I don't think that anyone has mentioned the system that I use during this email thread. I file geographically and then by document type. By doing this, there is no need to make multiple copies when a document pertains to multiple people. By geographically, I mean by state/county for U.S. sites and country/county or country/state for European countries.
For example, I store hardcopies of birth records for Devonshire, England in a hanging folder called England, Devon - Birth Records. Within this folder, the documents (in no particular order) are numbered ENG DEVON BIR 001, ENG DEVON BIR 002, etc. I have electronic versions of this records attached to the Source Detail. The number assigned to the document in the hanging file is used as the FILE ID on Source Detail. As an additional example, censuses for Niagara County, New York are stored in a folder called New York, Niagara - Census Records. Each page that I print from microfilm or Ancestry.com is identified sequentially, just like the above-mentioned birth records. They are numbered as NY NIAGARA CEN 001, NY NIAGARA CEN 002, etc. Again, electronic versions of the files (either downloaded from Ancestry or scanned from microfilm prints) are attached to the source detail for a Census event. You can see the advantage of this system. Multiple people are on the same census page. Only 1 copy of the file is needed. Many people can use the same FILE ID. Not only members of the same census household but other families might be living on the same street and recorded on the same page in the census. All would have the same sourcing information with the same FILE ID. For those records that are not geographically-centric, I just file together in a folder. For example, Social Security Death Index records which are filed as SSDI 001, SSDI 002, etc. This system works great for me! I have tried other systems but I have found that this works the best for me. If anyone would like more information on this system, please contact me directly. Mary North Tonawanda, NY -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Coddgenealogy Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 10:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] Filing Systems The approach I use differs radically from MRIN-based systems, but it is a one surname study. I file "genealogically,", i.e. based on the family tree itself. All evidence (group sheets, wills, census, biographies, obituaries, publications) is filed with the group (family, lineage) to which it pertains. Not surprisingly, that is also its disadvantage. MRIN systems file in MRIN numerical order, which means info pertaining to John Doe's line is hither and yonder. I use hanging file folders and subdivide when they get too thick. The earliest individual is usually 18th century, and each folder contains that person and all descendants. For this project, if I wanted to assess the evidence, say, that John Doe was Walter's son, an MRIN system would mean pulling from many folders (and having to refile same). I look in one. On the other hand, I do have to riffle through on average a dozen docs to find one in particular. Enter the drawing for a FREE Legacy Cruise to Alaska or a FREE research trip to Salt Lake's Family History Library. Open to users of Legacy 6 Deluxe. Enter online at http://legacyfamilytree.com/FreeTrip.asp Legacy User Group guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ For online technical support, please visit http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp Enter the drawing for a FREE Legacy Cruise to Alaska or a FREE research trip to Salt Lake's Family History Library. Open to users of Legacy 6 Deluxe. Enter online at http://legacyfamilytree.com/FreeTrip.asp Legacy User Group guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ For online technical support, please visit http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
