"How do I organize my genealogy?" is a question every family historian asks. The question is often asked when an important paper is "lost" in the heaps and piles that seem to accumulate. This kind of loss provides strong motivation to do something about the unorganized confusion.

The materials in the heaps and piles can usually be divided into two categories:
(1) notes and
(2) documents.

Both are important to our family history.

The notes show what we have done in our attempts to find records. Sometimes they are on the backs on envelopes. Sometimes they are on regular notebook paper. It really doesn't matter what they are on, just as long as we organize them.

I recommend that people use a research log to keep track of books and other documents they've examined. The research log is a memory aid, for no one can possibly recall everything they've read. You can find free research logs on the Internet or purchase them at Family History Centers (Mormon libraries). Research logs are important, for they provide a place to list books, films, courthouse records, cemetery records, and everything else that we search.

Free research log and family group sheets are available on the Internet at Ancestry.com.

Documents include vital records, cemetery records, censuses, probate files, etc. They show the story of our ancestors. Many people place these papers in acid free sheet protectors.

Notes and research logs and documents can be placed in file folders or in 3-ring binders with dividers. I've used both. For the smaller families, I like to use binders. For larger families, I use file folders and a file drawer. In both cases, I usually have a section or file for each person or family and place the materials in chronological order.

A family group sheet should be placed at the beginning of each family file. This helps you visualize the family, and it is a handy place to jot down names, dates, and places. Copies of family group sheets can be found on-line or purchased from Family History Centers. If you are using a computer genealogy program, you can print out the group sheets.

© 2002-2006

Connie Lenzen, CG