Organizing your stuff

Even if you've been doing genealogy for a short time, you will be amazed at the amount of stuff that starts to pile up.

I won't even discuss my computer/genealogy room (formerly known as the spare bedroom). It is a wreck. But LDS member Linda Cunningham has some advice about organizing all this mess. Linda writes:

"So you've had some success climbing the old family tree. You've found a copy of the prayer card from Great Aunt Margaret's funeral, Great Uncle Elmer's Baptismal certificate, and Great-Great Grandpa's last will and testament. You've contacted distant cousins, interviewed relatives, dug through old photos, and even spent some time in musty dusty archives.

"You have names, dates, places, notes scribbled on fragments of paper, photos, old newspaper clippings, letters, leads and information of questionable value all stuffed into shoeboxes and folders. You know what you've got, but can't find what you want when you need it. Time to get organized!

"You've put it on computer? Great! But unless you have a laptop, you can't take it with you to the library or courthouse. And if you're like me, its just a matter of time before those computer gremlins turn on you and fry your computer system.

"Back-ups are extremely important. You're still going to need a hard copy in case of the inevitable system crash. You're also going to want a place to keep those priceless documents safe yet at the ready to show off to family and friends, not to mention information to take with you when you go off to do research.

"Where to start? There are several different methods to get organized. I prefer the old-fashioned, tried and true method developed and used by the professionals for centuries. For this, all you need is a binder, some dividers, lots of paper and pens. When choosing a binder, start with a three-ring binder to give you room to grow. Always use ink, as pencil fades. Once you really get up and rolling, you may want to make a duplicate binder with copies to take with you on your journeys, leaving the originals safe at home.

"The basics: you will need to keep track of three things: family information (stuff you already know or have discovered), research (information you want to find and where you have already looked for it), and notes (a place to record and hold discoveries and clues unearthed in your research).

"First, family information. There are two basic forms or documents that you will be dealing with. The pedigree chart and the family group sheet. These forms can be produced by any genealogy program or picked up at the neighborhood family history center (check your local phone book).

"The pedigree chart is a chart of your direct line, starting with you as number one and going on up through your parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Think of the pedigree chart as your road map to research. Keep this at the front of your binder. It will serve as a ready reference, removable for doing research, and as a table of contents for your book of family history. You may want to keep it in a plastic page protector to cut down on wear and tear, as you will be removing it from your binder to conduct research.

"Next come the family group sheets. These list each individual family group. Each couple on your pedigree chart will need to have one, listing the individuals as husband or wife at the top, with their children below.

"Each person, more or less, was born, got married, had children and died, and did a lot of living in between. Each will need to be listed on a family group sheet as a child, and then on another as a parent.

"Remember the format is always husband first, then wife. Dates are always day, month, four-digit year, and places are always city/township, county, state, country. Use the dividers to separate your direct-line family group sheets. Each name on the pedigree chart will be given a number. If filled out correctly, men will always be even; women will be numbered odd.

"On the tab, write the name of the husband along with the number assigned him on the chart. Write his wife's name and her number underneath his. Do this with each couple on the pedigree chart. You will need at least 16 dividers for your four generations, 32 for five generations. If the husband or wife was married more than once, use only the names on your pedigree. Again, this is your direct line.

"Peripheral lines are any other lines or family ties in your genealogy. Peripheral information includes such items as other wives/husbands of direct lines, direct lines' other children with their spouses and children. Peripheral lines will be put on separate family group sheets within each direct-line section.

"Now that you're on your way, you need a research log. This can either be a tab section at the end of your binder, or a notebook. After analyzing what you have, you need to think about what you want to find next, and how best to find it. Record all this in your research log. Here you can keep track of all the sites and places you have exhausted for name or each piece of information you are looking for. I like to use a spiral bound notebook that fits in the back of my binder. On the left page, I keep track of my goals, or what I need to find like a birth or marriage. On the right, I keep track of every place I have tried to locate the information.

"Under 'notes,' I keep discoveries or clues I have found. I will periodically enter all the information into my computer genealogy program, but I will still keep my notes and hard copies.

"Next, we need to discuss weeding out the 'road apples.' In your research, when you come across an item you are unsure of, make a copy of it anyway. It's better to have it and not want it than to want it and not have it! Create a 'dead end file' for questionable items. You are working on a small part of a big picture; you can't always tell which pieces are for your puzzle, or where they fit. While some pieces do not fit now, they aren't necessarily garbage or won't fit later. Even if you are using a computer, you will still find you are accumulating reams of paper. You should NEVER throw anything out. It never fails, as soon as I do, I need it!

"Families used to stay close to each other. If the given name doesn't fit into your puzzle, it doesn't necessarily mean it's not related. However, if you do find neighbors with the same surname, you can't automatically assume they are related, just that there is strong empirical evidence (most genealogy is based on empirical evidence; remember that a responsible genealogist always uses two records to verify information). So that slip of paper you throw out might just be the important link between you and a long lost relative, or the dog that sends you barking up the wrong tree.

"For this you can use an old shoebox, file folder, or even scan into the computer for reprinting later. I use an alpha accordion file folder for my 'dead ends.' I file the papers under the surname of the direct-line tie-in.

"Happy hunting and may your apples always be golden!"

I'd like to thank Linda for taking the time to write that article for us. I am learning (painfully at times) how important it is to organize as you go.

We want to hear stories about your ancestors and genealogy adventures. Send them to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!