A Program, A Project and A Person

As you know, I purchased Legacy Family Tree genealogy program to suppliment my RootsMagic. I was having a real problem with RM. I have cleaned up the mess it made. A few days ago, there was an update for the program, though I don't know what it was fixing, I hope it fixed my problem. I'm still watching, making sure the mess does not reappear. So far, so good. Legacy is so different that I am slowly learning it's ways. It is not as easy to get around in as my RM, but I have used RM for so many years and so many versions, that I could probably work in it blind-folded. Well, not really. There is a learning curve, for me, to Legacy. I put a GedCom in it without sources. I need to learn how to add them in Legacy and the only way is to do it, over and over. I love the "Marriage List" in Legacy. That is a great feature. I think the "Map Family" is good too. It almost writes the family story for you. In the reports section I love the "Questionnaire"! "Advanced Tagging" is going to be really helpful. The "Alarm" is amusing. Like I would stop? Anyway, I am really looking forward to having the 'skills' to work in Legacy. I may really like it!

I finished up one of my GenWeb counties WWI page. All the Gold Star Honor Roll soldiers are on the site, with an article, in many cases, many articles, and a profile. I have already started on my second county. In one case, I was working on a young soldiers page and realized he had died exactly one hundred years ago on that day. He was only 18. I could say a lot about men and their wars, but I won't, at least not this time. In the era of WWI, most of the boys died from the outbreak of Spanish Influenza. They came in from a nice safe farm into a crowded camp riddled with it, and they did not last long enough, sometimes, to actually see battle. I find it hard to do, these pages. Not as hard as actually being a soldier. I will most likely survive the pain.

My Uncle Don, who died on June 17, 1938, was only 16 years, and nine months of age. He is not forgotten.

The Tribune
Seymour, Indiana
June 18, 1938

Donald Eugene Jaynes, age sixteen, died at the home at Chestnut Ridge south of Seymour at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon. Death followed an illness of one month's duration with acute leukemia.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon from the Voss Mortuary here with Dr. A.A. Cohn, pastor of the First Baptist Church, in charge. Burial in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.

The Jaynes youth was a native of Seymour and was born here on September 17, 1921, the son of James and Della Alexander Jaynes. Both the parents survive. He spent his entire life in and near Seymour and made many friends who were shocked to learn of his death.

Besides the parents, he is survived by three sisters, Louise Jaynes, Joyce Jaynes and Madeline Jaynes, all at home.

Friends may call at the Voss Mortuary after 7 o'clock tonight.

About to Choose a New Program. . . .

The question is, which one? RootsMagic or Legacy. I have narrowed it down to those two. I have a trial of RM on my computer, and I have been working with Legacy 7 for a while. I'm thinking it is a little harder than it needs to be. But it does offer choices of everything. Do I need to make that many choices? RM seems friendly and appealing. It doesn't make me tense to play with it.
What ever choice I make is the one I will be sticking with. So it has to be good. This is the year. I want to have my choice made and my order in by the last of the month.
NO MORE FTM. I don't know what direction they are going, but it is definitely not my way. So far on Facebook I have had 3 for RM and 2 for Legacy. One voted for The Master Genealogist. I don't know anything about that one.


Please respond to my poll to your left.
Thank you.

"Going Green"

Some habits are really hard to break. How you work, for instance. I did not have access to a computer for my early research days, and I still work first on paper. So I've decided I'm 'going green'! Try to break the habit of so much paper. It is a much longer process for me to get to the computer stage. Slows down the process. Going completely digital will cut out a step and allow all the files to be kept in one place. I've tried before and slid back into the old habits. But now is different. I'm eco-conscious, I'm saving trees. Never mind the fact that I am out of space and tired of paper and organizing and searching. . . . . So, I am going to really do it this time. I've been digitizing my photographs and documents for as long as I have had access to a scanner. I thought of it as a safety issue, having it on the computer/disk would make it hard to lose anything. Now I have to think of it as my main library/file and organize to reflect that.

What about tools? What is really necessary? I have a scanner/copier/printer. Ok, so I'm not going to mention the copier/printer part. I have OpenOffice. Now on the family tree program, I am working to break my FTM habit. The last few times I upgraded were not happy experiences. I gave up with the 2005 version. I am going to Legacy. I have the new free Legacy 7 already on my computer. Right now Legacy 6 is working for me. (I will buy 7 later.) FTM was my first and that is what you tend to stick with. I've heard nothing but bad about the newer version and have had so much trouble with upgrades over the years that I have finally quit. I have all my photos/documents already filed on my computer. Is that all that's needed? Well I need what my grandmother called 'gumption'. I believe that meant the 'want to', and I want to!

I've made a lot of changes lately. To be more social is what drove the creation of my blogs. Learning the new social tools for connections. Joining in more instead of passing up the opportunity to speak and meet new people. I do have foot-in-mouth disease so I try to give it thought before I speak [AKA: mouth working before the brain is in gear] :o) Research has become more interesting on more than one level. I am always collecting tips for myself and
my users at the county site. I am a blog-a-holic, and I make my 'blog rounds' first thing in the day to get my fix.

So, here we go.............. I just hope the old adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is wrong.