How do I Start?
After reading others blogs and comments on Facebook about sorting and organizing one's files (both electronically and paper copies) Im still trying to sort it out in my mind! See I'm so organized, I feel & look disorganized....at least that is and has been my excuse.
What I've seen and heard is
- Sort by Family name
- Sort by Person
- Sort by Family group
- Sort by document type
- Sort by year
My problem I see the pros and cons of all the systems.....Aggh calgon take me away!!! So as usual, I know what I don't want, but not sure of what I want. And what I don't want is a lot of nested folders inside folders inside folders.....So is my answer to make a list of what I don't want, and eliminate those systems that have/enable those qualities and then pick from the rest? Or do I use the capabilities of the pc (paper has no capabilities, it just lays in a file folder) and use shortcuts to place links into the electronic filing system where it needs to go?
After careful thought and dreaming about the system I want....(does any one else do this?) I believe I have a beginning plan....
Paper files by type (Federal Census, marriage, death, birth, christening, land, probate, etc)
Reasoning: less files, and easy to find a file when needed.
Computer files: originals filed like paper files, shortcuts filed in folders by family name, then given name
Folder Smith
Sub folder John
Sub folder Mary
I think you've got it! Pretty much the way I am changing some files paper wise. I have them by families, Head and then children in separate folders but behind the main one. IE: McDonalds, 5x grandfather then all main descendants filed after him with each of their children filed after. Confused yet? :) Computer I have a file for each family and separate ones as subs plus graves. I did find having a folder for death, births etc much easier than looking for the particular person's folder.
ReplyDeleteI used the "sort by record type" for a long time. It works fairly well. Have recently switched to filing my notes and family group sheets by Mary Hill's color-coding system-one color per grandparent lineage. But my research notes and photocopies and documents are now file by locality first (Tenn-marriage; Tenn-maps; Tenn-probate; Miss-marriage; Miss-maos). This is the system used by my local genealogy library for shelving their books (census, military and published family histories are separate, everything else is state-county-record type). Now my papers match the library. If I have a new ancestor and need to research his marriage (or whatever) I know where to go in my files and in the library, to the tennessee-general section and then tennessee-[county]-marriages. I can find a document in my files much quicker now. But you should go with what makes sense to your own mind. Good Luck. Go with what long-time professional genealogist do.
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