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Archiver > TMG > 2001-04 > 0986166848


From: "Bonita" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] TMG for Dummies?
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 18:14:08 -0500
References: <003601c0ba52$da64d620$eba993cb@HansBraaksma> <5.0.2.1.2.20010401013024.00a14510@pop-server>


Jo:

Boy, we have all been where you are. I set your message back as I wanted to
devote some thought before I answered (I can hear the others groaning .. oh,
no another long message) and try to keep it brief.

First, put on some blinders and don't worry about the bells and whistles
yet. They will be there when you want to use them .. and the messages will
all be in the archives.

What I did before I did anything else was create a 'test' database. I
entered myself in with all the data, even a source of Personal Knowledge as
well as my actual birth certificate. I even entered my baby book as a
source (tee hee). I really wanted to get the feel of all of the things that
needed to be entered. Course, all sources must be 'housed' somewhere, so my
repository list was small ... Bonita's House, Filing Cabinet, Safety Deposit
box, etc. As I did more research, I put in the Dallas Public Library, the
LDS Family History Library, etc. I make copies of the title (with author,
publisher, etc) along with copies of the pages that have the information I
need. I write the 'repository' on it. The original is at the xxx library
or xxxx film .. but a copy is in Bonita's Filing Cabinet xx.xx.

Ok .. after entering in my birth, marriages, kids, divorces, etc. I decided
to see if I could use every TAG that was provided by TMG. So, I just kept
adding residences, etc. (my ex-husband was military .. so we had a lot of
those). I put the Deed information for the houses I bought, both residence
and investment. I had copies of organizations that I joined .. Mayflower
Society and DAR .. they are in there with the National number. Course,
copies are in my ... you got it .. Bonita's Filing Cabinet.

After I put in every possible tag I could, I added Census tags for each
census since I was born (of course, that I need to get them). I put in the
date of the census was to be taken, where I was located and who I was living
with. So, I was a witness to my father until I was 16 .. then a witness to
my husband, the kids, etc. Yes, sometimes I had to go back and fix things
.. like witnesses after I realized how great they were

Then I started on 'buttons' seeing what the buttons did .. and filled in
data. I wanted to be able to see what they looked like when I printed them
out. I tried custom reports and the first ones were terrible .. but, then
they became easier .. FOCUS=is what to select OUTPUT=what you want on the
report. I tried reports with options turned off and on to see what the
difference was. You can guess by this time that I am one of those people
who only reads manuals if I am totally stumped.

By the time I finished all the buttons and the drop down box functions, I
felt I was ready to convert. I converted from BK and everything came across
beautifully .. this was about 4 years ago. I had a lot of clean up, mostly
because TMG required more information .. especially in the source and
repository than BK. I got all the information from the NOTES flat file and
put them into TAGS. In the process, I found I had duplicates. I had
temporarily gone to FTM before TMG but went back to BK .. hated FTM, more
limitations. I need to be FREEEEEEEE!! Their merge was nice when it found
exact duplicates .. it just merged them. TMG does not want to 'act like
God', so I started running a merge. The first time was a mess since I was
very loose on my 'focus' .. I went back and changed everything to EXACT on
all options .. name, birth date, death date, parents, etc. I found them and
merged them. Now: Voice of Experience here ... you can delete tags you
don't need here but since it is more time consuming to see source
information, .... and NEVER use a father from one and the mother from the
other .. you lose your marriage record. SO, now I just merge everything ..
then go back to them and look at each tag individually and either delete or
in the case of two identical children, I merge them. It takes more times,
but you will feel that you are absolutely correct when you finish.

Now, I find more duplicates just by looking at the Picklist. It is usually
because I have found a John Jones who married Mary Smith .. no birthdates,
just marriage date, but I do have their ages. So I put in a 'about xxx'
birthdate. Yes, I do add married names since I run across so many .... Dave
Dude married Mrs. Daisy Snoot, widow of Samuel Snoot. So, I give her two
married names: 1) Mrs. Daisy Dude (_____) and 2) Mrs. Daisy Snoot (_____).
When I run across her maiden name, I make it primary as NAME-VAR rather than
NAME-MAR as Daisy Dukes and add her maiden name to the NAME-MAR in place of
the _____. Anyway, back to the picklist, every month of so I scan my
33,000+ names and birthdates to see if there are any that look like they
match. Low and behold I will be able to merge a couple.

The one thing that I wish I had learned at first was ACCENT COLORS. I used
to have a terrible time following my direct line so I would put special
characters after their given names. Now I have flags with the line name
(Surname of the most recent .. my husbands, my parents, my children-in-law.)
.. so for MORRIS the flag can be ? (default), D=direct or C=Collateral.
Under TOOLS, click on Accent Colors. Then I check to see if the Flag MORRIS
is equal to D, if it is, I change the color to something like red letters
with white background. Each surname flag has a different color combination.
I did make my maternal and paternal lines with white background. My
ex-husbands in dark letters with a light background and my children-in-law
with white letters with dark background.

Well, this is probably enough to start .. I hope this helps you.

Oh, also as I input the data, I put a small check mark on the top right of
the document and hopefully file it promptly. There was a good discussion on
filing systems .. I liked the one to file all births together by date,
marriage together by date, etc. The only thing is I have one binder for
each surname flag .. with the birth, deaths, etc. in archival sheets,
numbered. They can be copied through the sheet and immediately put back in
the binder. I am still working on this .. I just wish I started this system
rather than a folder for each person .. I would not have a room of file
cabinets.

Bonita
Whew .. well, sorry .. it was not brief ..


----- Original Message -----
From: "jo harper" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2001 2:43 AM
Subject: [TMG] TMG for Dummies?


> Greetings, Genealogists ~
>
> While recuperating last winter I came across some old family papers that
> have set me on the genealogy trail. Fun, fascinating, and so far,
> expensive, as well, as I've tried several genealogy programs only to go on
> to the next greener pasture.
>
> So now I've just installed TMG 4.0d(?) I think, on the theory that even
> from my limited experience, this will have the greatest flexibility and
> completeness. I've been reading selections from this list for a week or
> so, too, and now that I'm ready to start, I find myself more than a little
> intimidated by all the options and the "computer-ese" that I'll need to
> learn to make TMG work for me.
>
> So I wonder, is there a TMG for Dummies list? A list for rank, crank
> beginners? I have a vague notion what a sys.ini file is, but haven't a
> clue where to find it and would be scared spitless to touch it if I
> could. As I read on some of the messages and see the kinds of variables
> I'll have to learn about ... well, if you can think back to your own TMG
> childhood, perhaps you'll get a sense of my hesitancy.
>
> For instance, I've brought some of my data from several of the other
> programs I've tried into TMG, and was wanting to "merge" them, so to have
> one complete set of each family line. But then I saw something that
seemed
> to say merging wouldn't check for duplicates. So that makes me think I'd
> only do more harm. But now I've got all these databases, and hate to
think
> of dealing with them all all over again by hand, as it were.
>
> Any ideas, helpful comments or encouragements would be appreciated ~
>
> jo
>
> jo harper
> mailto:
> Nebraska, USA
> Searching:
>
> Cornwall to NY & Wisconsin & Beyond
> BAKER, UGLOW, HONEY,
> DALE, ELLSWORTH, GREEN,
> HARRY, FLETT, OAKES, OSBORNE,
> RISSER, SAMPSON, TROUSDALE,
> WARNER, WATKINS
>
> England to ? to Michigan & Beyond
> LINCE
>
> England to Virginia, Carolinas, Tenn, Kentucky
> PILAND, MARKHAM, LEMONS, CORDER
>
> Germany to Pennsylvania & Beyond
> MINNICH, EARNEST, WOLFE
>
>

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