friends and neighbors from a safe social distance. This is the new normal.

More Time for Genealogy

There's more time for genealogy than ever before. I've caught up on some Wood family branches that had not been fleshed out on my Ancestry trees (2c1R, 2c2R, and beyond). Also I've looked for newspaper articles to help a friend whose two daughters are suddenly interested in their ancestors!

This is an excellent opportunity for me to take the deep dive into DNA Painter, which requires a learning curve on my part. I've registered but not put enough effort into using this wonderful resource, which I find a bit intimidating. I do intend to learn more!

That's about it for today's future family history. I'll write updates at a later date, and keep at my regular genealogy blogging.

Please stay safe, readers! 

Am I Making Genealogical Progress?

Panelist at Family Tree Live! "Crash Course in Writing Your Family's Story"

Summer's here. With half a year gone and half a year to go, am I making progress toward my genealogical goals? Yes and no.

Yes!

• Continuing my genealogy education. I've been to Family Tree Live, learned from speakers at local genealogy meetings, and watched top-notch  webinars hosted by the Virtual Genealogical Association. Also, I've watched videos by Ancestry, Family Search, and MyHeritage, learning to use those sites more effectively for family-history research. Not to mention the many books I've read for historical background to put ancestors into context, and books I've read to learn more about genealogy in general. 
• Connecting with other family history researchers. I'm now following 2300 Twitter accounts that focus on genealogy, history, archives, and related topics (compared with 1700 in January, 2018). Learning lots from participating in #AncestryHour and #GenChat also! Happy that this genealogy blog rose to #10 in the Feedspot list of family tree websites earlier this year. In August I'll celebrate my 11th blogiversary.
• Building my portfolio of presentations. I spoke twice (and was on the family history writing panel shown at top) at the big new Family Tree Live conference in London. Also, I have scheduled many presentations at genealogy clubs and libraries throughout this year. Topics include social media for genealogy, writing family history, Genealogy 101, using Heritage Quest, and planning a genealogical "will." 
• Connecting with cousins. I completed the big Farkas family indexing project and sent a flash drive to cousins with family letters and meeting minutes covering decades. A real accomplishment, in that it keeps family history alive for future generations. In addition, this blog continues to be cousin bait, as do my public trees on Ancestry and MyHeritage. DNA matches on these and other sites have enabled me to identify other definite and prospective cousins. "Almost" cousins (in-law relations) have also been in touch, and we've exchanged info about people we are both researching, which means more progress.

No!

• Do more with DNA. On back burner for first half of the year. Just this month, new DNA matches gave me enough info to finally begin color-coding for specific parts of the family tree. In the second half of 2019, I plan to proactively use tools on Ancestry, DNA Painter, MyHeritage, Gedmatch to get more insights as I organize my DNA matches.
• Delayed new family history booklets. I started collecting photos and document images for a booklet on my Mom and Auntie, Daisy and Dorothy Schwartz, but haven't organized or written anything. With my Sis, I donated Dorothy's WAC memorabilia to the U.S. Army Women's Museum early in 2019, so that's progress. Haven't yet begun organizing and writing the long-promised photo book of Edgar James Wood and his wife, Marian McClure Wood. I've written shorter booklets but the family is interested in something longer and filled with lots of photos. Keeping this on my 2019 to-do list.
• Following fewer genealogy blogs. The number of active genealogy blogs I'm following has fallen to only 66. It was 104 at the start of 2018, which means 38 have gone inactive since then. It's time to search out blogs to follow by checking Geneabloggers Tribe and other sources.

And of course, I'm still promoting my best-selling genealogy book/ebook, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, with ideas for organizing, analyzing, preserving, and passing family history to next generation.