This is the handout from Sister Tovey's presentation on Sunday,7 Feb 2010.
If anyone wants to come to Sis. Tovey's home, she'll show you exactly how her folders/files are set up. It is always easier to see this kind of information than 'talk about' it.
My goal was to SIMPLIFY – I went through all my old photos and information and kept one good paper copy of everything. Then I scanned the information and made CD’s (or Flash Drives) to share with my relatives.
FIRST - Buy a paper 9 generation pedigree chart. Fill out information (and photos if available) so you can see the whole picture. Identify all ancestor’s information by their number on pedigree chart – starting with YOU.
COMPUTER organization of files –
FOLDERS - FRAMEWORK: First, set up a system of folders so you have a place to put each photo, page, etc.
1. MAIN FOLDERS – create 10-20 new folders – identify folders using a capital letter – A B C D (see page 2)
Example: B 100 TOVEY, Weldon + Vicki
2. SUB-FOLDERS - Under the MAIN FOLDER, create SUB-FOLDERS and identify each using letters or numbers. Leave plenty of unused numbers or letters between entries (this allows you to add more numbers or letters later).
3. If you don’t want to use sub-folders; you can keep categories separated by inserting a COLORED PAGE at the beginning of each category. Then (in large font) type identifying information like TOPIC, DATE or their name and birth years onto the colored page using PICASA or some other program. This way when looking at the thumbnail view you can see where one topic starts and ends.
Example: for children’s school memories insert a blank colored page between each school year. If you need to add additional files (and your numbers are in consecutive order) you can keep them in order by placing a letter after it (this avoids having to renumber everything): Ex. 24, 24a, 24b, 24c
4. HINT – identify each ancestor’s information using THEIR number from a pedigree chart that begins with YOU
Example: g 350 #16 BOWMAN, Archibald (he is in my 5th generation) see following page
5. ANCESTOR’S information –
Make a main folder for EACH GENERATION (I have so much information that sorting by generations works best)
Make sub-folders for each marriage and identify each person by their number as it appears on your pedigree chart. (new surnames are added for every marriage making it difficult to keep things straight)
6. CD’s - If you burn CD’s write the title on them with a special Sharpie CD/DVD Marker (don’t use a regular Sharpie as it has acid ink and may cause future damage).
WHAT TO INCLUDE:
1. Histories, journals, photos, etc.
2. Children’s School papers – get a 3 ring binder and plastic page holders; divide by school years; add their school photos, activities and special papers that show their development from Sept to June each year. If this is a busy time of your life, just write the date on papers and keep them safe (plastic page holders in a 3- ring binder or just a box). Later in your life when you are not so busy, you can organize the book & scan it.
3. GOOGLE ancestor’s names and you might find some histories and photos from the internet.
Indexes for histories or photos for many pioneers (who were in Utah by May 1869) can be found on the internet at dupinternational.org Check the History Dept Index and Photo Dept Index to see if your ancestor is included. For a fee you can purchase copies of histories and photos.
4. IDEA – Take photos of every room inside and outside of your home, property, etc. Also, photograph your parents, grandparents or ancestor’s homes. This shows our posterity how their ancestors lived. Include scans of your ancestor’s special possessions like furniture, clothing, dishes, etc. Scan this information and place the scans in the proper folder.
5. Histories and photos can be organized using several formats:
CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY: from birth to death
CATEGORIES: Childhood, Education, Career, Hobbies, Church, Mission, Vacations, Retirement, etc.
6. PAF-ready photos - Create a folder for PAF cropped photos for pedigree charts - After you have entered photos into PAF, do not change the FOLDER or FILE name or PAF will not be able to locate it again.
7. Create a FOLDER for legal documents – marriage and death certificates, wills, etc.
8. Thumbnail View of “My Pictures”-
• FOLDERS that are identifyed by NUMBERS will appear first on thumbnail.
• FOLDERS that are identified by a NAME will appear alphabetically after the numbers.
Family History - Organizing Folders and Files on the Computer
KEEP IT SIMPLE – concentrate on your direct line – it is too confusing to include histories of ancestor’s siblings
Fill out a paper 9 pedigree chart beginning with you so you can see the whole picture.
After much trial and error, I find this system works well for my records.
Main 1st 2nd
Folder Sub-folders Sub-folders
A 001 Our Children--------------------------------------------------------------------A = the capital A indicates a MAIN FOLDER
a 010 Kristina Tovey (1st child)---------------------------------------------a 010 = the small letter a indicates a sub-folder
(#s 010-019 are reserved for additional folders for Kristina)
a 020 Brad Tovey (2nd child)------------------------------------------------a 020 = the number indicates birth order (2nd child)
a 021 Brad – birth to marriage photos-------------a 021 = shows a sub-folder under the 2nd child
a 022 Brad – school photos and special papers
a 023 Brad – married life
a 030 Kimberli Tovey (3rd child), etc.
B 100 TOVEY, Weldon + Vicki
b 110 VICKI BOWMAN photos birth to marriage
b 115 VICKI personal history (includes sub-folders)
b 120 photo albums Weldon + V icki
b 121 Green Photo Album 1964-1983
b 122 Red Photo Album 1983-1993
b 123 Gray Photo Album 1993-2003
b 130 PAF Weldon, Vicki + kids (cropped photos for PAF)
b 140 MISSIONS – Weldon + Vicki
b 150 TOVEY Blessings (Patriarchal Blessings, etc.)
G 300 ANCESTORS VICKI Bowman Tovey’s
g 320 2nd generation – (my parents & brother)
g 210 BOWMAN, Jack + Mable (+ Doris 2nd wife)
g 250 BOWMAN, Jerald (my brother’s family)
g 330 3rd generation (my grandparents)
g 330 4 John Dalton Bowman--------------------------g 330 4 = the #4 indicates their number on a
g 330 6 Vernal Leavitt pedigree chart, starting with me
g 340 4th generation (my great grandparents)
g 340 8 Wm Herd Bowman
g 340 10 Wm Denton Moulton
g 340 12 James Brinkerhoff Leavitt
g 340 14 Hans Peter Christiansen
g 350 5th generation (my g-great grandparents)
g 350 16 Archibald Bowman
g 350 18 Henry Simon Dalton
g 350 20 Thomas Moulton
g 350 22 Thomas Octavious Lee
g 350 24 George Leavitt
g 350 26 Harvey McGaylard Rawlins
g 350 28 Peder Christiansen
g 350 30 Wm Genis Black
g 360 6th generation (my g-g-great grandparents) etc.
L Legal information
M Death and marriage certificates
N Nauvoo ancestors
P PAF ancestors cropped Photos for PAF
T Tovey information (W. ancestors)
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