It ain’t pretty or fancy, but it does the job quite well for me. I rename the log Note’s Title field to reflect my standard genealogy Note naming convention ( again, see my last post), add the appropriate surname Tags, and start filling in the data. I keep a master genealogy Genealogy Log template file in my general research Notebook, which I simply copy and paste into a new Note in the appropriate family history Notebook–my side, or Hubby’s side ( see my last post for an explanation)–whenever I start a new log for a new person. Since I already keep my documentation in Evernote, using Evernote for research logs just makes good sense. And one that is accessible and editable from every single one of my computers and mobile devices. I wanted the simplest, easiest, most accessible workflow possible if I’m actually going to keep up with research logs. I use Google Drive heavily for data management, but a spreadsheet just isn’t easy to read or modify on my iPhone or iPad. This effort has been ramped up in anticipation of my visit next week to the Family History Library in conjunction with RootsTech.Įvernote is a natural fit for my workflow and needs. I now keep research logs by ancestor/relative, and have been painstakingly reconstructing log entries for older research. So early last year I started buckling down. But the more posts and tips I read from other family historians, the more convinced I have become that I have to start keeping real logs of my findings, searches, leads, questions, and tasks.

While I am very faithful at using Evernote to capture, store, and annotate my genealogy documents, I have neglected to keep real research logs during my 15+ years as a genealogist.

How to add evernote templates