How to Organize Your Genealogy Files
As a hobbyist or professional genealogist, organization is the number one problem for all. Stacks of papers seem to grow over night. Before you know it your entire room is filled to the brim. Believe it or not, the solution is as simple as finding an organizational system that suits your needs and research habits, and then making it work. It is not exactly as simple as it sounds, but it is doable and will ultimately help to keep you from spinning your wheels and duplicating research.
Which filing system is best? Ask a group of genealogists how they organize their files and you are likely to get a different answer from every one of them. There are a number of popular organization systems; including files, binders, notebooks, etc., but there is truly no individual system which is “best” or “correct: for everyone. We all think and behave differently, so the most important consideration in setting up your filing system is that it must fit your personal style. The best organization system is always that one that you will use.
As your genealogy research progresses you will find that you have numerous paper documents to file for each individual that you research – birth records, census records, newspaper articles, wills, correspondence with fellow researchers, website printouts, and the list goes on and on. The trick is to develop a filing system that will enable you to easily lay your fingers on any of these documents when you want them and at any time.
Commonly used genealogical filing systems include: 1. By surname – all papers for an individual surname are filed together. 2. By couple or family – all papers related to a husband and wife or family unit is filed together. 3. By family line – all papers related to a specific family line are filed together. Many genealogists begin by starting with four such ancestral lines – one for each of their grandparents. 4. By event – all papers related to a specific event type (birth, marriage, census, etc.) are filed together.
You can begin with any of the four systems mentioned above; you can use these methods to further organize your papers into the following categories: 1. By location – papers are first grouped by one of the four genealogy filling systems listed above, then further broken down by country, state, county, or town to reflect your ancestor’s migration. 2. By record type – papers are first grouped by one or the four genealogy filing systems, and then further broken down by record type (birth records, census records, will, etc.).
GENEALOGY FUN
The first step for a successful organizational system is to decide on the basic physical form for your filing – file folders, notebooks, binders, or computer disks.
The advantages and disadvantages in a genealogical filing system.
1. Filing cabinet and file folders – file folders and probably the most popular tools for genealogists. They are inexpensive, very portable, and will easily hold papers of different shapes and sizes. When dropped, however, they can become quite a mess, with papers thrown out of order, and possible misplaced. File folders make it easy to consult documents, but you have to diligent about putting them back where they came from. Once you have generated a lot of paper, however, the file folder system is the most flexible and expandable.
2. Binders – If you really like to keep things organized in one place, then organizing your data into binders may be best for you. This method of organizing your records into a standardized format of regular sized papers is your best bet. Documents that you wish to not put three-hole punch in can be inserted in polypropylene sleeves. Binders are portable; however, if you do a lot of genealogical research you may find that binders eventually become too cumbersome on their own.
3. Computer disks, CDs and DVDs – transcribing or scanning genealogical documents into the computer can save quite a bit of space, and computerized organizational systems can greatly speed up tedious tasks such as sorting and cross-referencing. CD-ROMs supposedly last indefinitely if stored under the proper storage conditions. But will your descendant’s one hundred or more years from now have a computer that can read them? If you choose to use your computer as your primary organizational system, consider also making and preserving copies of printouts of important documents.
After you have started to organize your genealogical clutter, you will probably find that a combination of storage methods works best. Some people find themselves using binders for documents and file folders for miscellaneous research.
To set up file folders to organization your genealogy records you will need the following basic supplies. 1. A filing cabinet or file boxes with lids. The boxes need to be strong, preferably plastic with horizontal inner ridges or grooves for letter-size hanging files. 2. Letter-size hanging file folders. The inexpensive standard green hanging file folders will work just fine. 3. Manila folders. These should have slightly smaller tabs than the hanging file folders and should have reinforced tops to last through heavy use. 4. Pens. For best results use a pen with an ultra fine point with acid free ink. 5. Highlighters. You can buy highlighters in light blue, light green, yellow, and pink. Colored pencils also work. 6. Labels for file folders. These labels should have blue, green, red, and yellow strips along the top or you can use your highlighters to mark the strips on the top of the file folders.
Now that you have assembled your supplies, it is time to get started with the file folders. Use different colored file folders for the lineages of each of your four grandparents – in other words, all folders created for the ancestors of one grandparent will be marked with the same color. The colors are up to you., but the most common color choices are: 1. Blue – Paternal grandfather (father’s father) 2. Green – Paternal grandmother (father’s mother) 3. Red – Maternal grandfather (mother’s father) 4. Yellow – Maternal grandmother (mother’s mother).
This creates a separate folder for each surname. Write the names on the hanging file tabs, and then hang the files in alphabetical order in your file box or cabinet by color.
If you have just started your genealogical research, this may be all you need to do. But if you have accumulated a lot of notes, documents and photocopies, it is now time to subdivide. This is where you have to choose how you want to organize your files. This can be time consuming, but it is well worth it in the long run.
Which filing system is best? Ask a group of genealogists how they organize their files and you are likely to get a different answer from every one of them. There are a number of popular organization systems; including files, binders, notebooks, etc., but there is truly no individual system which is “best” or “correct: for everyone. We all think and behave differently, so the most important consideration in setting up your filing system is that it must fit your personal style. The best organization system is always that one that you will use.
As your genealogy research progresses you will find that you have numerous paper documents to file for each individual that you research – birth records, census records, newspaper articles, wills, correspondence with fellow researchers, website printouts, and the list goes on and on. The trick is to develop a filing system that will enable you to easily lay your fingers on any of these documents when you want them and at any time.
Commonly used genealogical filing systems include: 1. By surname – all papers for an individual surname are filed together. 2. By couple or family – all papers related to a husband and wife or family unit is filed together. 3. By family line – all papers related to a specific family line are filed together. Many genealogists begin by starting with four such ancestral lines – one for each of their grandparents. 4. By event – all papers related to a specific event type (birth, marriage, census, etc.) are filed together.
You can begin with any of the four systems mentioned above; you can use these methods to further organize your papers into the following categories: 1. By location – papers are first grouped by one of the four genealogy filling systems listed above, then further broken down by country, state, county, or town to reflect your ancestor’s migration. 2. By record type – papers are first grouped by one or the four genealogy filing systems, and then further broken down by record type (birth records, census records, will, etc.).
GENEALOGY FUN
The first step for a successful organizational system is to decide on the basic physical form for your filing – file folders, notebooks, binders, or computer disks.
The advantages and disadvantages in a genealogical filing system.
1. Filing cabinet and file folders – file folders and probably the most popular tools for genealogists. They are inexpensive, very portable, and will easily hold papers of different shapes and sizes. When dropped, however, they can become quite a mess, with papers thrown out of order, and possible misplaced. File folders make it easy to consult documents, but you have to diligent about putting them back where they came from. Once you have generated a lot of paper, however, the file folder system is the most flexible and expandable.
2. Binders – If you really like to keep things organized in one place, then organizing your data into binders may be best for you. This method of organizing your records into a standardized format of regular sized papers is your best bet. Documents that you wish to not put three-hole punch in can be inserted in polypropylene sleeves. Binders are portable; however, if you do a lot of genealogical research you may find that binders eventually become too cumbersome on their own.
3. Computer disks, CDs and DVDs – transcribing or scanning genealogical documents into the computer can save quite a bit of space, and computerized organizational systems can greatly speed up tedious tasks such as sorting and cross-referencing. CD-ROMs supposedly last indefinitely if stored under the proper storage conditions. But will your descendant’s one hundred or more years from now have a computer that can read them? If you choose to use your computer as your primary organizational system, consider also making and preserving copies of printouts of important documents.
After you have started to organize your genealogical clutter, you will probably find that a combination of storage methods works best. Some people find themselves using binders for documents and file folders for miscellaneous research.
To set up file folders to organization your genealogy records you will need the following basic supplies. 1. A filing cabinet or file boxes with lids. The boxes need to be strong, preferably plastic with horizontal inner ridges or grooves for letter-size hanging files. 2. Letter-size hanging file folders. The inexpensive standard green hanging file folders will work just fine. 3. Manila folders. These should have slightly smaller tabs than the hanging file folders and should have reinforced tops to last through heavy use. 4. Pens. For best results use a pen with an ultra fine point with acid free ink. 5. Highlighters. You can buy highlighters in light blue, light green, yellow, and pink. Colored pencils also work. 6. Labels for file folders. These labels should have blue, green, red, and yellow strips along the top or you can use your highlighters to mark the strips on the top of the file folders.
Now that you have assembled your supplies, it is time to get started with the file folders. Use different colored file folders for the lineages of each of your four grandparents – in other words, all folders created for the ancestors of one grandparent will be marked with the same color. The colors are up to you., but the most common color choices are: 1. Blue – Paternal grandfather (father’s father) 2. Green – Paternal grandmother (father’s mother) 3. Red – Maternal grandfather (mother’s father) 4. Yellow – Maternal grandmother (mother’s mother).
This creates a separate folder for each surname. Write the names on the hanging file tabs, and then hang the files in alphabetical order in your file box or cabinet by color.
If you have just started your genealogical research, this may be all you need to do. But if you have accumulated a lot of notes, documents and photocopies, it is now time to subdivide. This is where you have to choose how you want to organize your files. This can be time consuming, but it is well worth it in the long run.
Related Articles:
-
As a huge online store. You can take advantage of the Family Tree Maker 2011 Essentials [Old... Read Full Story » -
A new year can lift our spirits and create a feeling of fresh beginnings; spiritual rebirth and... Read Full Story »
Comments
