--- Gen Searcher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hello Connie
> I picked up that you file alphabetically, how would you
> file a married couple
> I can see that all unmarried people could be done by
> alphabet but I just wondered do you file the husband and
> wife separately
> Regards
> John
John,
My paper filing system is primarily by surname and locality. When I'm
starting on a surname, my binder is just for that surname. But, when I've
accumulated a lot of documents, I add sections for locality. For example, I
may have sections in my SHEETS binder for Bedford Co., PA, Holmes Co., OH, and
Keokuk Co., IA. And when that binder gets too large, I make a SHEETS Bedford
Co., PA binder, a SHEETS Holmes Co., OH binder, etc.
Then within those localities, I file by type of record type, e.g. I have
sections for deeds, court records, marriage records etc. This system has the
added benefit of telling me quickly where the "holes" in my research are. (If
the deeds section in Bedford Co. PA is empty or nearly empty...)
I know where to look for a specific record for a particular individual or
couple from the Family Group Sheets which I keep in alphabetical order in a
section at the beginning of the binder. (Or by firing up Legacy and looking at
the database).
Sometimes, if I'm working on the other surname of a couple, I'll make
duplicates to keep in the other surname binder, or I cross reference them (e.g.
my WINSLOW binder may say refer to SHEETS binder for the Samuel Sheets/Phebe
Winslow marriage).
Then there are those who are doing away with most paper files by scanning their
documents and attaching them to the individuals/couple in Legacy...(I'm doing
more of that, but I doubt I'll ever give up my binders; they just make it
easier for me to "see" the patterns/relationships and analyze the information
I've gathered).
I have experimented with files (not binders) for each couple: this works best
(for me) for collateral families, not my direct lines. For example, I might
have a file for Mary Ann Sheets m. Adam Harbolt and their descendants. (She is
an ancestor's sister). That I would file under Harbolt, with my Sheets binder
(or Legacy) telling me she married a Harbolt.
There are as many ways to organize your paper files as there are ways to use
Legacy: figure out what meets your needs, works best for you, will grow
easily, and matches the way you think.
Hope this gives you some ideas...
Connie
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