Managing Information
DAR Genealogy Workshop
Presented by Gloria Culp
April 2, 2022
 
Genealogy generates a lot of information right from the first document saved.  So how do you save/store it?
 
First, there’s probably paper.  It’s useful to lightly pencil the year of the document in the upper corner and keep the documents in date order.  When it’s time to locate the information a time frame is available.  A file, portable file case, or file drawer hold a lot of paper.  As information gathers the files can be divided by family name.
 
Second, information can be stored on a computer hard drive.  Labelling the files by the ancestor’s last name and what document is included eases the search.  For example:  Smith, John--DC
This does take up disk space, but the computer will sort by name.
 
Third, thumb drive/memory stick works like saving files on the computer.  They are portable, but small and can get lost. The sticks can be organized by family, too. 
 
Do not ever send original documents.  Make copies for submission to any lineage organization.
 
If you have a family tree on one of the electronic website (Family Search, Ancestry etc.) print out a copy periodically.
 
Sorting out existing information can be overwhelming, but it is worth the effort and saves time as opposed to milling through several inches/or multiple files looking for that document.