SACKETT-L Archives

Archiver > SACKETT > 2000-08 > 0967265327


From: Fred Sackett <>
Subject: Re: [SACKETT-L] High Tech Toys Aid in Genealogical Research
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 21:48:47 -0700
References: <v0313031db5cc0aa4699a@[207.18.214.84]>


Nancy, I appreciate that. Now i know why i am hooked on Cemeteries
LOL. To me it is like a Jizsaw Puzzle, every new stone that i find adds
another link to the puzzle. BTW i have been through Pine Hill Cemetery
and checked all the stones that i have reference to but i know that
there is a lot more that are kin but just don't have enough information
to link them to the Sacketts.
Laptops don't have to be fancy to be able to carry your notes and links
with you where ever you go, but my problem is i update the laptop and
forget to update the main computer.
I have most of the stones at Warren scanned and linked to who they are
and i will be putting them online soon. Since i got back home, i have
had to put in a new water heater and now a new Air Conditioner and that
is slowing me down but will have of the stuff available to see this
weekend.
Fred

Nancy Cluff Siders wrote:

> Hi Folks!
>
> I thought of Fred Sackett when I read this article in Missing Links
> and started to send it to him. Thinking maybe more of you folks
> might be interested, I'm sending it to the whole list. Fred already
> has his laptop but maybe some of these other "toys" might help in
> his gigantic project. :}
>
> FROM: Missing Links, Vol. 5, No. 33
> Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 01:34:44 -0400
>
> USING HIGH-TECH TOYS
>
> by Herbert W. Rodehaver Jr.
>
> I started to play with computers and radio equipment some time
> ago, which has over the years slowly developed into a concept I
> use in searching for my family roots. In my travels, I have
> shown people what I am doing and, to my surprise, they liked it
> at least enough to start looking at the equipment similar to
> what I am using.
>
> Most people on RootsWeb are aware of the power of computers, but
> my laptop has saved me time and time again while at a cemetery,
> talking with people about the family tree, and at libraries and
> research centers. I purchased a used one for around $400 and
> installed lineage-linked genealogy software on it so that I can
> carry all my research with me and do updates live while I have
> everything readily available and events are fresh in my mind.
> Love those short stories I type (while out meeting people) into
> my software program so I do not forget them later.
>
> On my laptop, I have also installed some map software called
> DeLorme Street Atlas http://www.delorme.com/, which lets me
> search the areas for cemeteries while I am out. It has saved
> more time getting to a cemetery than I could believe possible. I
> just leave the laptop powered up in the passenger seat and
> running from the car lighter plug and it walks me right to where
> I need to go. I have also used this setup to plot how I want to
> visit a number of cemeteries, greatly reducing the waste of time
> spent driving around.
>
> My last addition to the laptop was a Global Positioning System
> (GPS), which I place in the windshield of my car and attach to
> the laptop with the cable provided. Now as I drive along and
> make a wrong turn on a back country road, the DeLorme software
> shows me how to get back on course very quickly. It even has a
> talking feature which I have to admit, I turned off as I became
> tired of it telling me when I made a wrong turn -- that's what
> the better half is for.
>
> Now that I have used all these neat toys to save time getting to
> my sites, my father and I use the new Family Radio Service (FRS)
> hand-held radios to talk back and forth as we walk the cemetery
> grounds. It allows us to walk entire areas gathering information
> quickly and making the notes needed for research. We picked up a
> couple of these handy little radios at $24 each (prices vary, of
> course) and they have saved us numerous times. In one instance,
> while attempting to find a small gravesite, we had to climb a
> small hillside in Athens, Ohio and the radios proved their
> worth. I slipped into a large ditch and had to use the radio to
> get assistance. I have also used the GPS to get the exact
> latitude and longitude for each grave marker, just in case it is
> needed in the future. (You never know when a set of stones will
> disappear and you will need to find the burial site's exact
> location again.)
>
> My last electronic toy is a digital camera. These little wonders
> are neat, but they don't have the quality of a 35mm camera. I
> will admit that I use one of each. The digital camera is good
> enough for me to insert pictures into my family tree program and
> create little slide shows for family members, or to print an
> ancestor tree. My digital camera does not have or use a flash,
> so I have in some cases digitally stored documents that could
> not readily be copied (e.g., family Bible entries, heirloom
> photographs and papers, and very old and sensitive books). It
> also allows me to have an immediate view of what I have stored.
> It is upsetting to find out that my trip was wasted getting
> 5th great-grandfather's grave marker's photo when, after
> developing the film, I find that my lens cap was still on. I do
> use the 35mm for photographs I want to keep in the best quality
> but there is a use for both. I love the ease of my relatively
> inexpensive ($150) digital camera to store pictures quickly in
> my laptop but the quality of a good 35mm should not be
> overlooked. Yes, I know there are better digital versions, but I
> am cheap and this was the best I could do on a limited budget.
>
> Those are some of the new toys and technology I take advantage
> of while out researching. If you have other things, thoughts and
> ideas that can help while searching those back roads for lost
> cemeteries, please drop me a line.
>
> ==== SACKETT Mailing List ====
> Tried the RootsWeb Archives and Search Engine on the Web yet...?
> http://lists.rootsweb.com/~archiver/lists/
> http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl
>
> ==============================
> Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project:
> Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time.
> http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/



This thread: