I have probably made more family tree progress in the last week or two, than I have in the last few years. Sadly, most of this hasn’t involved any real research (free time eludes me). On the positive side, I have managed to find an hour here and there to scan and begin cataloging hundreds of old photographs from my wife’s family, and few from my own. I spent this past Monday afternoon scanning 80 year old photos that I didn’t even know existed before this week. The photos should allow me to expand the Boddice pages of this site, which is great because I have so very little from that branch. The originals are owned by a 76-year old first cousin twice removed, who was able to identify 28 out of 30 people in a group photo taken on Christmas 1932. Very, very cool. Hopefully, I’ll be able to set-up some more scanning sessions with relatives in the nearby area sometime soon…
TMG vs GRAMPS
Like most contemporary family tree historians, I use genealogical software to help me with my research. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to organize the tens of thousands of data-bits that constitute my family tree. My first solution was an MS-DOS program called Brothers Keeper. That was a good solution until my database reached several hundred people. From there I moved to The Master Genealogist (TMG), and my database grew to almost 20,000 people. My current dilemma is that TMG hasn’t kept pace with my research needs. For one, it only works on Windows (I prefer the Ubuntu Linux and Mac OSes). Secondly, it doesn’t support Unicode characters, because the designers seem locked into an outdated (and unsupported) MS-FoxPro architecture. The TMG designers frown on people even mentioning the Unicode problem on their forums. While migrating is a scary proposition (e.g., what will happen to my: thousands of sources, customized tags, flags, roles, and sentences), the alternative isn’t much better, i.e., cling to an outdated system and the Microsoft OS *shudder*. I’m currently looking at GRAMPS, a cross-platform open source family tree solution that looks like a good candidate. It has a good deal of online community support. I’ve played with it some, but there’s an entry level learning curve that I’m butting my head against. Maybe I should read the manual? If anyone has any other ideas for software, drop me a line! Thanks.
Progress!
I’ve officially started uploading scanned pictures, setting-up ancestor pages, and organizing surname directories. I’m also learning (slowly) how to customize WordPress. Thanks need to be given to Ravi Varma for his excellent theme (i.e., PrimePress) and blog. Not sure if I’ll keep the theme long term, but it’s more than serving its purpose for now. While I haven’t done any actual research in a while, I have been getting lots of correspondence from researchers (new and former contacts), which is putting a small fire under my butt to get out there and find new connections, scan more photos, &c. I’ll be posting all new and exciting finds here. Thanks again for visiting.
Welcome
And so it continues… Welcome to the latest reincarnation of my family tree web site (“The Genealogy Bits” was first posted in May 1996). As the days, weeks, and months unfold, I will be populating this site with the latest genealogical information and photos that I’ve been able to collect. I hope you have as much fun reading and viewing the results as I’ve had collecting them. As always, if you have any questions (or even better: contributions!), please e-mail me . Thanks!