I've GOT to get organized -- Update

   It has been a little over two months since I started this project. My guess is I'm a little shy of half way. I have five deep file drawers of research notes and I'm into the third drawer.
   I've changed my mind about how to deal with newspaper clippings, primarily obituaries. I'm scanning them and making a printout, but I'm not attaching them to the printout and keeping them with the research notes. Instead they are going into clear plastic sleeves and filed in three-ring binders with other records pertaining to that family.
   One of the interesting items I found that I didn't know I had was a deed from 1868 for a cemetery lot in Calvary Cemetery in Chicago purchased by my 3rd great grandmother Margaret Harbison. She was a widow and her husband, John Harbison, and other family members, are buried there.

   I must admit, a lot of my sources are not well documented. Some are from when I was just starting and others are from when I should have known better.
   So, just in case there are a few new genealogists out there who haven't heard this sermon from Genealogy 101, let me repeat it. If you follow these rules, you will thank yourself and save yourself an immense amount of time later.

   When taking notes:
   Never, ever, ever put information about more than one ancestral family on the same sheet. Ultimately, you will have to sort your information by families. Having more than one ancestral family on a sheet will require, at minimum, a photo copy.
   Never, ever, ever put information from more than one source on the same sheet. You may need to sort your notes by places or record types and breaking this rule will lead to more time-consuming photo copies.
   Never, ever, ever write on the back of a sheet. When you analyze your data and you lay those notes out on your desk, part of the information will be hidden and perhaps overlooked. More photo copies.

   And last, but not least:
   Always, always, always record where the information came from -- IN DETAIL.
 
   Oh, I wish I had followed these rules years ago. My current organizational effort would be so much easier. 

Black Sheep Sunday - 'Shifty' Gill

   While going through some old notes (part of the "I've GOT to get organized" project) I ran across a letter from Mrs. Edward (Virginia) Gill of Newport Beach, California, dated 24 Aug 1971. She was a subscriber to my "Gill Gazette" which was published for one year.
   Her letter included a transcript of a wanted poster she found in Tombstone, Arizona.

Aug., 1899

$1000 REWARD

for

Bascom "Shifty" Gill

WANTED for stealing stage coach and 2 strong boxes with $12,000 payload in boullion and coin consigned to Ranchers-Miners Trust Co., Phoenix, Arizona.

23 years of age, blond hair, 5' 8 1/2", 160 lbs.  Wears black hat, shirt, vest, and pants.

Sheriff, Joe Kilgren

Douglas, Ariz.

Mrs. Gill asks, "Will anybody claim him?"

Preserving Heirlooms

   The May Family History Workshop presented by the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Genealogical Society will focus on preserving your family's heirlooms.

   Louise Jones, KHS director of special collections and library, and Trevor Jones, KHS director of museum collections and exhibitions, will discuss techniques for handling, storing and preserving artifacts and paper materials.

   The "second Saturday" workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 14 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History at 100 W. Broadway in Frankfort, Kentucky.  The seminar is free and open to the public.

   A box lunch (sandwich, chips, cookie and drink) is available for $6, payable at the door. You must register before noon on Friday, May 13, to reserve a lunch.  To register, contact the library's reference desk by email or by calling 502-564-1792, ext. 4460.  You can also bring your own lunch or go out to several near-by restaurants.

   Following each workshop, the Kentucky Technology in Genealogy Users Group offers a free program to help support family history researchers' use and understanding of technology.

   After the workshop, plan to stick around for a little research. The library will be open until 5 p.m.