Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column Six

Originally I was planning to write about a different topic, but I decided to change my mind at the last minute. I want to mention, though, that I am not an expert in computers or computer technology.

How does one protect his or her genealogy? If you have a family tree software, I would seriously consider putting the program and files on a password-protected flash drive (also known as a jump drive or ubs drive), if the program allows you to do so. This is what I do with my genealogy (of course, I have paper copies to back me up). Why?

Flash drives are very portable, and files can be easily updated or edited. Burning the information to a CD, though, is different (at least in my experience). I discovered that after I burned a file to a CD, I could only open and read the file. I could not change or edit the information on the CD unless I re-burned the updated information on that read/write CD. So, needless to say, I found that using a flash drive was much more flexible. My genealogy information, as I stated before, is on a flash drive, but it is on one that has password on it. If I lost my flash drive, it would be more difficult for someone to access that information. Flash drives that have password protection, usually have the software for creating a password in it. All a person has to do is insert the flash drive into a ubs hub, and install the drive. If you choose to do this, I would consider getting a flash drive that has at least 256 MB of memory, so that you have enough memory for the software program and files, such as picture or chart files.

Of course, you could keep your genealogy on a computer that isn't connected to the internet, and that would prevent someone over the internet from hacking into that information. If you want to be able to have your notes or research with you, it would be much easier for one to carry a flash drive than to carry a computer, that is, if there are computers available to look at your information. Of course, you could take papers with you, but there is a risk that you could lose those papers (and anything, like a flash drive). With a flash drive, you can easily put on a key chain and where it around your neck, so that you don't lose the drive.

Again, I just want to state that I'm not an expert in computers. I am only suggesting ways that might help other people protect their research. Does anyone agree with me or have anything to add? Any comments are welcome.

New Poll Created!

I have just created a new poll. The question for this poll is: Where in Central Europe are your ancestors from? The choices for this poll are:

• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Hungary
• Czech Republic
• Luxembourg
• Slovakia
• Liechtenstein

You can choose more than one category when you vote.

Poll Results

The poll is now closed. The question for this poll was: "Where in Western Europe are your ancestors from?" Four people voted, and the results are:

• Belgium - 0 votes
• The Netherlands - 3 votes
• France - 2 votes
• British Isles - 3 votes

Thank you to those all of those who have participated in this poll. Keep an eye out for future polls.

More Genealogy Blogs Added

I have added two more genealogy blogs today. Those blogs are:

• Lee Anders' The I Seek Dead People Blog
• Jim Panttaja's Genealogy Research

You can find these and other blogs on the lower left side of this blog. Any suggestions for other genealogy and history blogs are welcome.

More History Blogs

Today I have added two more history blogs. The blogs added are:

• Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century
• WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier

You can find these and other blogs on the lower left side of this blog. Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are welcome.

My Halloween Personality ...

I said I wasn't going to post until Saturday, but I couldn't resist. Randy Seaver posted on his blog a challenge to take a personality quiz, and here is my personality:

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

You're a friendly person, but not the life of the party. You like making someone else's day - and you'll dress up if you think of a really fun costume. You often feel invisible when you're in public. And it's a shame, because you're really quite a character. Your inner child is open minded, playful, and adventurous. You fear those closest to you finding out who you really are. You dread people discovering your secrets. You're logical, rational, and not easily effected. Not a lot scares you... especially when it comes to the paranormal. You are a total overachiever and workaholic. You're the type of person who plans their elaborate Halloween costume weeks in advance.

What's Your Halloween Personality?

Interesting Blog Articles Posted Recently

Several interesting genealogy articles have been posted over the last week or so, and I thought I would post some of the articles that I thought were interesting. The articles are:

• "More Online Michigan Resources - Clarke Historical Library" This article was posted today, but for those of us who have links to Michigan, this would be an article worth reading.


• "Primary Records are NOT Always Accurate" This article is posted at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog, and I believe there important points that should be taken in consideration.


• "Searching Siblings in Family Tree Research" Again this is another article from the blog above.


• "Why Review Old Genealogy Research?" Again this is another article from the blog above.


• "The Lithuanian State Historical Archives" This article was posted on Steve Danko's blog. I chose this article primarily because information on doing genealogy research in Eastern European countries is limited and also because I may have had ancestors that were from Lithuania when it was still a part of Imperial Russia.
• "Concerns in FamilySearch/NARA Partnership" I thought this article was interesting in light of the recent news on these two.

If anyone believes I have missed any articles please feel free to leave a comment. On a side note, I am not planning to post anything before Saturday because I am busy with schoolwork.