Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

How do you back up your data?

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If you embrace digital organization of your genealogy documents, like I do, you know that backing up your data is absolutely essential.

I like to store my genealogy files on my MacBook Pro’s hard drive, rather than in the cloud. I back up my hard drive to an external hard drive using Time Machine. When my laptop is at my desk (where I use a 27-inch external monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse), the external drive is automatically connected when I attach my monitor. (My monitor, an HP Business Z27 , acts as a hub.) So as long as my laptop is not away from my desk, I’m backing up to the external hard drive hourly.

In addition, I subscribe to Backblaze for $60 a year. (That’s an affiliate link that I think gives us each a free month if you click on it and subscribe.) It’s set to back up over the internet continuously. So far, I haven’t experienced a hard drive crash, but I did experience a battery situation that meant that I couldn’t access my computer for a couple of weeks. I was able to identify an important file on Backblaze and download it to my phone, which saved the day. (It was my father’s 90th-birthday video!)

I also attach my genealogy documents as multimedia files to source records in Reunion, my family tree software. My Reunion files are stored in Dropbox so that they are also available on my phone. So I think that’s a third way my genealogy files are protected.

I’m curious: How do you back up your data? Please let me know in the comments. Seven years ago, I wrote a similar post to this one (and I even used the same photo). My back-up system hasn’t changed since then (beyond switching to Backblaze from CrashPlan Pro and getting a new external hard drive). I’ll be curious to see if your answers have changed! I feel good about what I’m doing, though I’m sure there is room for improvement.

Photo by Karen via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

Quick Tip #23: One source is not enough

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Here’s the next in my occasional series of bite-size Quick Tips. Click on the Quick Tips tag for my other Quick Tips. Because I tend to write longer posts, I wanted to provide a quick-to-read (and quick-to-write) post every couple of weeks on a small topic that pops into my head. This one is an important reminder that our genealogy research is a marathon, not a sprint.

One source is not enough

When you find a document that allows you to add someone to your tree or fills in a blank, remember that your search isn’t over. It’s always a good idea to try to find multiple sources for each fact. If you do that, your tree’s trunk and branches will be stronger and you’ll have more confidence in your research. Basing your research on a single fact can lead to wasted effort and a big clean-up project down the road.

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash

RootsTech 2022 will be virtual (and free!)

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RootsTech announced on Wednesday that they have decided to make their 2022 conference virtual once again. As in 2021, it will be free of charge. It will be held March 3 to 5, 2022.

Here’s the video announcement.

Also mentioned in the video is the fact that they have chosen not to do an in-person RootsTech London this fall.

I loved hearing in the video that they will be highlighting a RootsTech 2021 session each week in their newsletter (which I believe I receive simply because I have a Family Search account). I think that’s terrific, because it will prompt me to watch RootsTech sessions. I’ve had a really hard time remembering to watch the sessions (and making the time to do it). If I can watch just one a week I know it will enhance my genealogy education.

I’ll be thinking about topics I might propose to present at the virtual conference. If you have any ideas for me, don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments!

Should you color code your files?

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Let me preface my answer to this question with one statement: You do you.

If color coding is satisfying and sustainable for you, go for it. Color coding (either of paper files or digital ones) can help you quickly identify what you’re looking for. But it comes with a drawback, in my estimation: extra work.

When I first started with genealogy back in 2001 or so, I created a color-coded paper file system. I bought colored folders and color-coded folder labels. I used one color per line (so four colors, one for each grandparent’s surname) and I created folders for each couple, with the folders for each surname and each line filed together.

I wasn’t a professional organizer yet, but I found the color coding satisfying.

That worked nicely before I ended up abandoning my research because I hadn’t sourced things properly. One of the reasons it worked out well is that I hadn’t yet done a lot of research so I didn’t have a lot of files. (That’s a picture of my file cart from back in the day above.)

When I came back to genealogy a decade later, I slowly transitioned from paper to digital files. And I didn’t bother using colored dots or any other type of electronic color-coding because I didn’t need to. Instead, I created a digital folder structure and a file-naming protocol that meant that I don’t have any trouble finding any of my digital files. I had to train myself to rename my files immediately after downloading them and to file them properly as soon as I processed them. That’s a solid habit now and easy as pie. Color coding would have been an additional, unnecessary step.

Once I started working as a professional organizer, I discouraged most clients from using color-coded files for fear that they wouldn’t have the right color handy when they needed to file. When that happened, they couldn’t file and piles would form.

In my view, if color coding impedes your ability to actually file, it’s not worth it. But if you love color coding and it works well for you, go for it.

If you’re interested in learning more about my folder structure and file system, check out my Orderly Roots Guide, How I Do It: A Professional Organizer’s Genealogy Workflow.

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When you first join the list, I’ll send you a few emails to help you organize your family history. After that you’ll hear from me at the end of every month when I send an email with links to that month’s posts. And every now and then, I’ll let you know when I have something special to promote.