Follow Friday: Life After Finding Evernote

Hello again,

Let me just first start by saying....I really, really like Evernote.

I would be remiss if I didn't share the link to DearMyrtle's blog where I was introduced to the idea of Evernote and genealogy.

I recommend checking out DearMytle's blog, she has great posts and shares not only new ideas (like Evernote) but also genealogy news that she comes across (documents being destroyed).

I had dabbled with Evernote before, not for genealogy, and quickly dismissed it.

First off, I am NOT a paper person. In my professional life I use paper to take calculation notes and to review documents so that I can mark them up, but other than that.....give me electronic copies.

I am techno girl! nerdy music here......

So before Evernote, when I have been cruising around Ancestry or Family Search and found a Reed surname that might be useful, I would save the image and think "I'll get back around to that later, if it turns out useful." Uh huh............

I just switched from my PC to sharing a Mac with my hubby and I had several mysterious Census images, that have a Reed on them somewhere, but I haven't a clue what led me to them or what my thought even was. That's not counting the same types of files that I have stashed away on my USB drive that I use for genealogy docs.

But, let me share with you what happened last night and how Evernote has changed my genealogy life.

I was searching for an elusive land record for a Bowen ancestor on Family Search. I typed in his name and up popped a death record....well this is interesting. But, I'm trying to find a land record.

Out comes Evernote and since I was on the laptop, the side-kick Web Clipper for Evernote. I grabbed a snapshot of the screen, the clipper program put it right in Evernote. I have a 'notebook' for this Bowen ancestor, so I filed it in the notebook with a note to look at it later. Da duh!

When I gave up the land record search, I went back to Evernote, pulled up the notebook and my note, went out to the WV Cultural Archives website, did a death record search (which was not the right guy), and then updated my note that this wasn't my ancestor.

So, not only was I able to save the surprise image, record why I saved it and what I needed, but then when I did it and it didn't work, I could update my note.

Again, not a paper person, so I've never done a research log, but now I can with Evernote.

Since Evernote on the laptop has the ability to create 'stacks' I made a Reed stack and a Bowen stack - each couple has their own notebook where I can stick tidbits or reminders for things.

Bring on more Evernote and go checkout DearMyrtle!!!