Please can anyone out there advise me on the best way to file family history documentation? At the moment I have stuff everywhere and the way I was doing it before doesn't work any more as the collection grows larger. Thanks, Wendy

I for one, use the free download from the LDS. I am happy with it. Other have the free download from legacy. It's your personal tastes. Maybe another lister's could lead you to the legacy downloads. But for the download I have, just go to the laterday saints web page, and follow the links. Happy new year. Peggy & Max Swan Hill researching, ABBOTT,BELL,BIDDISCOMBE,BLOXHAM,FELLOWS,MOORE, GIDDENS,PHIPPS,ROWLSTONE,BLOXHAM, Australia, & England

Hi Wendy, I use Family Tree Maker, that automatically generates a reference number for each person. Every piece of paper I have on a particular person has the ref number plus a decimal,. Regardless of the software used , a reference number can be generated For example our Edward Milnes' wife Ellen is Number 231, her baptism being the 1st record I have for her is 231.1, Her death cert is 231.2, The photos I took of her grave at Myrtleford whilst at the Circus are 231.3, 231.4 etc.. If I send a letter re a ancestor I quote their ref number and file under that number. The reference numbers I quoted on the recent spares list I sent out was using this system so it was simple to locate them. Every piece of paper has a removable sticker on it (in case I need to scan them). My files are in numeric sequence, plus I have a report giving me all my names plus their reference number. Very simple and it works for me cheers Hec -----Original Message----- From: Wendy [mailto:wendyfensom@optusnet.com.au] Sent: Monday, 2 January 2006 4:14 PM To: AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [HC] Filing Methods Please can anyone out there advise me on the best way to file family history documentation? At the moment I have stuff everywhere and the way I was doing it before doesn't work any more as the collection grows larger. Thanks, Wendy

Hi Wendy, I use Family Tree Maker - and the Ahnentafel numbering system that it allocates to each ancestor. It starts out giving me the number 1 - and my father is no. 2, my mother is no. 3. My father's father is 4 and his mother is 5 - my mother's father is 6 and her mother 7. The ahnentafel number for each person's father is doubles, eg if Henry's number is 14, then his father is no. 28. I then file everything under that person's number, with the siblings who are not my ancestor being filed under their father's number, eg Henry's children who are not in my direct line would be 14.1, 14.2 etc. I use the Family Tree Maker ancestry chart to print out a tree giving each generation and the ahnentafel number. I think most genealogy programmes would allocate an ahnentafel number, but even if you don't use one you can allocate the numbers yourself. This is how the numbering system is described in the help file of the programme: Standard (Ahnentafel) numbers "Ahnentafel" means "ancestor table," and an ahnentafel is a special genealogical format that tabulates the ancestry of one individual by generation in text rather than pedigree chart format. The ahnentafel number is the unique number assigned to each position in an ancestor table. Number one designates the person in the first generation whose ancestry is being traced. Number 2 designates the individual's father; 3 designates the mother (the second generation back). Numbers four through seven designate the grandparents of person number one (the third generation). As the ahnentafel extends by generation, the number of persons doubles. Because an ahnentafel starts with the individual and moves back through the generations of forebears, the higher the ahnentafel number, the further back in time the person designated. Family Tree Maker version 11 Rhonda Williams mailto:glenroy@westserv.net.au -----Original Message----- From: Wendy [mailto:wendyfensom@optusnet.com.au] Sent: Monday, 2 January 2006 4:14 PM To: AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [HC] Filing Methods Please can anyone out there advise me on the best way to file family history documentation? At the moment I have stuff everywhere and the way I was doing it before doesn't work any more as the collection grows larger. Thanks, Wendy

Hi Rhonda, Thanks for your reply. Glad I don't have to pronounce that word!! It sounds similar to Hec's solution and I think this is the way to go - in fact I've begun already! Would you believe I have obtained (mostly bought) almost all the certificates for my direct pedigree of everyone who was born, married or died in Australia? This amounts to over 50 with about 7 to go (can't find one or two - presumambly not registered.). Plus a few from the UK. Must be mad.... Luckily they are mainly in Victoria. I have more certificates than photos which is a bit sad - that is my next task. Have a couple of families who are very interesting as far as stories go but still a lot of research to do. IS THERE EVER AN END IN SIGHT? Cheers, Wendy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian and Rhonda Williams" <glenroy@westserv.net.au> To: <AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 1:25 PM Subject: RE: [HC] Filing Methods > Hi Wendy, > > I use Family Tree Maker - and the Ahnentafel numbering system that it > allocates to each ancestor. It starts out giving me the number 1 - and my > father is no. 2, my mother is no. 3. My father's father is 4 and his mother > is 5 - my mother's father is 6 and her mother 7. The ahnentafel number for > each person's father is doubles, eg if Henry's number is 14, then his father > is no. 28. I then file everything under that person's number, with the > siblings who are not my ancestor being filed under their father's number, eg > Henry's children who are not in my direct line would be 14.1, 14.2 etc. I > use the Family Tree Maker ancestry chart to print out a tree giving each > generation and the ahnentafel number. I think most genealogy programmes > would allocate an ahnentafel number, but even if you don't use one you can > allocate the numbers yourself. > > This is how the numbering system is described in the help file of the > programme: > > Standard (Ahnentafel) numbers > > "Ahnentafel" means "ancestor table," and an ahnentafel is a special > genealogical format that tabulates the ancestry of one individual by > generation in text rather than pedigree chart format. > The ahnentafel number is the unique number assigned to each position in an > ancestor table. Number one designates the person in the first generation > whose ancestry is being traced. Number 2 designates the individual's father; > 3 designates the mother (the second generation back). Numbers four through > seven designate the grandparents of person number one (the third > generation). As the ahnentafel extends by generation, the number of persons > doubles. > Because an ahnentafel starts with the individual and moves back through the > generations of forebears, the higher the ahnentafel number, the further back > in time the person designated. > > Family Tree Maker version 11 > > > Rhonda Williams > mailto:glenroy@westserv.net.au > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Wendy [mailto:wendyfensom@optusnet.com.au] > Sent: Monday, 2 January 2006 4:14 PM > To: AUS-VIC-HIGH-COUNTRY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [HC] Filing Methods > > Please can anyone out there advise me on the best way to file family history > documentation? At the moment I have stuff everywhere and the way I was > doing it before doesn't work any more as the collection grows larger. > > Thanks, > Wendy >