Ideally you want to find any document easily and quickly from the hundreds you'll store. So we're talking about indexing, or how to name files so you can find any single one speedily. Should you name by type of document, names shown or date? And what about folders? It's all about imagining a filing cabinet.
Creating main folders
Create a folder called 'Family history'. If you've taken the advice to use Dropbox or another cloud storage provider, the file should be created there.
Within the 'Family history' folder, create further folders for the surname of each main branch of you family. I created four, one for each grandparent surname.
Creating folders for individuals
Before you save your first document, create a folder for that person within the appropriate grandparent folder. But hold on a second... how should you name that folder so you can easily trace a specific person when you've got more than a hundred?
To continue the grandparent theme and name the folder by surname seems the obvious choice. Or to differentiate between all the Smiths in your family, add a first name or initials to the file name. Trouble is, all the files will be listed alphabetically with no indication of lineage. Try finding the wife of an ancestor born in 1830 when you can't remember her maiden name. It's at that point the advantage of filing by date becomes attractive.
Start the file name with the year of birth. This ensures all your files are in chronological order. So a file name would appear as '1830 John Smith'. The folder for a married woman will therefore be created using her birth or maiden name.
Saving documents
Again, it's best to precede the file name for a document by its date, so the documents appear in chronological order. If you're saving the marriage certificate for John Smith, save it in the folder '1830 John Smith' and name the file '1853 Marriage certificate to Sarah Beadle'. Why add who the marriage was to? Some family members will marry more than once, so you'll have two or more marriage certificates in some folders.
Don't forget, a marriage certificate is relevant for two people. So in this example a folder will also be created for John Smith's wife named '1833 Sarah Beadle' and a copy of the marriage certificate will also be saved in her folder, named '1853 Marriage certificate to John Smith'.
Creating main folders
Create a folder called 'Family history'. If you've taken the advice to use Dropbox or another cloud storage provider, the file should be created there.
Within the 'Family history' folder, create further folders for the surname of each main branch of you family. I created four, one for each grandparent surname.
Creating folders for individuals
Before you save your first document, create a folder for that person within the appropriate grandparent folder. But hold on a second... how should you name that folder so you can easily trace a specific person when you've got more than a hundred?
To continue the grandparent theme and name the folder by surname seems the obvious choice. Or to differentiate between all the Smiths in your family, add a first name or initials to the file name. Trouble is, all the files will be listed alphabetically with no indication of lineage. Try finding the wife of an ancestor born in 1830 when you can't remember her maiden name. It's at that point the advantage of filing by date becomes attractive.
Start the file name with the year of birth. This ensures all your files are in chronological order. So a file name would appear as '1830 John Smith'. The folder for a married woman will therefore be created using her birth or maiden name.
Saving documents
Again, it's best to precede the file name for a document by its date, so the documents appear in chronological order. If you're saving the marriage certificate for John Smith, save it in the folder '1830 John Smith' and name the file '1853 Marriage certificate to Sarah Beadle'. Why add who the marriage was to? Some family members will marry more than once, so you'll have two or more marriage certificates in some folders.
Don't forget, a marriage certificate is relevant for two people. So in this example a folder will also be created for John Smith's wife named '1833 Sarah Beadle' and a copy of the marriage certificate will also be saved in her folder, named '1853 Marriage certificate to John Smith'.
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