Saturday, January 28th was the first monthly Family History class. Sharon Palmer from the Kenwood 2nd ward led a great discussion and training about how to organize your genealogical information. Some of the key ideas were:
1. Color Code your files. Use one color for each of your grandparents (red, blue, green, yellow). All ancestors of that grandparent use the same color files. Each file should be labeled with the name of the person and their birth year. Put copies of vital records in acid free sheet protectors within the file. To assist with the color coding system, print a color fan chart of your ancestors using the application at www.treeseek.com.
2. For family photos, label all of them with who is in the photo. Use acid free pen and label on the back. Store photos in 9x12 envelope that is 3-hole punched and stored in a binder with the name of the person on the outside edge of each envelope. Punch the envelope so the bottom of the envelopes is a little above the bottom of the binder. Don't postpone getting the names of the people in the photos. Those who might recognize them won't be around forever. You also might consider keeping a CD or flash drive with the scanned photos in your fire-safe.
3. Store your files in plastic boxes. They will help deter both water damage and critters. Although not fool-proof, it is a better system than using cardboard boxes.
4. Be sure you don't have metal, acidic paper, or newspaper touching anything of value in your stored documents. They will eventually damage the surrounding materials unless they are isolated by plastic.
5. Get a flash-drive to transfer data from the church's computers to your own and back again if you are using either the stake or downtown libraries. Also pass the info to several relatives so that in case of disaster, the info isn't lost. Sharing is a great way to prevent permanent loss. One person also recommended on-line backup.
6. Develop a system that works for your type of research. Make it easy to maintain, simple, flexible, inexpensive and self-explanatory.
Our next class is Tuesday February 21 at 7:00 p.m. and the topic will be "Key into New Family Search".
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