Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Are you organized enough?

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My genealogy file cartA lot of people (including me) strive to be organized, especially when it comes to their genealogy. You need look no further than the incredibly popular and busy new Facebook group, The Organized Genealogist (3,604 members, as of today) to see that. It’s obvious that many people are looking for ways to get their genealogy research organized.

That begs the question, What does being organized really mean?

I think the answer varies by the individual, but generally speaking, as a professional organizer, I believe that being organized means that you’re able to put your hands on what you want, when you want it (well, within a minute or two). I always discourage people from striving to be “perfectly organized” (because that’s not really possible) and instead go for “organized enough.”

So how do you become organized enough? When it comes to family history research, the path to being organized starts with picking out a system that will work for you. There’s no one right way to organize your genealogy records. Pick what you think will work for you and try to keep it simple.

The next step is to deal with your backlog. That is, implement your system using the papers or files you already have.

The final, very important, step is to maintain your system regularly. You don’t want to wait for a backlog to build back up before filing again. Instead, file as you go along. When you acquire a new document  (be it paper or electronic) file it right away. And here’s a tip: Don’t wait until you get through your backlog to start filing your incoming documents. Start immediately.

For me, the big difference in how I organize my genealogy files between now and when I first started getting interested in the hobby about a dozen years ago is that I’m relying less on paper and more on electronic files. I’ve set up a file naming protocol and I’m using it consistently for new files while chipping away at the backlog. Since I know I can find my electronic files, I’m printing fewer documents. I’m still using the paper file system that I started at the beginning for the papers that do come my way. And today, unlike a dozen years ago, I’m using software to keep track of my family tree and my sources. (I use Reunion on my Mac.) That gives me great peace of mind. (And, yes, I back it up both on an external hard drive and in the cloud.)

The best part? Thanks to neat paper and electronic files, my genealogy research doesn’t impinge on my physical space. (My paper files are in a rolling file cart that I tuck into a closet in my office.)

I’m not perfectly organized, not by a long shot. But I can find virtually everything I’m looking for quickly, so that makes me organized enough. And that makes me happy.

Direct vs collateral lines

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Keeping track of ancestors' siblings can provide valuable genealogy clues.

My grandfather, Crawford Brown, with his parents and siblings, 1916

So far in my family history research, I’ve focused on direct lines. Except for my own brothers, every person entered into my genealogy software (I use Reunion) is someone I’m directly descended from. I think one of the reasons for that is to try to make genealogy research less overwhelming. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how useful it would be to record brothers and sisters of direct ancestors (i.e. collateral lines). They can give valuable clues and help verify that a person being reached is the right person.

I worry a little about where I should draw the line–if I record the children of the siblings of my direct ancestors, will my family tree feel bloated? Will I feel more overwhelmed?

This came to a head this week when I learned that my grandfather’s only surviving sibling, his sister Mary, passed away at the age of 99. I was fortunate to meet Mary for the first time earlier this year. (That’s Mary, on her father’s lap at the age of four in the photo. My grandfather, Crawford, is standing at his father’s left shoulder.) She was delightful, with sparkling eyes and an easy laugh. I’m saddened by her passing.

Somehow it feels wrong that Mary’s not included in my family tree entries. I’ve decided to record siblings of my direct line as I come across them. My mother’s cousins Jerry and Judy Brown (Aunt Mary’s nephew and niece) have done a lot of genealogy research–including oral history with Mary–so adding that part of the family will be easy. I don’t know that I’ll go out of my way to research collateral lines (though who knows?), but I intend to verify and record information as I encounter it.

It seems clear to me that I shouldn’t be afraid of having too much information, as long as I apply the same standards of accuracy to my collateral lines as I do my direct lines. I don’t mind recording information–in fact, I rather enjoy it. So I’m comfortable with my decision to start including collateral lines. I’ll try not to let it overwhelm me!

For more in-depth information on how I organize my own genealogy, including my collateral lines, check out  How I Do It: A Professional Organizer’s Genealogy Workflow, a 37-page downloadable pdf published in 2021 and available for $19.99.

The Organized Genealogist Facebook group

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Yesterday, thanks to an Upfront with NGS post, I learned about a relatively new Facebook group called The Organized Genealogist. It’s a place where genealogists can share information, ideas, and resources on organizing their research. And, boy, do they share! After only a couple of months of existence, there are 2358 members of this closed group. I spent some enjoyable time perusing the group’s posts today and plan to check in regularly.

Since I know you’re interested in organizing and genealogy, I urge you to check it out and request membership. It’s a closed group and membership must be approved, but it’s as simple as clicking the request button.

I think it’s a terrific resource!

Loving my electronic file system

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A snippet from my Finder window

Back in January, I blogged about reorganizing my electronic file system. I took inspiration from Ben Sayer of Genealogy Tools, creating a file structure format for each individual, organized into surname folders on my Mac. What I name individual documents within a folder is fairly loose, but the folder naming structure has been standardized.

I’m happy to report that it’s been a success! I can easily find a document I”m looking for and, even better, I’m now saving documents with confidence and alacrity. A nice side benefit of that confidence is that I’m printing fewer documents that I find online. (I blogged about the printing dilemma in January as well.)

I wanted to save money on paper and toner by printing less. What I didn’t take into account, though, is that I also save time by saving documents rather than printing them. It takes a bit more time to type the file name than to click Print, but once I’ve done that, the process is over. I don’t have to file the paper documents. And they’re also easier to retrieve. Since I store my genealogy file cart in a closet in my office, retrieving files took a little effort.

Another benefit is that when I’m feeling industrious, I can link images of source documents from my hard drive directly into the Reunion software I use. Once I get consistent about that, I’ll really be set and it will be so easy for me to see the research I’ve found.

I’m saving more documents and easily using this new naming protocol for folders. The next step will be to work on my backlog. My 2012 files are not consistently filed. But I know if I work on it a little at a time, I ca bring order to my hard drive!

My electronic file system has evolved a great deal since 2013 when I wrote this post. In 2021 I published an Orderly Roots Guide called How I Do It: A Professional Organizer’s Genealogy Workflow that provides detailed information on how I organize my own genealogy research, which is now 100 percent digital. It is available for $19.99.