Finding a Home for Data in TMG
December 13, 2014
John Frank
My Shifting Genealogy Goals
• Initially sought to link two “relatives”
• Unravel family stories
• Determine place of origin of immigrant
ancestors
• Track research efforts- including failed search
• Document and correctly source findings
Memo Contents
•
•
•
•
Possible searches
Successful searches
Failed searches
Background information
Possible Searches
• TMG Research log allows for tasks (possible
searches) to be identified and managed
Research Checklist of Genealogist Sources
From Rebecca Koman
Failed Searches
• Initially made tasks in the research log related
to failed searches and marked them as
complete
• Now make a list of document names contain
failed search results
• Make a TMG note tag and place the above
document’s name in the reference field
Background Information
• Initially left in the Memo field
• Best left in another format
Some tasks better handled by other
software
• Address search in city directories- Excel
• Transcriptions of German record and their
translations- Word
• Report files saved on C:drive and are found by
using the Windows search utility; therefore
the location of the report does not need to be
known beforehand
Local German Church
• Transcribe and translate if necessary
• In TMG enter Word file name in reference
field on the source citation screen for each
found surname
• Save Word document only in the primary
surname directory
• Use Microsoft word search to find required
documents
Local Records
• Rather than add image of record to the
exhibits- use image name in reference field
• Drawback - duplicate image names because of
the way the camera names images
• Image or document must be stored in TMG
directory to be part of the TMG back up
process
Local Records
• Previously I made xerox copies of birth,
marriage and death records at the Maryland
Hall of Records. Now records are being
available on-line
• Rather than scan the xerox copies, use the online versions- in this case procrastination pays
MD Hall of Records
• MD Hall of Records- standards for citations
• Provides pdf copies of all land records on-line
• Citation is supplied at bottom of each record
image
• Currently is copying church microfilms to online versions
FAN
Friends, Associates and Neighbors
• Frederick Wihelm Franke (1823-1883)
• Made a focus group
• Francis Brown only person with a non-German
sounding name
ED 35 377
Meyers Orts – German Gazetteer
Ahorn pdf 25 of 1271
German Genealogist
• Found birth records and other family member
in church books
• Transcribed records
• Translated records
• Provided anhentafel report
• Added report name to reference field in TMG
Data Entry
•
•
•
•
Use TMG Macros
Use Memo field – full view
Use spell checker
Insert report file names in TMG Reference
field
• Favor electronic version over paper
German Genealogist
• Determined where court records were located
and ordered records
• German genealogist provided access to
records via Dropbox
Dropbox
• Free 5GB
• Two type of access that can be granted
full access to directory
access to only files provided
Generate Gedcom file
• Added a flag for each person in the German
genealogist’s report
• Used TMG to generate gedcom file containing
only newly identified people
• Moved the gedcom file to Dropbox
• Move German genealogist’s report to the
same Dropbox account and provide access to
nephew
Today’s Goal
• Try to connect elements of the genealogy
process (planning and outcomes) that should
be grouped for better oversight
• As archives move their records from microfilm
to electronic, consider documenting addition
information
Questions