Are you using Evernote for Genealogy? You’re not alone! The company announced recently that over 100 MILLION people now use Evernote to keep track of what they know and how they know it.
“When we launched the Evernote service in 2008,…there were many note takers and productivity tools around at the time but they all felt out of date; they were becoming less and less relevant to people’s lives,” explains a company press release. “We set out to redefine the meaning of productivity for modern busy people. We want Evernote to become your workspace; the place where you do all of the everyday things that keep your life moving forward.”
Evernote has sure taken the genealogy community by storm. I attend conferences around the world and it seems every single one has at least one class devoted to using Evernote for genealogy!
3 Reasons Why Evernote is Ideal for Genealogy Research:
1. You can store your research information with the source citation and any additional notes you take about the item. It’s easy to transfer online finds into Evernote and easy to copy them into your family history writing projects or websites.
2. You can sort and retrieve data easily: When I search “Burkett” Evernote instantly and thoroughly sifts all of my notes. It locates all 33 of my notes where the surname BURKETT appears in a note, even when the name appears in an image such as this scan of my Grandfather’s Railroad examination certificate from 1936. That is thanks to the fact that Evernote applies Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to all images in your notes!
3. Your desktop version syncs with whatever you do through the Evernote app. With Evernote on your mobile device, you have constant access to your genealogy research, photos and more. Think how easy that makes your next trip to an archive or family reunion!
And here’s a tip for all of you iPhone and iPad users: Stop searching for the Evernote app on your mobile devices desktop. Just press and hold the Home button and tell Siri “Open Evernote App!”
Free Download: If you haven’t tried the FREE version of Evernote note-taking and data-organization software yet, download it here.
Then cut your learning curve and start using Evernote effectively RIGHT AWAY by purchasing our Evernote for Genealogists guide! The guide is available as a digital download or laminated print format, for the Mac or PC.
Show Notes & Video: Finding your German ancestor’s village is key to finding the genealogical records you need to go further back in your family tree. In this session you’ll learn:
How and why it is important to know the “Heimat” because many records are kept on the local level.
How to de garble a village name that is handed down to you (a common problem!)
Records to search for village names.
Resources for finding those records.
My guest presenter is James Beidler. He’s an expert on German genealogy and was gracious enough to share his expertise in the Genealogy Gems booth at Rootstech a few years ago. Visit James Beidler’s website. Get the book: The Family Tree Historical Atlas of Germany. (Thank you for using our affiliate link which supports this free content.)
Researching your ancestors deep into Germany simply doesn’t happen unless you know the name of the village of origin. This presentation goes over the sources to tie your immigrant to a Heimat and then find the village and its records! HIghlighted in this article are the strategies and resources referred to in this video.
German Methodologies Review:
Your first job is to find every document of the immigrant ancestor or that mentions the immigrant ancestor:
Prepare for surname variants
“Redundancy” is a virtue (e.g., obit may well have something tombstone does not)
Even items such as letters and diaries might give clues!
Be prepared for village names to be corrupted
Familiarize yourself with German maps / gazetteers
Look for “patterns of association” with other individuals
Process any piece of information that might distinguish the immigrant (e.g., occupation, names of other family members, etc.)
Utilize “whole family” genealogy
If specific records don’t exist for your ancestor, try others in family
Look for published sources
1700s families: Burgert / Jones / Yoder / Hacker
1800s families: Burkett / Germans to America / Emigration indexes
Search International Genealogical Index
Search for:
References to individual
References to clusters of the surname if it is not common
References to shipmates
References to “associated persons”
Look for other sources of immigrant information:
Heitmatstelle Pfalz immigrant card file
Hamburg embarkation lists
German phonebooks
Google searches
Use the “concentric circles” strategy
If a village is found for the above categories of people (surname, shipmates, associated persons) but your immigrant is not found …
… work out from that village in “concentric circles” to other surrounding villages
“Things found on the way to something else”
Machmer / Magemer / Mahomer example
Never turn away luck!
Types of records that might yield a place of origin:
Naturalizations
Declarations of intent (“first papers”) Naturalization petitions (“final papers”)
Baptisms of children
Marriage Records
Church burial records
Tombstone
Obituaries
U.S. Census
Family Bibles
Family Registers
Fraternal societies’ records
Enlistment papers
Discharge Papers
Pension documents
Letters from relatives
Postmarks on letters
Internet Websites Resources for German Research
The resources listed below can help us answer some of the most common questions we ask as genealogists. Some examples of the questions and Websites that will help:
1. What was the village of origin for my German-speaking immigrant ancestor?
The Evernote for Windows upgrade has received a major face-lift. It is getting some great reviews online. Here’s what to love about it.
If you’re a Windows user and you’re still not using Evernote to organize your genealogy and the rest of your life, perhaps it’s time to take a look and see if it’s right for you and your research.
If you’re already a user, a new Evernote for Windows upgrade will make your experience all the better.
Evernote for Windows Upgrade New Look and Functionality
The Evernote blog explained that their goal “is to provide an experience that feels natural and familiar for Windows users. Our latest version is designed for all types of Evernote Windows users in mind, whether you have just a handful of notes or thousands of them.” They continue to say, “We began by paring down the left sidebar for a more streamlined workflow, so you can find and manage your content even faster.”
Here’s a run-down of the improvements they’re touting:
A new higher-resolution display looks crisp and clean, even on high-resolution screens.
The left sidebar is pared down for a more streamlined workflow. This makes it easier to find and manage content. For example, you can select Notebooks to pull up all notes in the Note list, and expand the Notebooks section to see all the notebook stacks and notebooks. You can drag and drop notebooks between stacks. The trash is now its own section.
A new quick navigation feature lets you hover over the Notebooks section and jump quickly to a specific notebook or create a new one. This also works for tags.
The search is smarter and more powerful, even for those with complex tags and tons of notes. It also feels more like web browser searching. You can widen or narrow your search to specific notebooks. The search system will rummage through your Evernote Trash now, too.
Image by Evernote.
There’s a new color-coding system to let you mark important notes. So far, this is pretty popular with dedicated Evernote users.
And finally, if you use Evernote Business, you’ll find a new separation between business and personal content.
It’s worth noting that the upgrade takes a while to complete and while it’s happening, you won’t be able to use Evernote. And at least for now, the saved searches of previous versions have disappeared. Evernote says that’s temporary.
What others are saying
TechTimes says the new Evernote for Windows has “a slew of improvements bound to enhance the overall experience.” Engadget.com calls the upgrade “a streamlined, cleaner approach with refinements addressing the sidebar’s design and functionality.”
How to get organized with Evernote!
Click here to learn about how to get started with Evernote, and more about using Evernote to organize your genealogy life.
What do you think about the new upgrade? Feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.
Are you using Evernote for Genealogy? You’re not alone! The company announced recently that over 100 MILLION people now use Evernote to keep track of what they know and how they know it.
Free Download: If you haven’t tried the FREE version of Evernote note-taking and data-organization software yet, download it here.
