A set of boxes

Dad left a gedcom file on diskette (3.5 in), a printed pedigree chart with no family group records (showing only parents, no children). He also left 2 boxes of pictures, certificates, and fmily group sheets. There's a third box that mom has, and I'm not sure what's in it yet.

One of the big motivators for me to get going on family history was the advent of the new familysearch. So here is my plan of attack:

I've imported the gedcom file that I have into new.familysearch.com It contained about 600 names. I suspect that this is only a small portion of what dad had completed. The pedigree chart/ folder that I have has names with numbers ranging up into the 2600's. I'm not sure what numbering system he used, but I'm sure there are more names that I simply don't have included in the gedcom file that he knew about, or input into the computer from group sheets which are hopefully in my posession.

Next, I'll go back through all of the names linked to me in new.familysearch.com (NFS). This review will allow me to check for duplicates and make sure that any original research I do in the future isn't on lines that already have work done. To facilitate this, I imported the gedcom file of dad's research in all caps, and I'm changing the names to regular type as I've corroborated the info and checked for duplicates. I started at me, then straight to the Davis family, skipping the whole Nicholes line.

Each new generation, I check the siblings from youngest to oldest for children, and go to children if there are any, and their children if there are any... working down generations, until there are no more down lines, then checking for duplicates as I work my way back up. I'l track which ones I finish here.

Once I finish combining duplicates, I'll go back through my dad's files and add as much information as I can find on pedigrees, family group sheets, with or without sourcing.

Once this is complete, I'll go back and try to source as much of Dad's original research as I can. This will include obtaining original documents, copies of certificates of birth, marriage, and death. Getting census records, etc. This will be labor intensive, but is the only way to ensure that the research done is correct. I'll probably scan all the documents I get and make them available online so no more of them are lost than already were from Dad's original research. This step should also start to provide more leads for original research as new siblings, children and parents are uncovered.

Once all the information I have has been sourced (which ought to take a few years), I'll follow up on those leads, and try to do the best I can tracing back in time, as well as the children of siblings of actual direct ancestors.