How to organize or file electronic genealogy documentation

Many people have organized their documentation by family surname (or some other descriptive word) with a folder(s) or notebook(s) for each surname which is OK if it works for them. My approach is below, but if you are using the family folder or family notebook approach not to worry - I'll show you how to convert to my system (as a prelude to electronic filing) with little effort and no changing the folders or notebooks or whatever you are using now. If your documentation is a big pile or piles of paper on the floor you already know you will have to do some work, but here again, I'll show you how to organize without getting you totally discouraged before you even start.

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When I started getting serious about genealogy, more years ago that I like to think about, I organized (if you can call it organizing) all the paper I had collected up to that point (really nor very much for I hadn't yet learning the importance of good documentation) into two piles:

The first pile was of all the documentation that was just a single sheet of paper: a birth certificate, census note (this was before the days of being able to print off the web and we had to make hand written notes from a microfilm at the local Family History Center Library), etc.
The second pile was (big surprise) everything else. The only difference from the first pile was that each "source" or "reference" was a bunch of papers stapled together.
Once there were the two piles I simply started numbering the first pile (those single sheets of paper). The first was "1", the second "2", etc until they all had a number. These numbers were simply written in the upper right hand corner of the page. Once the sheets were all numbered they were three hole punched and put in a binder. In cases such as original or certified copy of a birth certificates, etc which I didn't want to mark up they were slipped them into a plastic sheet protector and all the markings put on it.
The second pile was handled in a very similar fashion. Each reference (group of papers) was also given a number in the same fashion as the first group. A "R" for "Reference" was added in front of each number in the second group - thus the first reference was "R1", the next "R2", etc. These too were three hole punched and put in a separate binder but in this case each "Reference" number was separated by a page divider with the tab carrying the appropriate number.

If you have a family folder of notebook system click here for an explanation of how to convert.

To see how this paper system works in practice click on NEXT

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BASIC PAPER ORGANIZATION