Hi Shirley, (and others)- I am in the process of finally physically organizing all my family history collection(30+ years worth). I know where things are but no one else would be able to retrieve specific items. Over the years I have lost items that I have loaned and never had returned. Now I am much more careful, even with things that are replacable. I have my system for research and documents for my mother's traditional side of the family but am still looking for a better way to organize patronymic records, photos and memorabilia. I am weeding through my hard copy file and "discarding" (they're still in my database and backups) the generations of peripheral lines that have not tied in. I am not buying more file cabinets just to hold stuff I do not use. I want the family history to be a blessing and not a curse that will cause frustration and discouragement and get tossed when I go. This is a project I have thought about for a long time (yes, years!) but just started earlier this month, Oct. 2000, devoting 30-60 min. each day to working on it. And all that shows is a little dent. The sign in my work area still applies - "Please don't mess with my mess". Yes, I'd be interested in this group/ or discussion. -Char Kibbie -----Original Message----- From: SATMM@aol.com <SATMM@aol.com> To: WA-SKGS-L@rootsweb.com <WA-SKGS-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, October 16, 2000 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [WASKCGS-L] SKCGS Interest Groups >Hi Phyllis, This is a subject I'd like to hear addressed. I am first >generation American and the genealogist for the entire family. We know who >every individual is and where they are located. I am returning to (what's >now Romania) to gather more documents and memorabilia from the church, my >living aunt, and our peoples homes whose house numbers are on the church >records and are still standing, frozen in time. > > I now have many boxes of documents, photos, emails, memorabilia including >important historical artifacts. A piece of tile from the roof of my gr. >grandfathers church in Frauendorf Transylvania; an official military booklet >documenting my uncles route locations through W.W.I in the German Army as >they fought the Russian Army and similar items. > >I am now being invited to yearly family reunions and picnics in Montana and >Oregon. I feel like I have a mini museum which could be a traveling event >when I go. It's a huge cataloging job which I am willing to do. At his >point, I'm focusing on the hundreds of photos, recent and vintage. Of >course many family members want copies. > >I think I should be keeping a log of everything I do because various family >members begin emailing me with additional information about a specific person >(usually dead) and I'm pulled from one person to another and forget who or >what I was working on before. I would like to hear an ongoing discussion >about practical ways of organizing a huge collection of things and >information (and misinformation). I can't believe I'm the only genealogist >that gets overwhelmed with how to organize an out of control project. > >Thanks for any consideration of this dilemma. Shirley Taylor >