10 Genealogy things I can't live (or research) without!

Fellow blogger Elyse Doerflinger wrote a Meme titled "10 Things I Can't Live Without", related to genealogy of course!  After reading her entry I was inspired to write my own Meme of my 10 Genealogy things that I can't live/research without!  Thanks for the inspiration Elyse!

1.  My Laptop.  I have an Acer Aspire that I just love!  The nice thing my laptop affords me is that I can pretty much take it anywhere!  If I can't take my regular laptop I have a mini that I can just toss into a tote bag or my purse to have a computer with me.  It's nice to have my master file on hand when I'm out researching because I frequently like to go off on research tangents.

2. Legacy.  I love my Legacy program.  It does so much for me that I want to be able to do with my files and my information.  It has some great forms and reports that I can print out and take with me to places where laptops are not allowed.  For more info on legacy you can check out my post on Software Comparision or on Legacy's Website.

3. Forms.  I love genealogy forms!  I guess there isn't a Genealogist who doesn't love forms.  They are our most basic tool for gathering information.  I have even designed several of my own forms, which I will share when I figure out how to upload them here.

4. The library.  I love going to the library.  Our local public library is on a lake and our genealogy collection is in the back corner on the second floor on the lake side of the building.  The library has huge work tables that I am able to spread out on when I'm working.  Plus what a view! (photos to come in a future post).   The local library also offers free access to Ancestry.com I also like the Family History Center in my town.  There is a lot of information there on our area and some of my roots run deep here locally. 

5. The Post Office.  Yes the good old United States Postal Service!  There is so much information on the internet to be found, but there is so much more that is not online.  For a long time I abandoned my letter writing skills and focused primarily on just researching on the internet.  For some reason, really unknown to me, I just decided to start writing letters and sending in requests for research.  My efforts have paid off tremendously!

6. Pretty Pens and Highlighers.  I was teased in nursing school by my fellow nursing students about my pretty colored pens and highlighters.  I just love my colored ink pens and my highlighters.  I also do use them to color code my research and untangle confusing areas of the family tree.

7. My Genealogy "Tool" kit. I have a hard pencil box with a few goodies in it that I always carry with me.  Inside I have a book light, sticky notes, a mini stapler and staples, paper clips, a few rubber bands, a calculator, a correction tape runner, a roll of scotch tape, and a scanning pen.  These are the things I was always forgetting, and of course would need, when I would go somewhere to do my research.  Now I have them all in a handy box that I keep in my tote bag.

8. Family Search.  Or more specifically the Pilot Site with all the online images.  I love that fact that Family Search is free and supported by volunteers.  I have spent lots of time on Family Search and I also volunteer when I have time.  I feel that every little bit helps.

9. The internet.  I am always on the computer it seems.  At home, at work, genealogy, scrapbooking, facebook....the list goes on and on.  The internet has really changed the way the we research our genealogy!  There is so much information available on the internet.  With websites like Family Search and Ancestry we have access to the records that hold our ancestors information that we spend so much time searching down!  If the information isn't online search engines help us find addresses to write those letters, contact genealogical societies or find cemeteries that we are looking for.  Again the list goes on what we can find on the internet related to our searches.

10. My husband.  Besides the obvious reasons that he is on this list..he loves me, he's my biggest fan, he shares in my big and little discoveries, etc...my husband is my research buddy.  He proof reads letters for me, helps me understand military records, he's great at finding headstones in cemeteries, he'll go with me just about anywhere that I want to for research purposes and he drives there too!  My husband goes to genealogy society meetings with me and he helped me write my Power Point for my very first meeting presentation.  He's also the reason that I an in genealogy so deeply.  When we met I found out that his mom is into genealogy just as much as I am!  She is the one that showed me Family Tree Maker and the records contained within the companion CDs!  She also showed me Ancestry!!!!  My husband bought me my first copy of Family Tree Maker for Christmas the first year we were dating!