Posts Tagged ‘Smartphone’

Through The Looking Glass

Posted: July 25, 2011 in ancestor, brick wall, documents, Facebook, family historian, generations, historical maps, Oahu, old newspapers, past, technological advances, technology
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Our ancestors of past generations would probably think that living in today’s digital world of computers, the iPad, and even our smart phones, as alien. In their days, they were lucky if they even had a land line! Knowing what I know now, depending on Internet and my iPhone on a daily basis, I would be lost without them; I couldn’t imagine living life day to day without these items which have become so common in our world today. 

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My Smartphone



Taking you back in time, imagine life without any technology whatsoever. You don’t have electric or gas stoves, but wood burning stoves instead, you don’t have computers to write your family and friends an email or the ability to share photos, but you have to hand write everything down to the last letter, there was no such thing as a washer and dryer, you had to use an old washboard for every article of clothing you wore. Which by the way, had to be taken to the nearest lake or creek to be washed and you can just forget your handy dryer with your lavender scented fabric softener sheets! And what…no FaceBook? My husband’s grandmother, Evelyn is still in awe, when I show her pictures on my iPhone and she doesn’t understand how they got there! I have tried many times to explain to her what FaceBook really is and how you can share photos of family and comment on them. My favorite part of this is the way she says, “You can do this on the computer? It does that? Oh, how nice!” (Laughing) Oh the possibilities! We haven’t even really started to break the mold as far as what technology can do for us today.

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Time To Do Your Laundry!



So with this great thing called technology, I am searching and scouring the various websites and resources in search of my family. Making contact with relatives I never even knew I had, all through the use of the Internet and my laptop! Ha! Who knew?? But being out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, living on Oahu, I find that I am forever grateful for the high tech world I live in, and being able to re-connect with family I haven’t seen since I was probably six years old! 


The digital world has turned my laptop into a great tool. I now have the power to see through the looking glass (my laptop screen) to the world that was once my ancestors, and see not only photos of them, but also see the homes where they lived, the town where they grew up, the ability to see historical maps as they were back in the 1700-1800’s, searching old newspapers and census records, and so on. 


Today, my research is at a standstill somewhat, as I am waiting to receive documents from a family member that will give me something solid and concrete as far as actual data and birth records. Having contacted several members of my family, who I might add, are gathering photos and documents for me as I type this article. I hope to read and go over these very soon!


Hopefully I will be able to tear down one or more of the brick walls that seem to have stopped me in my tracks. 


Happy Hunting!!

Now Where Did I See That Surname?

Posted: July 8, 2011 in access, Evernote, projects, research, software programs, surnames. database
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Evernote for iOS icon

Evernote for iOS icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever thought about how much genealogy research you accumulate over time? I have papers, personal notes, photos, and other documents that just keep piling up and thrown into a folder, then filed away into my filing cabinet. How will I ever stay organized and find what I need without having to search each paper individually for a particular surname or date? I found it! A program called Evernote; I’ll only have one account and can use it on a multitude of devices! 


Evernote works by connecting all the computers and phones you use daily, which in turn, enables you to capture something in one place and then access it from another. What a genius idea! Imagine creating a folder for each project, surname, location, or however you see fit. You can capture everything, every bright idea, every little post-it you may have attached to one of your documents, so if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. “Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable. If you like, you can even add tags or organize specific notes into different notebooks.”
 Evernote Download






Using Evernote will help me remember tons of things! I will be able to clip text from different web pages on topics of interest, I can then tag them for easy reference later. What’s even greater? The fact that I can use my smart phone to automatically sync my account with the program I have installed on my laptop! I could be in town and see something that sparks an interest that relates to genealogy in some way- snap the pic and off I go! I love this program because I can also use it in my library research. If you decide to use Evernote, let me know what you think of it. You can download a free version, the link to the website is above. 



Email notes from anywhere and they end up in your Evernote account to access later. A scribble from your iPad, a voice memo from your phone, a typed memo from your desktop, a clip from a website, a snippet form a blog, a photo, a link – absolutely anything! The world is your oyster…