My Genealogy 2012: A Year in Review

As 2012 winds down with a day's worth hours left I am reflecting on the past 12 months and contemplating my expectations and goals for 2013.

My goals for 2012 were:

Research Goal: Explore and source the DRAKE line of my family tree.

This was my most successful goal.  I learned quite a bit about the DRAKE line of my family tree, especially about my 2nd great grandmother Sarah Drake's maternal line.  I am currently working on writing a report on my research with a specific focus on the life of my 3rd great grandmother Anna Augusta West.

Education Goal: Investigate and possibly begin the NGS Home Study Course.

I didn't make much progress on this goal - however I did purchase a Discover Your Roots Kit from Family Tree Books that came with an Online Genealogy Course, which I have yet to take advantage of.  Time was a factor. 

Writing Goal: Write research reports on the HASKINS family line and finish reading You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBarolo Carmack and actually begin writing my family history.

The research reports didn't get written on the Haskins family line.  It is something that I need to do but just wasn't something that I ended up wanting to do.  I know a great deal about this line of my family tree so I found it less enjoyable to spend time here.  I am also struggling with how I want to write about the Haskins family.  I finished reading the book by Sharon DeBarolo Carmack but am having a hard time finding my voice when it comes to my own writing.  I attempted to complete The Family History Writing Challenge in February but life got in the way.

Blogging Goal:

• Double my number of posts, so that means I need to post at least 42 times.
• Increase my number of followers by 25% ( I have 24, so that means I need to have 30 by the end of 2012)
• Read and apply some of the tips from The Big Genealogy Blog Book by Amy Coffin.

In terms of my blogging goals -- I didn't meet them either.  My total posts for 2012 (both blogs combined) was 21 which is 50% of what I wanted to accomplish which is exactly how many posts I had last year.  However, I had 21 posts without blogging from March until August.  As of today I have 29 followers -- I missed my goal of 30 by one person, however my blog traffic did increase.  My most visited blog post was "My Ancestor Blogging Jar."  This hasn't increased my personal blog posts a great deal but it has focused some of my research and I have a lot of draft posts that I am working on.

I didn't accomplish all I set out to do but am happy with the progress I did make. I made a lot of head way on things that weren't goals for 2012 but were branches and leaves that felt needed to be explored.  I broke down a major brick wall in relation to my Dutch roots.   I haven't decided if I'm going to make goals for 2013.  I might just see where the year takes me.  I know I will do genealogy, I know I will write and I know I will post.  And from the words from Ernest Hemingway “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”    I'm excited to see where my 2013 journey takes me.