YEAR END STATS ~ Did I make any research progress last year?

 

As we say goodbye to 2024 and welcome a new year.  Let me take a look at my research for this past year.

This year hasn’t been my best year for research or blogging.  When two senior citizens move into a brand new home and are tasked with unpacking and setting up.  Well, let’s just say it takes a lot of time.

The very last thing to get set up was my office aka “the genie cave.”  Thankfully, I have a husband who can build almost anything.  He built me a beautiful desk and several shelves. My office isn’t quite done (still have ancestor photos to hang), but it’s good enough to allow me to research.

This has been my worst year for number of blog posts since 2010.  But, there have been finds and there has been progress in my Legacy database.

And, I didn’t post my progress at the end of 2023, so we will have to go back to 2022 to compare stats.

Let’s see just what kind of progress.  I’m afraid to look, but here goes.

Before we look at the results let me make a shout out to my friend and fellow blogger, Randy Seaver.  In my original post my percentages were incorrect.  Math was never my favorite subject in school.  LOL!  But, Randy being an Engineer is very good at it.  Thanks for letting me know my friend.  I have made the appropriate corrections.

Please click on any image to enlarge it.

I’ll say one thing.  I was happily surprised at the results.  Not very much work done, but the numbers do make it seem better than the percentages.  And as long as I made some progress during this incredibly busy year, I’ll take it.

I’m looking forward to a more productive genealogy year in 2025. 

I hope you’ll go along with me as I share more ancestor stories and research tips.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANOTHER YEAR COMES TO A CLOSE~Has 2022 been a good year for research?

It’s that time of year again. 

Time to review what I've accomplished in my research.

This has been a much better year in regards to research, than 2021.  I’ve been able to spend more time at my computer.  I have published just a couple of blog posts less than last year, but still tried to keep posting.  Blogging is something I very much enjoy.  Sharing family stories and hearing from readers makes me smile.

So, what has changed in my tree on Legacy this year?  Let’s have a look.

These are the stats from 2021

2021 Stats

How do they compare to this year?

Here are the stats from 2022

2022 Stats

Here is a comparison between years

There was progress made in all areas. Whether small or big progress it's important to move forward in our research.

I’m happy to that I’ve added more ancestors (240) and that I am also citing my sources.

More importantly, I've made some great discoveries, connected with new cousins and increased my knowledge in many areas.  

My research goal has never been to see how many ancestors I can collect.  Just to do thorough, documented research and let the numbers take care of themselves. 

Have you had a good research year in 2022? 

Did you have specific goals?  Did you achieve them?

My goals for next year will remain the same as most any year.  To continue to do good research.  To connect with more cousins.  To keep sharing family stories on my blog. To attend our first in person Rootstech since 2020 (my tickets are already booked).  To teach a few classes here and there.  And LAST but not LEAST, oh please, can I solve at least one of my two BIG brick walls.

Happy New Year,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ And WELCOME 2021–Here are my year end stats for 2020 and GOALS for the new year

Good riddance 2020 and hello 2021.  May this be a much kinder and gentler year for all of us. 

I always like to look back and see what’s changed in my Legacy tree. 

• How many new ancestors and/or collateral people have I added?
• Have I kept up with my sourcing? 
• What else has changed in my tree?

Let’s take a look.

Here is a side by side comparison created by Legacy

(Click on any image to enlarge it)

On the left are the stats from 2019 and on the right the stats from 2020

I appears that I’ve made steady progress consistent with previous years.  That certainly makes me happy.  My goal has never been to see how big I can make my tree, but rather, to add people that are well researched and confirmed.  Speaking of goals.  I shared my goals for 2020 in my first post last year.  Let’s see how well I did.

Speaking of goals.  I shared my goals for 2020 in my first post last year.  Let’s see how well I did.

HERE WERE MY GENEALOGY GOALS FOR 2020

• Continue to blog about our family and share their stories – DONE

• To break down my two biggest, long standing brick walls – SADLY NOT DONE

• To become better at reading DNA results and connecting the dots – SOME PROGRESS

• To have a great time at Rootstech 2020 in February – ABSOLUTELY DONE!

• To continue to occasionally teach classes and help others grow their family tree – DONE

• To finish the small box of scanning that’s been in my office for several years – NOT DONE

• To continue to enjoy what started as a hobby and has now become a passion for me – DONE

What were your goals for this past year?  How did you do?

Here is my list for this coming year – writing them down helps motivate me

• To break down my two biggest, long standing brick walls
• To finish the small box of scanning that’s been in my office for several years
• To do a better job of citing my sources.  I was a bit lazy this past year
• To connect with more cousins and exchange information
• To continue to teach and help others
• To get my blog post count back to where it was in previous years (before 2020)

That top goal is huge for me and my most urgent desire.  What are your goals for the coming year?  I’d love to hear about them in a comment or your own blog post.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2021   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Year End Post ~ 2020 - A Look Back–What were the highlights of my family research?

This blurry image is kind of how I will look back at 2020

None of us will ever forget this year, will we?  Nothing like we ever expected or ever thought of.  I have to say that I wish I’d have kept a journal.  If not a daily journal, at least a weekly one.  It would have made great reading for future generations.  Did any of you keep one?

As a blogger I have not written as many posts as I like to.  When all of this began, I couldn’t concentrate and had no desire to write at all.  I barely wanted to research.  I think many of us were disconcerted and unsettled as all of this unfolded.  At least I know I was.

Thus, I ended the year with my fewest posts since 2013.  Only 56. But, I must think of it as 56 stories that might never have been told.

The first part of this year (before we were all staying home), I had such fun at Rootstech.  My friend, Pam and I were in Salt Lake City for a week, from Feb 23 – Mar 1.  About 30,000 people attended this conference and just two weeks later, we were all told to stay home and isolate.  I’m so glad we got to go and cannot wait to go again.  

Here’s a link to my summary of Rootstech

Here I am writing on the Rootstech Story Board

This was the 10th anniversary of my blog, or as we call them blogiversaries.  I started the year by celebrating that milestone.  Celebrating my 10th Blogiversary

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR WERE:

• Some very interesting FRIDAY FINDS – included was the ever so elusive marriage record of my great grandparents, William V. Gould and May E. Thorp,   The Hospital Register for Death of Volunteers in the Civil War,   The 6th child of Rev. George Hall & his wife Almira
• My journey to join the Mayflower Society.  From FINALLY finding the record I needed for my 3rd great grandmother, Olive Doten Hart, linking her to her father, to my application process and finally receiving my certificate.  It was a longtime dream of mine and to have finally “made it” was incredibly rewarding.  My Mayflower Society Journey
• And the final highlight from this year would be the incredible gift of receiving my husband Ron’s great grandmother’s scrapbook.  A cousin sent this treasure to me for safe keeping.  What a treasure it is.  Here are the posts I’ve written so far, with many more to come Cora's Scrapbook.  There are newspapers from 1800-1865, personal correspondence, a photo of a wedding cake from 1877 and so much more, so stay tuned.

I can see from writing this post, that, although it wasn’t my most prolific writing year, it was certainly one filled with many great finds and lots of family stories.

I hope you’ll all stay with me as we welcome 2021 and hope for a much better year for all of us.

THE VERY HAPPIEST AND HEALTHIEST OF NEW YEARS TO ALL OF YOU – Here’s to a great 2021!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

2019 YEAR END FAMILY TREE PROGRESS REPORT ~ By the numbers–A comparison of the past 6 years of my research

As a year and a decade draw to a close, how has my family tree changed?

I began writing my blog in 2010, but it languished until I got serious in 2013.  It wasn’t until the end of 2014 that I began looking at the statistics and charting my progress

Our ultimate goal is to find ancestors.  It’s never about how many people we can add to our tree, but more about being sure we have done our work in verifying and sourcing.  We never want to leave false information for our descendants.

However, that being said, we can look at various statistics and come to a conclusion about whether we are doing our work well.

Let’s take a quick look at a comparison of my statistics from year end 2014 and year end 2019.  This will cover 6 years of research: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

2014 and 2019

What I can see from the comparison of my Legacy database over 6 years are the following changes.

I’m pleased with my progress.  I’m not just willy nilly adding people to my database, but slowly growing my tree by about 363 people per year.  My source list is fairly steady, as I’ve created many Master Sources and rarely have to add to my list.  I’m pleased to see that I’m adding Events on a regular basis.  This means I’m adding to a person or family story by creating events based on census records, city directories, obituaries, military information etc. 

• How have you done over the past few years or even the past year? 
• Are you happy with your progress? 
• What would you like to accomplish this next year?

HERE ARE MY GENEALOGY GOALS FOR 2020

• Continue to blog about our family and share their stories
• To once and for all break down my two biggest, long standing brick walls
• To become better at reading DNA results and connecting the dots
• To have a great time at Rootstech 2020 in February
• To continue to occasionally teach classes and help others grow their family tree
• To finish the small box of scanning that’s been in my office for several years
• To continue to enjoy what started as a hobby and has now become a passion for me

Here’s to a year full of genealogical breakthroughs and fun!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION