I am also now trying to use it to help others learn how to go about doing this based on my own experiences and what is working for me. So there is a mixture of narrative and "how to" sections in the blog.
So if you are interested in the narrative about the organizing, etc. you can read these past two posts and I think they will also contain some important tips and aspects of organizing your genealogical material.
http://alegacythatmatters.blogspot.com/2011/09/phd-in-genealogy.html
http://alegacythatmatters.blogspot.com/2011/10/5-things-i-have-learned-about.html
If you want to just jump right to the nitty gritty start here with your reading.
Organizing what you already have:
Once I got back to Family History in earnest again, the first thing I needed to do was actually open my green treasure chest from 30-something years ago.
This was a box I used to carry back and forth to the Oakland Genealogical Library back in the day of carbon paper, actual paper card catalogs, and lots of microfilm that needed to be ordered for records we can now often find online. My treasure chest was dusty, musty and contained lot of various things in manilla folders, organized by surnames. What I found when I opened the box were these tired files crammed with all manner of stuff with dried, cracking, often detached labels in various places.
I also had a Book Of Remembrance that looked like this. All these records were painstakingly, sought and found in the library, hand-printed and then typed by our ward typist, for all the record submissions to Salt Lake City. They had to be checked and rechecked for accuracy, as every time you would recopy the chance for making mistakes, transposing numbers of dates, etc. increased. They made their way to Salt Lake to meet the deadline imposed by the people in charge.They would eventually become The Ancestral File. Hopefully, if you have a similar story, your ward genealogy teacher stressed the importance of documenting your work by citing your sources, or all your hard work would be nothing more than a nice road map for those that followed you, only to research the same information again. Even though the sources were not included in the Ancestral file, if you still have your pedigree and group sheets you submitted the sources should be on there in your Book of Remembrance.
Genealogy without sources and citations
is nothing more than a possibility.
is nothing more than a possibility.
Please repeat many times and internalize this idea. It is gospel in the world of genealogy, I promise you. If you want your name to be held in high esteem by generations past, present and future. Do it and the document it!
Check out the discoloration of the pages in myBook of Remembrance already.
It's probably a combination of acid from the plastic
and the paper itself, oil from my hands, moisture and dust.
I am happy that I started our family history work years ago. I am even happy that I had the experience of doing this work the old-fashioned way. I am really happy I was the pioneer in our family. Starting from scratch had some definite advantages, that virgin, fertile ground for our family history and research was wonderful. I was blessed to have a teacher that drilled accuracy and documenting into my head from day one. Now I do not have to go back and reprove everything I found because I gathered it myself.
I have begun the work of verifying a lot of things by saving and adding new documents that are now available online and that is a joy. What once took years can now often be found, with a little know how, in a few minutes. Seriously, I find great joy in being a pioneer in this and to more fully appreciate where the Lord has brought this work in just a few decades. The technology, the generation that has been born with the technology gene already installed, this is nothing short of a Major Miracle. It is staggering really.
What a privilege to be a part of it. Just as the pioneers made the long and arduous trek from Nauvoo to Salt Lake facing many obstacles along the way, we are now making our pioneer trek into the digital age. Just as the first pioneers walked and walked and walked and struggled and learned and grew along the way...we too are doing the same. This is pure joy to witness! From an eternal perspective one day I think we will understand even more fully why being reserved for this day and being called "a chosen generation" is applicable.
How I Organized my Paper Files
We do not have file cabinet space so for now I just have two portable boxes for my files. They have hanging file folders that I purchased in variety packs with different colors. I also purchases colored manilla files to go inside and some labels. I also bought some acid free sleeves to preserve the old documents a little better. You might also want some circle dots in a variety of colors. That is really all you will need.
I think these red boxes will be sufficient for all the paper files I plan to keep during my life time.
Jim's family files are yellow, mine are blue.
There are also artifacts and heirlooms that must be considered. One thing is to be sure and take pictures of them and include in your electronic files. If you have a family bible that has genealogical information you might want to scan the pages and also file the electronically at some point. Bibles are considered a primary source for genealogical information. This is very important to remember. Many of your posterity might like to see a digitized version of the Bible.
For me these are the main reasons for having paper files:
To keep the original documents you have received and paid for or have been given by relatives. BUT you also need to scan them and save electronically.
The paper files are perfect and necessary for your original documents and copies of your family group sheets and pedigree charts, etc. Family Group Sheets and pedigrees are a very important aspect of keeping your records. What would happened if for some reason we lost our electronic files? Keep a paper copy for your sanity.
Remember we are pioneers of the digital age. We need to keeps more than one copy. In some cases with our flash drives and computer hard drives and public trees or what have you, we have lots of copies. Better than way than to lose the one.
What I have done is separated Jim's ancestors from mine by color in one box. My red boxes are not that different from my green moldy treasure box but the files are being cleaned up and restored and preserved more carefully and scanned for electronic filing. It is a process and is no where near done. The important thing is that I have a simple and logical system that works for me. It is small enough to be portable and easy to grab in case of a fire, or whatever. Someone else could figure it out pretty quickly when I am gone.
Doing family history is a bit like running a relay race. You have to be able to pass the baton to the next person in a simple efficient manner. If they cannot grasp what you are giving them it become hard to carry on. Make it simple. I have used the labels and written surnames on them and the head of the household on my direct lines. If you have quite a few lines it is wise to add the birth date of the father of the family and even a place of birth if you desire. This gets helpful when you have a lot of fathers passing on the same name to their sons, a very common practice.
You can color code the family if you wish...here is an example.
Some people do a number system 00001, 00002 or a system of tracking the descendancy with a code for paternal and maternal like pmpmpmpmmp indicating father, father, father, mother, father, etc. You start with yourself and work back, ie; mppp would be my paternal great grandfather. This is a nice and easy way to trace the line through the males and females back through the generations. For now I use it but I can always revise this at a later date if I find I need numbers or whatever. The important things is to get a system set up you think will work now and start using it. You can always tweak it as you go.
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