A new way to see genealogy from Lisa Louise Cooke

April 9 , 2015

"You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear."

Sherlock Holmes "A Scandal in Bohemia.

Months ago I came across a photo of a beautiful display jar brimming with old wooden spools on Pinterest. I immediately pulled out the yellowing round plastic thread caddy that housed Grandma's vintage thread and set it next to sewing machine. Over the next few months I searched in vain for the perfect container. Then one day with company coming, I quickly stashed the less than beautiful caddy away.

Fast forward to last week when I found the perfect curvacious display jar! But where was Grandma's thread caddy?

I searched all the likely suspect places. I then shifted into grid search mode checking every square inch of every room. Then I did it a second time. The third time I opened the last lower cabinet in the family room I peered in, once again seeing only what I thought were some of Davy and Joey's toys. I got down on my hands and knees and thrust my arm all the way to the back. I had no idea that cabinet was so deep! And then clank; my wedding ring hit the plastic of the thread caddy! I sat there on the floor in disbelief. How had I not seen it? How had I so badly misjudged the depth of the cabinets I go into almost daily?

And as most things do, it got me to thinking about genealogy. What am I not seeing as I look at my latest brick wall? How deep are the sources that I am possibly underestimating? What am I looking at that I am not truly observing?

"...the cabinets I got into almost daily..." and there in lies the answer. When we regularly use the same types of sources over and over, or spend hours on the same ancestor, we become more familiar with them, but we potentially become less observant. Every once in a while a fresh set of eyes is what is needed.

I cover this concept in depth in the Premium Video class Cold Case Investigative Techniques. You'll learn how to apply principles used by criminal cold case detectives to your own genealogical cold cases.

And yes, this story has a happy ending. I not only found the perfect jar for Grandma's silken threads, but also converted a lovely old Yankee Candle jar into a showcase of vintage buttons. They both now rest on the shelf Bill built for me that hangs beneath a century old house window in my sewing corner.

Thanks for listening friend,

Click to follow me on Pinterest:

Genealogy News You Can Use!

News

On the Road:

Next stops: Cape Cod, Mass. and Providence, Rhode Island.

Using Evernote for Genealogy

I hear from people all over the world who are harnessing the free Evernote app to finally organize their family history research for good. They can easily import research finds online, along with the URL and other important source information.

Many people are bringing their family history papers (original documents and paper-based research) into Evernote, too. All their research materials together, keyword and OCR-searchable, in one space, accessible from and fully-synched across all your devices. Sigh! It's wonderful!

There's so much demand in the genealogy community for learning to use Evernote for genealogy that I've started a YouTube mini series: Evernote for Genealogy. Two videos are posted so far:

These videos are absolutely free to watch, and they'll get anyone started using Evernote for genealogy. And of course all the Evernote applications are free too!

Who do you know who would benefit from getting organized? I hope you'll share these videos with your friends and relatives! How about the students in your life? Or your co-workers? Note-taking and organization are important to everyone.

Ready to take your Evernote learning further? Become a Genealogy Gems Premium website member. Members have a full-year's access to the ultimate Evernote education: over 5 hours of in-depth video instruction plus downloadable handouts!

Most Recent Podcast Episodes

The Genealogy Gems Podcast

Episode 177
(FREE)

Features highlights of our interview with Christina Baker Kline, the author of our Genealogy Gems Book Club featured book Orphan Train! Also: new records, and Google Scholar.

Look for a new episode this weekend!

Genealogy Gems Premium Episode 121

Features the long awaited full length interview with the author of our Genealogy Gems featured book this quarter, Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline. Also: a public records search site, Family History writing, how to use Google Cache, elevator history, a story that will inspire you to never give up genealogical hope.

Not a member yet? Click here to learn more.