My Summer Workspace

I have been very unorganized. Not only in my genealogy work space but in my moderating of this blog. I didn't realize that when google fixed the moderation notification, my email was removed and thus didn't get any notifications. SORRY EVERYONE!

However, one of the more recent comments was to do an update to my previous post http://simplygenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-workspace.html so here goes.

I have a summer home which is 1900 miles from my main home in the state I grew up. I had been using my dinning room table as my work space, well at least one half of the table. Therefore I decided to start using my secretary's desk that I purchased and painted a few years ago.

Over all, this setup worked pretty good for me. However, what didn't work was using a TV monitor for my second screen. It is not clear like a computer monitor is. Therefore, next year, I am going to look into getting a real computer monitor. 

When I set up this area, I have windows to the left of me, that worked great when we have a nice clear sunny day, which was true for most of the summer. However, then near the end of my summer, I was getting cloudy days and the dinning room chandelier was not enough light for me. I purchased a small LED table lamp. The third problem I had was there are no outlets in this corner of the room. The other three corners have outlets, thus I had to have a long extension cord from the other side of the room to extend over to the desk. I think I will ask my husband to install an outlet in this corner.

Perhaps not ideal, however I had a small chair next to this table, which I set some of my files and books on when not working. I also can use the corner of my dinning room table to set out papers for examining and then easily pack up when I am done, and leave it on the chair or place them all in the desk. I really need to clear out one of the drawers to place all these files, however, they are full of other important stuff. (wink wink)

That chair also came in handy for a small fan, so when I had the window open which is located to the right side of the desk, I could feel a nice breeze without it blowing the papers on the top of my desk.

In the corner behind me, I set up my printer. I don't print out a lot of stuff, until my relatives who still live  in the area, come over and want me to share my research with them.

The printer stand is home made. The organizer is one I purchased and used when I use to have a real, paying job. My husband attached a board to the bottom and then the legs to the bottom of that. I am able to have a ream of paper handy, along with a label maker and a three hole punch. The vertical storage is for some notebooks and folders. I have extra pens, highlighters, markers and pencils in one drawer and ink and label cartridges in the other draw. I had to purchase a new printer this year, because of lack of use, my old one stop working. This is why the box for the printer is still there. I have a large box of more paper below the stand. 

If I didn't like this look, I could had easily made a skirt to go around the bottom of the printer stand, I mean that board is perfect to attach some Velcro to and then attach fabric that also would have Velcro. Now that I am thinking about it. I just might have to do that next summer when I return.

Basically, if you are setting up a work area, it is nice to have a dedicated spot for your work, my desk, a comfortable chair, good lighting room plus some basic office supplies. This is not as fancy as my main home, however, it works and that is what is really important. 

If you are really serious about organizing your genealogy, you may want to check out the book by Drew Smith titled "Organize your genealogy; Strategies and Solutions for Every Researcher." It is what got me motivated to move from the dinning room table to my secretary's desk.

The Tale of Edith M Tyler (1899-1921)

Edith M Tyler is my 1^st cousin 2x removed who was born Jul 22 1899 in Iowa, USA. She is the daughter of George H Tyler and his wife Edith L Jones. George is 2^nd great-uncle the brother of Great Grandfather John Tyler. They are the sons of George William Tyler and his wife Sarah Agnes Long.

I decided I wanted to search for the descendants of my Tyler branch, and I was working on George H Tyler and found him in the 1880 US Census for Ross, Franklin County, Iowa, USA living with his parents George and Sarah. George is the third born child.

The suggested hints via Ancestry give me plenty to work on. The first thing I like to do, is open each hint into a new tab. Then I sort the tabs based on date, left to right, oldest to most current.

The first record is of George’s marriage record to his wife Edith L Jones on 5 Feb 1896 in Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA. It gives George’s parents’ names of Geo Tyler and Sarah Long along with Edith’s parents’ names of Peter and Margh Jones.

I find an Iowa, Births and Christening Index record for Hazel Blanche Tyler born 10 Jul 1897 in Lincoln, Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA to Geo Tyler and Edith Jones.

I find an Iowa, Births and Christening Index record for Ethel M Tyler born 22 Jul 1899 in Lincoln, Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA to Geo H Tyler and Edith Jones. It gives me suggested records for Ethel, however we will hold off for now.

The 1900 US Census record for Lincoln, Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA has the small family unit of George, wife Edith and daughter’s Blanche H and Ethel M.

The 1905 Minnesota State Census has them living together in Akron, Big Stone, Minnesota, USA.

The 1920 US Census record for George H has him listed as Divorced, living in Mason, Cerro Gordo, Iowa with his widowed father, George and some siblings, a brother-in-law and nephew.

First question, where are they in 1910? Are George and Ethel still married?

The 1910 US Census was found using just first names and they are living in Ortonville Ward 2, Big Stone, Minnesota, USA. Their last name was missed transcribed as Syler. However, they are still living as a married coupled with their daughters’ age 12 and 10.

Next question, where are Edith, Blanche and Ethel in the 1920 US Census? While looking for them, I did find a 1915 North Dakota, Territorial and State Census with Edith, Hazel B and Ethel M living together. Listed directly above Ethel is a man named George M Sturgis. Edith had a hint for the 1930 and 1940 US Census as Edith L Sturgis, this makes be look into these two censuses a little more closely.

The 1930 US Census has Edith married to George W Sturgis and 12 year old Blanch E Hollister is living with them as a granddaughter. Wow, a new person, so if a granddaughter, is it for George or Edith?

Tracing Blanch E Holister back to the 1920 census, I find her living in Township 21, Corson, South Dakota with her father Albert D Hollister and his wife Ethel M Hollister.

Following more hints I find Ethel Tyler marrying A H Hollester in Corson, South Dakota, USA on 11 Dec 1916. I also find Ethel Hollister’s Death Index for Walworth, South Dakota, USA on 7 Dec 1921.

The whole part of this exercise was to document my path to Ethel’s death. When I started recording these entries, I had not found Edith married to George and living with Blanche Hollister. I also, thought at first glance that Blanche was some sort of mistake, because my brain was thinking Blanche was a daughter not granddaughter. It wasn’t until I started following Hints and investigating further, that I finally found Ethel’s marriage record which leads me to her death record.

When I found Ethel’s birth record, I had many hints, however following those hints at the time of her birth, weren’t helpful, because the marriage index did not list her parents, her death index also did not list her parents. It wasn’t until I could tie the surname Sturgis to Ethel’s mom who at the time was raising her motherless granddaughter that I could finally come full circle and make all the hints fit into place.

Now I need to enter all these facts and people, along with my source citations.