Genealogy Chat

I now have two thick folders with certs,censuses ect. How do others file them? Birth certs first, in families,by date? help please. Sue

I keep certificates in punched clear plastic sleeves in a ring binder. They are arranged in Births, Marriages and Deaths, and within those categories I keep them by date. The censuses pages I print off, and arrange those in family units alphabetically. I keep all my info on computer off-line using Legacy. From that I print a family report for each family and file the relevant census pages immediately after the family report. The advantage of this is that when a woman marries and you set off with another name, a new Family Report is printed for the new name and subsequent censuses for her (and husband, children etc) and filed under the new name. However, because she is part of the original family, the family report for her parents will show who she married so I can find her new married name easily. Sounds complicated when I write it down. Actually it works very well. Only problem is that of course you get so many families with the same surname, so they get arranged in date order according to the birthdate of the father. It would be wonderful if only I spent more time keeping it up to date and less time drinking in cyber bars!

I scan all BMD certs and then they are transferred to the tree on Tribalpages - it is easy to see those that are still wanted. I do not obtain certs for all persons after 1911 only those who were married or died but born pre 1911. Certs are not always a necessity for those born after 1911 as the entry in the bmd registers are sufficient proof and the GRO reference is then shown in the narrative section of the entry. This way I am not encumbered with volumes of certs and those I do obtain can be filed away .... until required !

Ohhhhhhhhhh dear Mine are just all shoved in a folder. I have no idea where anything is, and when I need something I spend hours trawling through everything till I find it. After reading the tips on here, shall make a proper effort to get it all sorted. Sarah

I have an individual record for each person in clear plastic sleeves together with any info I have about them (certs etc), arranged in ring binders. The trees I have printed off seperately according to family line. I keep any oddments that may eventually tie in with my family in folders.

Hi Susan I keep 8 large ring binders - one each for each grandparents line (hubby's and mine). On each I have on the spine in thick black pen the main surnames within the line, so easy to see on the shelf. I then file everything (BMDs & census copies) in clear plastic sheets chronologically backwards within each family line. At the front of each file I have a fan chart and the pedigree charts for that line. Also keep an extra file of spares and maybes! Regards Ellen.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Some good ideas to try(if only I had the time)Sue

You get various colours of folders with clear sleeves, in tesco for just about £1-20p,and matching plastic document wallet's for 27p.Throw the what could be junk in them, but you might need later. I think they are great,well they could be if I had them in some sort of order! at least I have the familes seperate. My side are in the red and husbands in purple. One day I will get 'sorted' lol Marion

Mine are in a heap on the dining room table. We have to eat in the kitchen. When I grow up to be a big girl (which I have been trying to do for 57 years!) I will get organised and file everything.

Blimey Tina, you ARE organised!! I start off organised but then it goes pear shaped. Mind I have picked up a few tips in the replies here. so maybe I can re-arrange my stuff into a better format now.

Ah Ann, don't be fooled by appearances! This is the principle of how I keep my records (and I am fairly good with the certificates since I had an unfortunate experience with a newly-acquired certificate and a cup of coffee!). However, I regret that I do not always manage to practise what I preach. If I get a new lead I go haring off like a greyhound, generating bits of paper left right and centre and throwing them all willy-nilly into a wire filing basket in my desperation to get as much information as I possibly can in the shortest possible time. Somehow, despite my very best endeavours, that wire basket never quite gets emptied! Tina