When was the last time you went through your Genealogy Papers???

For me, it is looking like it has been many, many years.  After I updated the McManigle Family Website, I received an email from a cousin, Dixie Deaton.  She was unhappy with me and I could not imagine what I had done.  Well, come to find out I didn’t do anything!  YAY  BUT, that was the problem ~frown~  Many of you have heard my sad story about my Legacy Family Tree database becoming corrupt back in 2006.  I was devastated, and tried to fix it.  After about a year, I decided that I should just start over, so I did.  It has taken a couple of years to come close.  I knew I had not gotten everyone into the new Legacy database, but continued on.  Seems like I not only did not get everyone, but I also did not get all my sources . . .  Cousins, Pauline Fink and Sheldon McManigle had sent me a lot of information in the early days, Sheldon still does!  So of course I started with their files and was planning to get to the other files.  That is where I messed up.  I have never gotten back to the files of the dozens of cousins that shared with me their research.  At this point I am really beating myself up, it’s not helping. 

When I started, I had promised that when cousins shared their research, I would credit them as sources.  Way back in 1996, I only had about 200 family members in my Legacy database.  It was easy to keep updated and I printed out lots of Family Group sheets.  We even had a “Cousins” page on the McManigle Website, listing all the cousins who had helped with the research and their family lines.  

By the time that the Legacy database became corrupt, we had over 33,000 family members!  And needless to say, there were dozens and dozens of helpful cousins.  I have also lost many emails throughout the years, but have tried to keep hard copies and copies in my email folders.  I have not gone through them in years and have continued my searches adding much information. (note:  just checked and we have 28,737 people in the Legacy database, hmmm, yep sure does look like there are more than a few people  that are missing!)

I am now in the process of going through all my hard copies files and then I will tackle the stored emails.  I have no idea when I will be finished with this project! ~laughs~  I have four file cabinets and at least five file boxes and at least 2,000 stored emails.  Oh my! 

The purpose of this Blog is to apologize to all my cousins and even some strangers who have helped develop the McManigle Family Website.  I will try to recreate as much as I possibly can with the correct sources.  I am very sorry at my neglect, it was not intentional, I am very grateful for all the help I have received over the years.

Thank you

Kristine

Dick Eastman's Post on AnestorSync - Very Exciting

As I was reading my favorite blogs this morning, Dick Eastman has a post "AncestorSync To Bridge The Gap Between Desktop and Online Family History".  If you have not read it, please take a look.

I personally work on my Family History with Legacy Family Tree software.  I love the software and have used it forever.  But I also want my Family information in the 'Cloud' so more people can find the information.  I do have The McManigle Family website, I use Legacy to create the pages and then upload them.  I have uploaded the GED file to Ancestry Family Trees, many many times!  There is no way to Sync at this time.  I have also uploaded a GED file to Geni and Archives.  But again no way to Sync, the information needs to up re-uploaded.  I probably have a couple more out there that I have forgotten.  Also Geni and Archives does not allow a large GED file to be uploaded.  So you can see if I tried to keep all of them up to date, I would enter one document to Legacy Family Tree and then spend at least an hour updating all the other trees.  Needless to say, it just does not get done.  BUT to be able to Sync them all would be very exciting!

I am looking forward to trying this new software out!  Ancestorsync, is the name of the software, it is not available until June 2011, but they do have a PreOrder special, $10.00 for the first year! Usually $15.00 a year.  I tried to PreOrder, but it is not available until tomorrow, 11 May 2011.  I will certainly be heading back to the website to give it a try tomorrow.

Busy Busy Week

It has been a busy couple of weeks.  I am really hoping I do not let this Blog fall by the wayside!  Have to keep writing, but there have been more Webinars and Radio shows and new documents to be found!  Of course I have also been reading so many wonderful Blogs.  Some of these people have so much going on, some are GIVING the Webinars not just watching.  They must have much more energy than I do ~laughs~

I was over at Find A Grave this past week, found a cousin, Wendy Kreider had lots of posts and they were very helpful.  Wendy has always been very generous with sharing her time and documents, I am very grateful.  Wendy has also offered to send more corrections and additions for the McManigle Family Website.  Another cousin, Dixie Deaton sent me a few Death Certificates and obituaries!  Aren't cousins wonderful!  Thank you Cousins!

I have also been trying to become organized!  oh my  I just do not think that will ever be possible!  There are so many documents and pictures that need to be scanned and entered into the Legacy Family Tree software.  I am starting late, but Dear Myrtle has her Organization for 2011 blogs which I am trying to play catchup.  Almost every time I try to organize myself, I end up running in circles and then get into a mind numbing game or if I am really good, I will head over to Family Search or Ancestry and transcribe a few records.  At least transcribing I don't feel like I am wasting all my time ~laughs~.

Getting late, so heading off to bed, will really try to write more often. . . night

How many trees do I need?

I mostly use Legacy Family Tree software for my Genealogy.  But . . .  I also have uploaded a GEDCOM file to Ancestry, Geni, Archives,  and have posted a few people on WikiTree .  I think I have a few more scattered out in the cloud somewhere, but I honestly do not know where, oh wait, I also have the McManigle Family Website.  I am just not sure how to keep all of these sites and program updated.

Ancestry will not let me append to the tree already there, I need to download the GEDCOM again, so I delete it than upload it again with any updates I've made to Legacy.  Any of the people that had a green leafy thing and I had attached the records to their page are now gone and I have to start all over, even though I have them sited in my Legacy Family Tree software.  I have done that a few times now and just not a 'happy camper'!  I am thinking that is what will be entailed updating the other sites, unless I go one by one and update each tree when I find new documentation, well that just will not work!  When I am on the search, I hardly take the time to get the information in to Legacy and then I am off on finding something more.  I sure don't want to take the time to visit each tree and make the note.

Is anyone else putting up so many trees?  Maybe the answer is to once or twice a year upload a GEDCOM file to replace the old one?  But make no changes to the trees as you go along, except for the software for your main genealogy?  Or find the one you like and then just update the one?  Even when I was only updating Legacy Family Tree and Ancestry tree online, it was hard.   Many interruptions and I would forget which one I was working on.  How do others keep up multiple trees??

Then comes the question; when I get an email that asks me for more information on someone, I hate to have to ask them where they found the information.  I know they did not get it from my Legacy software, but was it on the McManigle Family Website? Ancestry Family Tree? Geni? Archives?  Oh and when did I make the latest update on which site?  Too confusing for me, I am getting too older and besides I would rather be on the search!  ~laughs~

McManigle Website UPDATED

YAY!!!  I did it ~laughs~  only took me four and a half years!  Actually I have been in the process of uploading for the last two hours and looks like it still has a couple of hours to go.  Seems like everything is running smoothly, but I am ready for a nap!  Will check it out when I wake and then send out emails to friends and family that might be interested.  Seems like a long process, but not as bad as I remember it.

McManigle Website Update con't

     I have not forgotten what I was trying to accomplish, I have been working on updating the McManigle Website .  This morning I received the new password to access the website.  I opened FTP Commander Deluxe (free software).  Entered the new password and YAY  it worked!  I was able to download the graphics I needed for creating the updated website  ~happy dance~
     While I waited for the new password from RootsWeb, I continued to transcribe for Ancestry and spent a lot of time making sure that the pictures from Legacy were attached to the right person.  I really love Windows 7, but the biggest problem I have encountered is that the attachments, weren't attached.  But it looks like once I attach one picture to a person, all the pictures for that person, are redirected to the correct location.
Today I am continuing with the pictures and also updating some of the family.  Making sure that the emails I have received with family information has been added to the Legacy program.  Of course, I become easily distracted by the records and will wander off for more records ~laughs~  But then, that is one of the fun parts of Family Research.
     I received an email from Dennis Janke which helped a great deal with the Hershlep/Hershleb Family.  Then this morning I received an email from Tracey Taylor, a new found cousin from James McManigle family to Sarah Bowley who married James Corey McManigle, son of Alexander and Juliet (Graham) McManigle.  Always wonderful to hear from new and old cousins!
     Another chore I have is to find a HTML editor, I used FrontPage in the past, but no longer have access to that program.  I have been looking for the past couple of days and will have to try out a couple before I make a decision.  So this process is moving along, just slowly, but hopefully, it will become easier to keep the website updated in the future.

Updating McManigle Family Website

I have been working on this update for the last couple of hours.  I could not find the graphics I used, I guess I could have found new ones, but I like the old ones.  Then I remembered that I could download from the website and get the graphics.  I found a free FTP program, Commander Deluxe, but I kept getting error messages:  500 Control Connection Closed;  Connection aborted Winsock error #10053.  I have no idea what that means, so I went to the help desk and became very confused.  So I ended up writing an email with the error message and asked what I could do.  So I guess I will wait to hear from them for now.  I will go back to Legacy and try creating the webpages with default graphics and at least be able to see what I have.  Then try to edit and locate any missing data.  I think when I changed computer many pictures became unattached.  Still lots to do  but I am beginning to remember why it has been so long since I have updated the Website ~smiles~

New Blogger

     I have been reading many blogs lately, and thought I might give this a try too.  
     Yesterday I sat through two Webinars from Legacy.  Blogging for Beginners with DearMyrtle and More Blogging for Beginners with DearMyrtle.  These were free Webinars from Legacy Family Tree.  Dear Myrtle gave wonderful presentations and I was able to set this blog up.  Now I can only hope to do this right or at least have fun!
I have never enjoyed writing, especially writing what others might read, so just not sure how this will work.  My son, Jesse, thinks this will be great.  He thinks I could learn a lot about my family history if I wrote it down and heard from other people their thoughts on my thoughts.  ~laughs~ not sure that makes sense, but I understood~  So I am going to give this a go and see what happens, besides I hate to admit it, but Jesse is usually right ~smiles~
     In 2000 I stared a Website, "The McManigle Family Website", I loved working on this in the beginning. I only had about 200 family members so it was not too hard to keep it updated.  By 2006 there were over 30,000 family members!  I have not updated that website since 2006, I don't think I would even know how to any longer ~laughs~  In 2008, my database became corrupted, children changed parents, children became great great grandparents of their parents.  It was literally a mess!  I spent a year trying to decide to try to 'fix' the database or just start over.  I tried many different things, but finally decided to just start over from scratch.  I still haven't gotten all of my family members from the Website into the new database, so good thing I did not update the Website ~laughs~  I still get emails from people that would like more information on someone and I look in my Legacy software and can't find them.  If I remember, I then look on the Website and they are usually there and I then can add that family to Legacy and answer their emails.
     Well this is my start, we shall see how it goes. . . .


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