Time to Organize Your Family History
My Family history started with a Baby book from my mother (with a family tree in it, she made for me) so I thought I didn’t need some organizational system. WRONG, I soon discovered that one thing leads to two and then I had an entire box of stuff. Moral of the story: Start organizing now before it gets overwhelming.
I suggest putting together a binder, one for each family last name. For example, if your fathers last name is “Smith”, then one binder will be the “Smith Family”.
- This binder will include your father, mother (with maiden name noted), parents of father and children that your mother and father had which also includes Step children and adoptions.
- Pictures of your mother after she marries your father will be in this album, pictures of your mother before the marriage will be in the binder with her parent’s album.
I know there will be other family situations so just do the logical thing with your family dynamics.
The Binder
The first page of your binder should be the“5 generation Family Tree”, you can download it HERE. The binder should have a Family group sheet at the beginning of each section. Download a Family group sheet HERE for your binder. Then include any items you may have in that area of binder as below for those individuals until someone gets married then they will have their own Family group sheet and section in the binder if they still have that same last name.
Items to include: (You can have tabs for each item or a tab for each person)
- Birth
- Baptism
- Bar Mitzvah
- School records
- Marriage
- Census records
- Directory records
- Work records
- Interviews
- Pictures
- Military records
- Medical records
- Immigration
- Education
- Wills
- Death, obituaries, cemetery
- Other items as they pertain
If you have items that you want to protect (especially if they are originals), you can order page protectors in my shop area.
Computer Records
A computer folder/file organizational method should be developed so you can find records easily. There are many different ways to do this so I am just going to go over one. I don’t want the system or instructions to be too complicated.
- Add a folder called “Family History or Genealogy” to your computer. I usually put this under, “my folders”.
- Under that folder add a new folder for each family “last name”
- Under the folder’s “last name” add a new folder by the “father’s name and mothers name” of the family that it will contain.
Saving a file:
- I save a picture of my brother so I will name that file by my brother’s name and an identifying thing about the picture to distinguish one picture from the next of my brother. (a. Example: “Gus-birthday 11th)
- Save a census record call, “Census (the year i.e. 1930)
- Save a death record, “Cemetery- “name of person”
Shopping List
- Download from my shop, “Family Group Sheet”
- Purchase from my shop, “Sharpie, archival safe”
- Purchase from my shop “Page Protector Package, archival safe”
- Download from my shop “5 Generation Family Tree”
- Purchase a 3 ring binder that is 3 inches in size.