Organizing Files

(last updated 28 August 2005)

Why number your documents?

As your research progresses, you will find yourself wanting to re-examine the documents you gathered for an ancestor. There are several reasons you will want to do this: 

• You may find new documents whose information conflicts with documents you gathered previously. To figure out which is correct, you will want to compare the two documents. 
• Rookie genealogists often fail to see the significance of some clue on a document. Sometimes they fail to record these clues because they don't see their value. Later, they find themselves wanting to re-examine their documents to glean the clues they overlooked. 
• When comparing evidence you have against that of a relative or another genealogist, you will want to compare your sources with theirs. 
• When you go on a genealogy outing, you'll find yourself gathering documents faster than you can record the information on pedigrees and family group sheets. Organizing them as you find them allows for faster recording later, and also allows you to more easily use the information on the documents even before you put it on charts, forms, or a computer program.

Easy Access

Because there are so many reasons to access your documents, it is best to organize them so you can find any document in your files within ten seconds.

Cuts Big Job into Manageable Pieces

After organizing your files, you begin to think of them as individual documents instead of an overwhelming stack of papers. This helps as you begin to record the information on charts, forms, or a computer program because you can think of recording documents one at a time instead of tackling the whole stack. Genealogy, like any other endeavor, is always easier if you bite off little pieces instead of wrestling with the whole thing at once.

Components of a filing system

• Documents
• Folders
• Research logs
• File drawer or box

How to organize your documents

Purpose

Folders separate documents of one family from those of another. When you want to take your documents to a family reunion, a library, or an archive, having each family's documents in a separate place will help you in the following ways:

• When you take your documents to a reunion or to a library to research, you want to take only the documents that relate to the one family.
• If all your families’ documents are put into the same set of folders, you’ll have to take your whole filing cabinet with you.
• If each family’s documents are filed separately, you’ll need to pack only one tote full of folders.

1. On each folder’s tab, write the family’s last name (surname) and the number range of the documents you’ll place in that folder.
2. Put the same number of documents in each folder. When determining how many documents will go in each folder, use round numbers, like multiples of 10 or 25.  I like multiples of 25. This way, the folder isn’t too big and isn’t too small.
3. Example: My last name is Ritchey, so once I fill the "Ritchey 1-24" folder, I follow it with a "Ritchey 25-49" folder.

How to number documents

1. Use black permanent marker.  It shows up well on dark photocopies.
2. Do not staple or mark up originals, or store them with acidic photocopies of documents. These things will destroy them.
   • Keep your original documents (letters, birth certificates, church records, etc.) in acid-free folders.
   • Make photocopies of originals to store in your genealogy files.
3. At least 5 formal methods exist.  I’m not going to baffle you by detailing the shortcomings of each one. Instead, I’ll just show you a simple one that works for me.
   • Surname.Number method
     1. If you’re dealing with documents on the Ritchey family, label the first one "Ritchey.1" followed by "Ritchey.2", etc.
     2. If a document lists more than one ancestral family, don’t duplicate the document for each family’s files.
     3. Someday, you’ll find a family history that lists, say, 5 families you research. You’ll copy 10 pages of the history. If you’re in the habit of making duplicate copies of a document, you’ll end up filling your files with 50 copies rather than 5.
     4. So if I’m supposed to make only one copy of this document that mentions five families, which family’s folder should I put the single copy in?
        • One good system:  If a document lists several surnames of interest, file the document in the folder of the oldest ancestor listed.  It is these early ancestors who will more often be the dead ends in your research, so it is helpful to have most of the documents in their files.

Research logs

(see example)

1. Purposes:
   • Table of Contents for folders
   • Log of sources you’ve already searched, including negative (Nil) searches
   • Planner for future research
2. Keep one on each ancestor or on each set of parents
   • If you try to keep one set of logs on an entire family, too many sources get listed. The log becomes too big and becomes useless as a guide of what sources have been searched for a given ancestor.
   • [Show example of a set of research logs kept on an entire surname line. It should be at least 10 pages long to show how useless it is as a quick-reference guide on searches completed for an ancestor.]

File box

1. Many styles to choose from
2. Most are $5-$12
3. Handles are nice
4. Solid hinges and handles are a must
5. Letter or legal