When Brooks Duncan and I spoke at RootsTech last month about going digital with genealogy research, it became apparent to me from the questions that digital workflow is an individual thing. I’ve developed a work flow that works well for me, so I thought I’d share it here. I’m not suggesting I do things The Right Way (I don’t know if there is a right way, especially for hobbyists), but I wanted to show you what works for me. I know that I love seeing examples of how people handle their own workflow, so in the spirit of sharing, here’s mine.
When I find a digital document online–let’s say it’s a census document that I found at Ancestry–I take the following steps after ascertaining that it’s pertinent to my research:
- I click Save to download the document to my computer’s desktop.
- I rename the file immediately so that it reflects my simple file-naming protocol (year document type-ancestor name-location).
- I immediately file the document in my file structure (Genealogy/Surnames/[Ancestor’s surname]/[Ancestor’s name]
- I analyze the document and enter the first fact into my Reunion software.
- I create a source for that fact, using Reunion’s templates.
- I drag the image of the file into the Multimedia section of the Reunion source screen for that source. (That’s an example of the Reunion source screen at the top of this post.)
- I enter all other facts I find in the document into Reunion, using the same source number for each fact I find in that document.
- I click Preview in the Reunion source screen for that source and copy the citation and paste it into the metadata of the image file on my hard drive.
I added that last step after RootsTech, adapting a suggestion made by an audience member at our talk. I hadn’t thought about noting on the image what the source number and citation is. I think it’s a great idea and now I intend to go to back and do that for all my sources.
This eight-step work flow takes me from discovery through processing the document. It means that I don’t have stray documents on my hard drive with nonsensical file means. It also means I can easily a find a document when I want to. And it helps me see what documents are missing. Having the confidence that I can find a document I’ve saved allows me to feel good about not printing it, which cuts down on my paper clutter. (And, yes, I backup my hard drive daily, both to the cloud and to an external hard drive.) This workflow was about five years in the making, but I’m very satisfied with it!
For more in-depth information on how I organize my own genealogy, including a detailed look at my digital workflow, check out How I Do It: A Professional Organizer’s Genealogy Workflow, a 37-page downloadable available for $19.99.
After you have the source citation from Reunion, I would open the document in Paint and paste the citation on the document and then save it. Now the image has the citation in two places.
Lisa, I appreciate that suggestion! I’m going to have give some thought to whether I think pasting the information on the front of the image is worth extra step and the potential risk of covering some info. (Speaking just for myself.)
What I do in Paint is add a bit of white space and then paste the citation there. Judy G. Russell wrote a blog post recently on how to do this in another graphics program.
Thank you, Lisa!
Your workflow is affirmation for me, because I follow the same steps! The only difference is that I use Legacy Family Tree, rather than Reunion. Thanks for all your contributions to organized genealogy.
That’s great, Dede! Your comment is an affirmation for me!
What do you mean? “using Reunion’s templates.” Does Reunion have several templates to use??
Perhaps my phrasing isn’t good. When you create a source in Reunion, you can select the type of source and then fill in the form provided for that type of source. You can customize the form. I’m calling those forms templates. I hope that answers your question!
the suggestion must have been raised once I was out as I cannot remember that one. It’s a great one! I think I will copy that, too.
Yes, it was during the Q&A at the end after you had to sneak out. Her suggestion was to copy the citation from FamilySearch or Ancestry, but I prefer to copy the citation from Reunion, since it comes with my source number.
My practice follows your steps except for number 2 and 8. For my file name I put the surname and then first name of the individual. Your system has given me some ideas for how to improve on this however. number 8 is something I’ve never thought of doing – will have to check that out in Reunion
It makes me happy our practices are so similar! The reason I put the year as the first word of the file name is so that the files are arranged chronologically in the individual person’s folder. It helps me see missing documents (like censuses) and makes it easy for me to find files.
Thank you for sharing your excellent organizational ideas. May I ask how you file documents or images when you don’t know the specific date or year?
Thanks for commenting, Buddy. I think I’ve always been able to come up with a specific year to put on my filename, so I haven’t encountered that. Sorry!
Wisdom and common sense are a good combination, Janine. Thank you for explaining your digital workflow. I like your reference to ‘immediately’ in steps 2 and 3. I can see where that is an improvement on my tendency to download a stack of docs and then set aside time to rename to my file-naming protocol and then file.
Thanks, Ron! I don’t allow myself to analyze and extract data from a document until I’ve renamed and filed it. It means that the document is in the right place when I link to it in the multimedia section of the source in Reunion. And I also don’t get a backlog of files to rename and file. Avoiding backlogs in life is a good thing!
I place my records in a folder “recently downloaded” as they are downloaded. Then as I analyse them, I rename and place them in the appropriate folder. This was I know what I have to action. I quite often go to a library to search and download files. It is not worth me having subscriptions to for example, Ancestry. I don’t think I have downloaded anything for a couple of months, and won’t be doing so for another 6 weeks or so.
Having a designated download folder is a great idea, John, particularly if you’re not in a position to rename and file on the spot.
How do you handle for instance a census file that has more than one surname on the page that you are interested in – do you “copy” it several times and rename it with each surname?
Thanks for asking that question, Pat. I should have addressed that in the post. (Perhaps I’ll edit it.) When I have a document that applies to multiple people, I duplicate it for each person and then drag it into the appropriate folder for each person. But I don’t take the trouble to rename it. That said, just yesterday I saved a photo of a shared grave marker and I did rename it when I copied it into the wife’s folder, because the pertinent date (her death date) was different.
This is very helpful! I also use Reunion. Do you believe its Source templates meet the syntax required for source citations used by certified genealogists? I’d like to get to certified at some point, so I’d like to get my citations right from the beginning. (I have a hunch I have 157 citations to re-do to get them right as I write.) On that same issue, when I have an original document, perhaps a letter, birth certificate, baptismal record, etc., handed down for generations, (and now a digital scan to boot) how does one cite the “location” of that in a source citation? Am I closing the citation with “Vince’s files & computer”? This might be fodder for a whole new post!
Thanks for commenting, Vince. I think it’s great that you aspire to be a certified genealogist and that you want to make sure you get your citations right from the beginning. I don’t have that aspiration, so I have not felt the need to get very formal in my source citations. (See my post “How important are formal source citations?” https://organizeyourfamilyhistory.com/important-formal-citations/). So I don’t know whether the Reunion Source templates meet the syntax required.
I also don’t know the answer to your question about location. I think you’re right that it’s fodder for a whole new post! I usually skip it because I don’t know the answer. Not good. If anyone who is reading this wants to chime in, please do!
Great ideas here! I am blessed to have been pointed to a county website for the place my husband is from. There are zillions of newspaper articles, including many from his childhood and siblings, and his uncle who died in childhood. I use the snip-it tool to save the article, and snip the newspaper’s date and headline, shrink and combine into one complete Word file so I always know where the original article came from.
Thanks for your comment, Judy! Was the website where you found the newspapers the county library or county government website? I haven’t thought to look at the county library websites, which might be a goldmine. Thank you!
Hi Janine,
Where we live now in the Florida Panhandle, there is a county historical society that has much information available. There are strong family ties here, and an 80+ year old historian that really knows her history. Many donated materials are available for the asking! That includes books, yearbooks, original documents, newspaper articles, and photos. I think most libraries have newspapers available either scanned or on old microfiche. If they are indexed well, you can find stuff, but that type of search can be tedious. Our library’s website leaves much to be desired; however, the trade-off of living here and having to go there to research is well worth it! It just depends on how advanced your library is, but it can’t hurt to check.
As for the newspaper site I was speaking about, it is online at: http://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html. It is for Fulton County, NY and surrounding areas. It is called Old Fulton NY Post Cards, but is loaded with thousands of newspaper clippings with a variety of search options, some exact, and some “fuzzy”. I had seen in, but when a funeral home employee in Upstate NY recommended it, I revisited it and changed my search pattern. That worked!
Some of the county governments also have land title records available that go way back.
Best wishes in your continued effort digging up bones!
County historical societies. Of course! I appreciate your sharing!