Family Historian User Group

I’ve been researching my family tree for a couple of months now and am just starting to build quite a collection of certificates, and assorted bits of paper, I was wondering how people file these.  I do all my research using FH, but want to keep an up-to-date paper record for my parents and family who aren’t so computer literate.

Currently I have an a4 clear plastic wallet for each person with copies of certificates, census information and anything else that might be useful.  I keep these folders in a ring binder in family order. But as family members marry and have children of their own, this system falls apart. You take a person out of the parent’s family to their own section; the parent’s family is suddenly half empty. Does that make sense?

I was wondering how people file these sorts of documents.

The solutions I can think of are:

Put filler type records to keep family records complete – might work if you only have a few family members. It could take up a lot of excess space with big trees; mine is currently around 100ish members but is growing daily.

Switch to an arbitrary filing order, like chronological or alphabetical and make no attempt to keep families together. Maybe using some sort of index at the front to find the records. This would work, but you lose the look and feel of a family group when people are going through the records.

Any help, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Andy


ID:1155

Andy,
I have about 1500 people on my tree and I have not really worked out an effective paperwork filing system. The only thing I do is to have 4 box files, one for each of my parents family names and the same for my wife's. Into each of these I file all the relevant papers keeping census years together and birth certificates etc together. Not ideal but the best I can come up with at the moment. I shall see if anyone else has a better idea.

Peter E

Thanks Peter

I was thinking on this some more last night. I wonder if doing it by generations would be a good system. One file/box folder per generation, with some sort of divider to keep everything sorted. The View All relatives diagram looks like a great way to show you who's in each generation?

Just an idea, anyone have any better ones?

Andy

I also have a problems with paper documents etc.I have now scanned most of it onto my computer (and then onto discs) so I do not have to wade through boxes to find stuff.I keep things like Birth Certificates in a ring binder as I get them and give them a reference number.All the images are then linked to the relevant people in Family Historian.This is ideal where one document or photo refers to several people.If you start when you begin your tree it is probably easier.I have over 2000 in my tree and have a lot to catch up on! I just think I am getting on top of it when somebody gives me another batch of papers or photographs!![smile]

I do not have such a large Family Tree, but I store all my paper records in A4 binders indexed by the Record Id number from FH. I then create an index (by Name showing the record ID number) of all individuals using a Query, which is at the front of the folder.
From this I can find all the information quickly and any new individuals fit in easily.A front page for each individual is created using an individual report showsing the basic family information.
Peter