One Way To Organize Your Genealogy Research

I’m having a great time writing this blog and I’m learning a lot by delving into the stories of my ancestors. But what happens when you’re not sure who to write about next? My science and math brain leads me to something systematic. Organizing your genealogy research is essential to staying sane while you find your people.

In this blog post I’ll tell you about the Level-up Challenge and using Airtable to organize your findings.

Level-Up Challenge

I follow a blog called Dutch Genealogy by Yvette Hoitink, CG (Certified Genealogist). She talks about researching Dutch ancestors, but she also introduced her Level-up Challenge. You can read her original blog post here and her updated post here.

In this challenge, she created six information levels of completed research for each ancestor. The levels range from 0 (unidentified ancestor) to 6 (writing a biography or family narrative about an ancestor). In between, you find out names, vital information, spouse and children, and things like military service and whether they owned land.

To keep track of the data in my Level-up Challenge, I use Airtable.

What is Airtable?

Airtable is a versatile cloud-based tool that combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the power of a database. Its allows users to create custom databases, known as bases, to organize and analyze information in a way that is easy to use. There is a free version of Airtable in case you want to try it.

Why Choose Airtable For Genealogy Research?

1. Flexibility: Airtable adapts to your unique research needs, whether you’re tracking family relationships, documenting sources, or organizing historical records. With customizable fields, views, and templates, you can tailor your database to suit your specific needs.
2. Collaboration: Genealogy can involve working with others, whether it’s collaborating with family members or sharing with other genealogists. Airtable allows multiple users to access and edit bases in real-time, making it easy to work together on the same project.
3. Visualization: Airtable offers several view options, including grid, calendar, and gallery views, enabling you to see your data in the most meaningful way. You can create interactive family trees, timeline charts, and maps to uncover connections and patterns.
4. Integration: Airtable integrates with other tools and services, such as Google Drive and Dropbox. You can also import genealogical data from existing sources, link records to external documents, and automate repetitive tasks to streamline your workflow.

My Level-up Challenge Using Airtable

I’m not the only one who loves Airtable for keeping track of research. Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer, the mother/daughter genealogy duo at Family Locket use it as well. They have kindly taken all the work out of setting up your own base and added a template to the Airtable Universe. This is a place where people add templates they’ve made in Airtable to help others.

Here’s a look at the levels and the records needed to complete that level:

An Example Of Mine

So, I’m going to concentrate on a Stabley ancestor, my great-grandfather Eli Bernard Stabley. I already know a lot about him so my Airtable entry looks like this:

Since I’m already at level 4 for Eli, my next challenge will be to write a research report or case study following the Genealogy Proof Standard.

Are you ready to take the Level-up Challenge?

Using Airtable In Research Logs and Timelines

While using Airtable in the Level-up Challenge is my preference, you can also use Airtable for your research log and timelines. I devoted a blog to making a timeline for your ancestors which you can read here.

But if you would like to see what my research log and timeline look like, here’s an example of both:

Research log:

Timeline:

More On The Life Of Eli Bernard Stabley

Eli was born the eldest son of Frederick W. Stabley and Emma Caroline Welty on 23 May 1874 in York County, Pennsylvania. As a young man, he worked in a cigar factory, a major business in York County in the late 19th century.

By 1899 Eli had a new profession, soldier. He enlisted in the Army just as the Spanish-American War ended and the war with the Philippines began. Eli never saw any combat duty and spent his time at Fort Yellowstone Wyoming. According to the National Parks Service, soldiers were initially stationed at Fort Yellowstone to stop poachers and hunters from destroying the wildlife inside Yellowstone National Park, which opened in 1872.¹

After several years, it became clear their presence was more permanent than originally thought and the Army stayed until 1918. Eli was a kitchen orderly who had an unfortunate accident that left him blind in one eye. He remained in Wyoming until his 3-year term was over in 1902 then went back to Pennsylvania. But he didn’t go back to making cigars…

In March 1903 Eli married Ida Jane Dettinger in York, but by December of the same year, he had sold the barber shop even though he continued in the profession for several more years. Here is a very old picture of Eli and Ida on their wedding day…

In 1908 Eli went back to what he first knew…cigars. He applied for a license to open his own cigar factory.

I don’t know if this license ever turned into an actual working factory, but census records and city directories show him making cigars until the mid-1910s.

One last move took the Stabley family to the shores of southern New Jersey. Perhaps news of a better-paying job was the reason to relocate as he became a dye operator for the E. I. DuPont Company in Penns Grove, New Jersey by 1917.

Eli wasn’t afraid to try new things…cigar maker, soldier, barber, and dye operator. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very long life. He died at the age of 56 in the Naval Hospital League Island, Pennsylvania, which became the Philadelphia Naval Hospital.

Finally

The Level-up Challenge is a great way to stay organized in your genealogy research. Taking stock of what you have on each of your ancestors is a great way to figure out who or what you want to research next. And by using Airtable, you’ll be able to follow the challenge with ease and stay organized along the way.

Genealogy Tip: It’s important to keep track of your research in some way. You don’t want to research someone only to find out you did the same thing years ago. You can use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or Airtable. Whatever form your research log is in, keep it up to date. It will definitely save you time and energy in the long run.

There are many ways to organize your research. If you need some tips and tricks about what I do, I’d be happy to share. Let’s work together to make this year your most productive yet.

¹ National Parks Service (https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/yell-tour-fort-yellowstone.htm: accessed 18 Jan 2023), “Explore the Fort Yellowstone Historic District.”

² Newspapers.com, digital images (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 18 Nov 2019), “New Barber Shop,” The Gazette (York County, Pennsylvania), 28 June 1902, p . 1, col. 3.

³ Newspapers.com, digital images (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 18 Nov 2019), “Seven New Factories,” The Gazette (York County, Pennsylvania), 1 Sep 1908, p . 8, col. 1.