Nightmare time. Start as you mean to go on. I have at this @20 years, and prior to this other family members had the bug, so I have a lot of data/names. I use legacy and keep as much as possible on the computer (essential to keep back ups, not on the same computer). If I have 'gained' a relevant piece of paper then I reference this as a source in the software, it then is filed in one of my many lever arch files, by name and date in a plastic wallet, writing the name and date on the edge of the wallet so it can be easily found. I always file information on a woman by her maiden name. I use a similar system on the computer for all the images I have accumulated, except the censuses which I reference by their own unique ref, otherwise I could have the same image saved up to 20 times. The essential element is to be able to reference/source where all the information has come from, also where I have looked and not found anything and where I haven't looked but it might be worth doing so. Like a lot of newbies I made the mistake of not doing this when I started and then found myself unnecessarily going over the same ground. My worst nightmare was when I upgraded from a very old family tree program to the one I have now. The old software did not have all the fields that are now available, so I had to go through and manually transfer data from my notes section into the source fields for @5000 people. Happy Hunting, Dorri ---------------------------------------- > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 07:49:24 +0100 > Subject: Re: [Ess] file Families > > > Are we talking here about hard copy filing of certificates, print-outs of > census pages and photocopies from microfilm etc? > > If so, it is a very good question, because over the years (or decades in my > case) one does tend to accumulate a mountain of paper. I have a strong > cardboard pocket wallet folder for each direct ancestor (i.e. someone with > the word "parent" in their relationship name). The subordinate families have > plastic folders stored within these. To offer a concrete example, I have a > folder for my 3x great grandfather named "George HOWARD/Elizabeth TANNER". > This contains information related to George and Elizabeth, as well as 6 > plastic folders - one for each of 6 of their 7 children. These plastic > folders store material going on down through the generations. The seventh > child, Emma HOWARD, is my 2x great grandmother and therefore gets her own > cardboard wallet named "William BRADFORD/Emma HOWARD". > > This system works well enough for me, as a way of storing hard copy, but it > is, of course, only an adjunct to my FH software (I use Roots Magic). > > Caroline > > > > How do other members file there families? > > I'm adding the children to their parents, but what do you do with the > > children of their children? > > I seem to be getting in a muddle, > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Any problems, please contact the List Admin: [email protected] > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message