Proper Filing Systems: Necessities for tracing

 Genealogical Background

Often the task of the genealogist resembles that of a detective.‎

Searching for lost or hidden data forms a part of the job of both of them. Often a ‎genealogical search takes the shape of a mystery. It always helps if you start the search ‎with the mental setup of an investigator or a detective. If your Great-Great Grandmother ‎had the name Deschamps, maybe you should try to trace back her origins to France. ‎Maybe her name changed after her marriage. Sometimes, family stories heard from elder ‎relatives can give you the clue to for your research as well.‎

The first step in your research involves knowledge and understanding about the particular ‎places where you would find information and the best methods to do it. You also need to ‎have concrete ideas about how to fit the pieces of information in the puzzle of your ‎genealogical search. However, many forget an important part of the job that of properly ‎filing the data collected for future reference.‎

Damon Hostetler, a genealogical researcher based at Clearwater in Florida, is very correct ‎when he explains that each individual leaves behind bits and pieces of information in a ‎variety of documents. These include legal documents like land rights or tax records or ‎personal paperwork like birth or marriage certificates. A genealogist can begin his search ‎from the birth or death of a person and continue collecting data about the individual.‎

The best way to file your genealogical search is to maintain a separate file for each ‎individual. You may think it unnecessary to create a file for a particular individual with ‎little or no background information. But keeping a file for him or her helps you to keep all ‎available data in order. A genealogical search may reveal all kinds of information about ‎the person you are researching about as well as people related to him or her. As you ‎follow the trails, it becomes easier to keep a track of all related individuals as well.‎
 

Many genealogists share the same viewpoint.‎
 

Sarasota based Lynn Kessel White adds that it is essential for a genealogist to keep track ‎of the source from which the information has been collected. According to her, if you are ‎not aware of the source of the data collected it creates a lot of confusion and chaos.‎

Many professional genealogists give demonstrations on filing systems. Hostetler is one of ‎these professionals. He uses a lot of different record keeping equipments to show how to ‎utilize them. They may be pop-up boxes or expansion files, made from all sorts of ‎materials, but they serve the same purpose, that of filing data properly. These are ‎affordable and easily available as well. You can buy as many as you want as your research ‎progresses.‎

While on a visit to a place near Tampa in Florida, Hostetler spoke about the different ‎ways people use to file information. He says that most of the professional genealogists ‎use plastic drawers for filing information. In case you are using manila folders for keeping ‎data, it is always a good idea to keep these stapled to keep the documents safe. Imagine a ‎situation where all your precious documents are lying in a heap on the floor. It would be a ‎lot of trouble to put them in proper order again.‎

The size of the filing systems depends on the time and depth of your search. With the ‎passage of time, you would find that your collection has expanded. However, keep in ‎mind that you need to research about a family at a time and keep a separate folder for ‎each member of the family so as to help your research.‎