2017 Genealogy Goals

With the beginning of the new year, it's time to check-up on how well I did with my 2016 genealogy goals and establish the goals for 2017.

I am still working on the Do-over and will continue in the coming years.  I want my tree to be as accurate as possible.  As I re-evaluate information I continue to find new information.  I will also continue to maintain my online trees as cousin bait.  Last year they provided contacts in both Norway and Germany.

I will once again participate in the Family History Writing group sponsored by Lynn Palermo in February.  Last year I got off to a pretty good start, but found some additional research was needed to continue the story.  I have done the research and so I will resurrect the story and hope to finish it and publish it here.

On the DNA front, I am currently the manager of 5 kits and have had some minor success in connecting my brother and a known first cousin to another branch of my grandfather's family.  The most common recent ancestor was my grandfather's grandfather.  He was born in Norway in 1817.  I will be watching and re-watching DNA seminars this year and I now have Blaine Bettinger's book "Guide to DNA  Testing and Genetic Genealogy" so maybe this year I will become more comfortable with DNA analysis.

I am making tentative plans to go back to the Family History Library in April and the SCGS Jamboree in June.  My trip to Salt Lake was a wonderful adventure and as is typical, I made substantial progress on a brick wall on Saturday afternoon! (my last day)  I hope to go to Jamboree for both its educational opportunities and fellowship.  I may also see my cousin while in California.

My greatest fail this year was with blogging.  Far from the weekly posts I had hoped to do, I only managed a total of nineteen blog posts.  I don''t knoe if I need different ideas or just more determination.  I guess I better figure it out.

One last goal is to finally finish my daughter's application to join the DRA.  There is one loose end to connect in the 1810-1830  time period.  That will probably require land and tax records.

Surely these things will keep me busy and out of trouble. Here's to 2017!!