Using Evernote as Research Log

[Ellsinore 7]

I've been trying to set up Evernote to use as a research log for my genealogy project(s). I have JPGs and PDFs that I want to transcribe in the note, with the file attached to the note -- so that the transcription and the source file are in one place.

Has anyone done anything like this and, if so, do you have any suggestions? I don't seem to be making any progress -- I have to keep starting over.

My biggest glitch is when I have to edit the file (usually PDF or JPG) that's attached to the note. JPGs that are too large and need to be resized or reduced, or PDFs that have sideways pages in them. After I fix that, a new note is imported. Is there any way to just edit the one that's already there? I realize I can merge two notes, but since the "old" ones have already been renamed, and the "new" ones have the name of the file, sometimes it's hard to find the two that need to be merged -- I have thousands of documents.

I can't figure out how Evernote is storing these attachments. The only files that appear in the Attachments directory are the ones I've opened from the note itself -- but editing these doesn't change what's attached to the note. Editing the file that's in the import folder just creates a new note.

Is there a way to print the note and have it print all pages of a PDF as well, rather than just the first page of the PDF?

It's starting to dawn on me that maybe I'm not going to be able to use Evernote as I had envisioned -- collecting the raw data, which is rarely in the form of plain text, and manipulating it from there.

[heather 604]

http://www.toniasroots.net/2010/06/24/using-evernote-for-genealogy/

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I am not sure about the problems you are having (I haven't experienced those myself), but perhaps I can offer some advice based on the way I use it. I am a historian and spend a lot of time with primary sources that include photographs I have taken of the originals and scans of printed and published collections of the sources. It looks complex, but it really isn't. Basically, I separate content so that I have my words, translations, comments, and so forth separate from the originals (primary or secondary). It makes things a lot easier, because I don't need to be updating the originals every time I edit a note. I just need to change my words.

I have three relevant tags for these files.

1. source-notes (ever-changing)

2. source-primary (never-changing)

3. source-secondary (never-changing)

1. "source-notes" is applied to any note with my words. I give the note a title related to the content and I begin the note with the full bibliographic information (usually in Chicago Manual of Style format). Underneath that I put a summary of the content and any other notes about it (condition, size, etc.). Whenever appropriate, I put in a link to the source itself (primary or secondary) and my translation (I keep my translations separate in a tag called "translation").

2. "source-primary" is applied to any image of a source. I usually put the full bibliographic information for it at the top and the PDF is placed below. One thing I do before uploading PDFs (all of my images are put into PDF form) is to do optical character recognition (when it is a printed source) and this automatically rights the sideways pages. Adobe Acrobat Pro is well worth the money (academic discount) for this, but if you just want to right the pages, there is surely a Windows program out there you can use (on the Mac you could usePreview).

3. "source-secondary" is applied to any scan of research someone has done. This means books and articles. Again, I usually put the full bibliographic information for it at the top and the PDF below.

[Ellsinore 7]

I'm going to have to re-think the way I was going to use this. Thanks for the tips!

[toniasroots 0]

Ellisinore, you may want to try this. Create one note with your original document. Then create another note with your transcription and possibly your comments (I would probably do this as two different notes - one for the transcription and one for my comments). Then link the original document and the transcription to your comments using note links.

[jbenson2 2,147]

I've been trying to set up Evernote to use as a research log for my genealogy project(s). I have JPGs and PDFs that I want to transcribe in the note, with the file attached to the note -- so that the transcription and the source file are in one place.

I tried using Evernote to store some of my genealogical records, but found it was not robust enough to handle all the necessary links, relationships and source information. Evernote cannot calculate interesting things such as the following: Jean is my 1st cousin once removed. My wife's great-grandfather was 72 when he died. He had 11 children born between 1897 and 1912. etc.

Keep in mind that if develop your family lineage, you will want to share it with other family members. Evernote does not export to a GED format.

My suggestion is to go with a program designed from the ground up for storing genealogical records. My personal choice is Legacy Family Tree, but there are many, many others. Jumping to a dedicated program will make your job so much easier and fun.

[ClutterBGone 152]

Been doing genealogy since 1972 and this is the way I use EN. First, I keep all of the information on a genealogy program, I use TMG. The information that has been collected over the years is three ring binders, [many], the information in the binders is stored by ID number.

Two years ago I purchased the best piece of hardware, I have ever found, ScanSnap! All, and I mean all, of the information has been run through ScanSnap. ID person number 2 is now in a file called, "00002.pdf " and on and on. If three ring binder number one had six ID's now I take the six files; 00002.pdf, 00003.pdf, 00004.pdf, etc. and now merge them into a PDF file, called "Book 1 [2-6].pdf". Book 1 and all of the others are now stored in EN under the notebook "Genealogy."

What I am really doing is just using EN as my master storage area and at the same time I now have the ability to search for a place, date, or person I might need. My hope is that the original paper document are never damaged, but if they are, I can go back to the PDF files and just print out or view what I need. At the same time, if I come across more information about person ID 2, I can bring back that file into the ScanSnap software and up date the information. The new page(s) can be inserted at the top, bottom or anyplace in between the pdf file. The updated file is then save back into the original location within EN.

When using ScanSnap, you just feed your documents, into the hopper and it will scan just the front or both sides, if the document is upside down it will correct that, it is super, I DO NOT work for ScanSnap, it just works and is just the thing, for Evernote. I am down to the last fileing cabinet and it will go in about a week. All of my documents are in Evernote! I backup to the clouds, and to several hard drives, one off site!

David in Wichita

[S.Lewis 1]

I also use note links to easily attached other notes to a scanned picture or document in my genealogy. Then I have the image, and the link to any transcription or evaluation notes and all is matched and easily retreivable. I use RootsMagic for my family data entries, but find EN great for capturing on-going research.

I have a Stacked Notebook: SURNAMES and then a separate notebook for each major surname I am researching. If I find something on an ancestor or relative of that surname, I title the note with the first name, place (county/state), year, and event. Example: researching on Lewis Surname, a note might be: James Clinton, Nolan, TX 1927 Birth. The absence of a surname within that note title & the fact it is in the Lewis Notebook tells me that this is for James Clinton Lewis.

For relatives that married into or out of the Lewis family, I title with Last name, First Name, place, date, event. Example: Thomas, Jack, Tarrant Co, TX 1943 military

Pictures I have scanned would be the same way: James Clinton, Nolan Co, TX 1950 pic and filed in the Lewis Notebook.

I use the clip function alot, and this seems the easiest & quickest way for me to gather the data so I can evaluate it later.

[Emy 1]

My experience is that the programs used for recording relationships between persons (FamilyTreeMaker, Legacy, The Master Genealogist, Roots Magic) etc. are not necessarily the best for keeping and organizing the documents that prove the relationships.  The programs that are good for organizing the documents and the facts they contain (e.g. Clooz and Bygones)  currently do not have the capability of storing the information on the cloud so that it is accessible via the internet.  Bygones had a lot of advantages, but the lack of technical support and the fact that it has not been upgraded for over ten years and no longer runs on the current version of Mac OS X make it unattractive (even though the price is good - free). Bygones also had a rather steep learning curve (as does The Master Genealogist). 

 

I woud like to use Evernote as a Research Log, showing which sources I have checked.  If I have found something, I'd like to have a link to an image of the document or my notes from the document.  I would like to tag each document with information that would help me categorize it, e.g. locality, surname, etc.  I am still thinking about how best to organize this, but I see some great potential.

[kshivner 1]

I've been trying to set up Evernote to use as a research log for my genealogy project(s). I have JPGs and PDFs that I want to transcribe in the note, with the file attached to the note -- so that the transcription and the source file are in one place.

Has anyone done anything like this and, if so, do you have any suggestions? I don't seem to be making any progress -- I have to keep starting over.

My biggest glitch is when I have to edit the file (usually PDF or JPG) that's attached to the note. JPGs that are too large and need to be resized or reduced, or PDFs that have sideways pages in them. After I fix that, a new note is imported. Is there any way to just edit the one that's already there? I realize I can merge two notes, but since the "old" ones have already been renamed, and the "new" ones have the name of the file, sometimes it's hard to find the two that need to be merged -- I have thousands of documents.

I can't figure out how Evernote is storing these attachments. The only files that appear in the Attachments directory are the ones I've opened from the note itself -- but editing these doesn't change what's attached to the note. Editing the file that's in the import folder just creates a new note.

Is there a way to print the note and have it print all pages of a PDF as well, rather than just the first page of the PDF?

It's starting to dawn on me that maybe I'm not going to be able to use Evernote as I had envisioned -- collecting the raw data, which is rarely in the form of plain text, and manipulating it from there.

 

The only problem with using evernote is there is a 250 notebook limit syncing - and just for genealogy alone that will not work - add in your personal stuff and you hit a big brick wall - I did and I just started creating notebooks for genealogy no documents yet - so you have to go business do get that number raised but then there are still limitations - trying to understand them before I decide to dump evernote - real nice app but these limitations are a deal breaker

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

The only problem with using evernote is there is a 250 notebook limit syncing - and just for genealogy alone that will not work - add in your personal stuff and you hit a big brick wall - I did and I just started creating notebooks for genealogy no documents yet - so you have to go business do get that number raised but then there are still limitations - trying to understand them before I decide to dump evernote - real nice app but these limitations are a deal breaker

Please stop cross posting. This is the fourth thread you've posted this in. I posted replies in the other three threads.