User:Warrendaniel

Where am I in doing Genealogy?
17 Aug 2011 - I have 9 months left of service with my wife at the Los Angeles Family History Library (FHL). Two days ago I was asked to be the Library's Family Search Wiki Trainer, to  include helping the area Family History Centers' consultants use and contribute to the Wiki.

I started my family search in 1967 right after learning about the need for it in my life. I started by writing all my extended family for family history information. I got a whole lot of material from that effort. In 1969, I spent my first of only about 3 full days' time through the next 40 years at the Salt Lake City genealogy library in Utah, along with some 12 other hours at Family History Centers in the various places we moved to.

I tried using PAF from it's beginning through version 5.2, it's last and final update. During that effort I created 20 of the 3 1/2 " computer floppy's with multiple PAF files on each, as backups, not knowing an easy way to keep track of what I was doing, and never knowing which was most current. I tried to do a lot of genealogy, with no real headway beyond what my extended family sent to me.  While at the FHL I  successfully determined how to keep track of my PAF work and all backups. Flash drives are 'Awesome'.

The Los Angeles Family History Library opened from it's 18 month rebuild when we arrived and we were taught their lessons on how to do research in the computer age...about 30 hours if you include the 2nd time around.

Would you believe, all 40 years of my minimally successful effort came together after about 3 weeks at the library? I have added 122 names to my original 47. If I didn't have to source my resources I would have about 2,200 names back and collaterally. Alas, there are a lot of thrown-together pedigrees that, on just cursory review, are not correct. Many of them I am sure, are what the builders are working on and the errors are not intended. They just await sourcing that explains and corrects the errors.

Today is the day of the internet and computer, and family genealogy requires new skills. The work is the same but it's like moving from horse and buggy to automobiles. Fortunately, my working years and 40 years of trying to do this stuff moved me into a '55 Chevy when I got back into it.

Hobbies

 * Digital Photography
 * Gardening
 * Free Energy

Pastimes
Grandchildren, their activities and accomplishements