Halfway Through 2024: Genealogy Progress and Plans

Six months ago, I made a list of genealogy priorities for 2024. Now, halfway through the year, how am I doing?

• Create a family history photo book about my husband's paternal grandparents. 💙 Done! Family really liked this final grandparent photo book, which included dramatic episodes from the lives of Wood and Slatter ancestors. Now I'm working on a booklet about the 50+ military ancestors in my husband's family tree, with the goal of finishing by end of 2024.
• Continue writing and posting bite-sized bios of ancestors. 👍 Never-ending, but making excellent progress, still posting brief ancestor bios on WikiTree, Find a Grave, and more. Remember, LOCKSS (lots of copies keeps stuff safe)--including family history--so I'm spreading my ancestors around.
• Switch old photos from archival sleeves to safe, convenient photo albums, a project that fell to the back burner in 2023. 😟 Uh-oh, still on back burner. No progress at all, even though all materials are in the house. Maybe later this summer?! 
• Continue redoing research on focus ancestors, as new info becomes available and as I try different sites. 👍 Huge progress. This is partly why the photos are on the back burner: So many different sites to use for research and so much new info found! Plus I've gone down the in-law rabbit hole many times, especially for those who had no descendants so I want to be sure they're documented and remembered. More fun than a barrel of rabbits 🐰 LOL.
• Slim down and reorganize surname file folders. 👍 Real progress. Just last week as I was recycling redundant printed Census documents, I "rediscovered" photos of graves in the same file folder. Some I had never posted on Find a Grave and other sites, so I took care of that pronto. As I did, I became the "manager" of a few Find a Grave memorials that were up for grabs because original managers were no longer active. And of course I had to fill in with bite-sized bios so...🐰

One priority I hadn't listed was participating in multiple WikiTree Connect-a-Thons. The two so far have spurred me to add even more ancestors to WikiTree, as I was on Team L'Chaim, and got me deeper into categorization. The next Connect-a-Thon is in July, and I plan to participate once again. It's a fun way to focus my genealogy efforts on specific people for a specific time. 

In between, I'm adding to my WikiTree and adopting occasional ancestors' FindaGrave memorial pages that are "up for grabs." Finally, my plan for the second half of 2024 is to continue my genealogy education with webinars and genealogy meetings. 

How has your genealogy been going in 2024? 

Colorizing James and Mary and Their Cleveland House

 

As I prepare a family history photo book about hubby's grandparents, James E. Wood (1871-1939) and Mary Slatter Wood (1869-1925), I'm colorizing a few old b/w photos to catch the eye of younger descendants. Of course, I'm noting that the photos are colorized. This book (and others I've created) are helping to keep family history alive for the future.

Above, the photo as colorized by Ancestry. James has more color, the second floor of the home has more color, but Mary appears less colorful. Overall, this photo is more interesting to look at and brings out more details than the original. I tried the sharpen tool but Ancestry couldn't detect the small faces.

Below, the same photo as colorized by MyHeritage. Here, Mary has more color and the sign advertising James's carpentry/building business is red and very visible. Note the tiny palette and magic wand symbols at bottom left of photo, added by MyHeritage to indicate that this image is both colorized and enhanced. I prefer this version and have inserted it into the photo book.

Share "Work in Progress" Genealogy

These genealogy fan charts will appear on pages 2 and 3 of my latest family history photo book. The book focuses on my husband's paternal grandparents, Mary Slatter (1869-1925) and James Edgar Wood (1871-1939). The colorful charts attract the eyes of readers and show, at a glance, the names and the dates (where known) of their ancestors. 

Thanks to one of the Wood cousins, who began his genealogy quest more than 40 years ago, we have a lot of solid, sourced info about James Edgar Wood's paternal family tree (on right). That same cousin tried for decades to learn more about Mary Amanda Demarest (1831-1897) with little success. 

I joined the "research team" 15 years ago and despite promising leads, we never have been able to prove her parentage with high confidence. This cousin did an intensive analysis of the 1840 US Census in New York City, Mary Amanda's birthplace, and narrowed her possible parentage to the household of Henry Demarest and Catherine Nitchie Demarest. 

Should I include these names on the fan chart or not, given the lack of proof? I returned to the research, looked carefully for fresh leads, came up empty, and decided to go ahead and put them on the tree. I'll explain elsewhere in the text that this is the best guesstimate at this time.

Similarly, the fan chart on the left is missing a lot of names and dates. Despite many years of digging, I haven't been able to go far back on Mary Slatter's family tree. I've been reviewing and reworking my research in search of new leads, without any breakthroughs. This branch of the tree is a real challenge, due to "John" and "Mary" married ancestors in multiple generations, few solid maiden names, common surnames, a lack of specific hometown info, and uneven record-keeping. I do know a great deal about Mary and her siblings and parents, so that's going to be my main focus in the photo book.

Despite the many missing slots on the family tree, I believe it's important to share my "work in progress" genealogy (after 26 years of digging) so descendants know what I know already. Each photo book ends with my name as the creator, and the month and year of printing. This will alert future generations that the information is as of that date. 

Sharing (through photo books, online trees, bite-sized bios, and more) is all part of planning a future for my family's past before I join my ancestors.

Comparing Bite-Sized Family History Photo Books

Above, two of the bite-sized (6 inch by 6 inch) photo books I made to focus on very specific aspects of family history. I'm quite happy with both of them! Quality is good, color reproduction very nice, lots of customizable options for covers and interior layouts. One is from Shutterfly, which I've used for years, and one is from Mixbook, my first try. 

These bite-sized photo books have been a hit with the younger generation, so I'm sure I'll make more later in the year. One recipient appreciated the pocket-sized book because it was "adorable and informative." Win! 

Shutterfly

At left, the Shutterfly photo book about the WWII military ancestors in my Schwartz and Burk family trees. The six inch square size is measured on the outside covers, from spine to tip. Inside, the pages are 5 5/8 inches wide and tall. This is called an "instant book" on Shutterfly, with 20 pages included in the price of $23.98 with standard hard cover (today's price). Promotions are frequent, so wait for a discount! Professional and long-lasting, I crammed a lot of photos and a bit of text into one little book, and my audience was both pleased and fascinated, rereading and asking questions!

I love Shutterfly's nearly infinite options for customizing every aspect of a photo book, including lots of embellishments like frames for photos and fancy wording like "family." The pages are slightly thicker and have a slight sheen, very easy to read at a glance. It takes time to learn Shutterfly's customizing features, but the results are well worth the learning curve, whether you're making a photo book or some other project (family calendar, etc.). 

Mixbook

At right, the Mixbook photo book about the Mayflower ancestors in my husband's Wood family tree. The outside size is 6 1/4 by 6 1/4 measured from spine to tip of cover. Inside, the pages are 6 inches high and nearly 6 inches wide. This is a "blank canvas" square book, with 21 pages included in the price of $26.18 with standard hard cover (today's price). Definitely watch for a discount! I didn't cram too much into this book, because I was only writing about 5 Mayflower ancestors plus some historical context and naming famous descendants of these ancestors, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Very attractive, a quick read and a mini-reference for the younger generation.

Mixbook has somewhat fewer options but also different options, including the ability to quickly and conveniently line up text or photos at top across two-page spreads. It took me less time to learn Mixbook's more intuitive customizing features because of my prior experience with Shutterfly, so the book came together fairly quickly. The pages are slightly thinner and glossier, adding to the polished look. NOTE: Be aware that if you change a Mixbook project within 30 min of ordering, that change will be in your book! 

My preferences

I'm going to go with Mixbook in the future when I make more of these small square books, because its book has a definite size edge over Shutterfly. 

On the other hand, I'm going to stay with Shutterfly for my longer family history books, because I know its customizable features so well.

Which is right for you?

Both are excellent choices for any photo book project, not just a family history project. Both have apps if you prefer to work that way--I use my desktop Mac so I can see every detail without squinting. Really, I like both Mixbook and Shutterfly for photo-heavy family history.

If you've never made a photo book before, I think Mixbook seems a little easier to pick up on your own, with awesome opportunities to customize your project. If you want nearly endless possibilities for colors of page backgrounds, covers, fonts, embellishments, I suggest you consider Shutterfly. Remember that extras cost extra on either site.

Let me encourage you to check out both sites on your own, note the prices of different sizes/types of photo books, and try a book about a favorite ancestor or some other particular element of your family tree--military ancestors, musical ancestors, a black sheep, an extra-special grandma. 

No matter which site you choose, I think you'll be impressed with the quality of the photo book. Just remember to wait for a sale or coupon before you press the "buy" button ;)