Begin at the beginning...

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. - said by the King to the White Rabbit, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

I've been tempted with my new birthday present - a subscription to Ancestry.com - to do the "shotgun" approach to my genealogy, grabbing something here, something there, until I lose myself in the euphoria of discovery. So far, just within the first 24 hours, I've been plugging in the names of my brickwalls and finding bits and pieces for further research.

I need to refocus not only my research but this blog as well. Who is my audience? Hopefully, other researchers who share my surnames. Maybe someday my kids will be interested and these postings will get them started. Perhaps some far-flung cousin will stumble across these pages and find a new connection.

My new resolution - it's never too early or late to start one - is to stay more focused on my research by beginning with what I know and working backwards on just a few lines at a time. I intend to participate more in the daily blogging memes and blog carnivals. Already I've created some future posts for Surname Saturday and Tombstone Tuesday in order to get me going. I need to stay focused and try to write a bit every day on this blog.

The continued success of my research will depend on my ability to stay focused and organized. I have a great software program, Rootsmagic, that offers me the ability to make 'to do' lists. I have not used those to the fullest, and have spent too much time re-discovering information that I already have! I have a research trip planned in a couple of weeks that I need to prepare for as well.

I say all of this with great intentions....only time will tell how well I do. Stay tuned.