family research

[Squidward]

Hello
How do I go about creating an organised file with all the family history research in it without drowning in paper and ending up with a disorganised mess?
Squid

[Rian]

Hi Squid
Welcome to Rootschat!
Get yourself a family research program for your computer. It's really worth it — also helps when you are exchanging information with others on-line as you can send and recieve gedcoms (whole blocks of data that will add themselves to your fam research prog even if they come from a different one).
There are a few links if you do a search on Rootschat with discussion about which are good or not. I personally have a Mac so my choices are limited, so I got Reunion 8 and it is very good (I don't think there is a PC version though).
For bits of paper such as certificates and census printouts, I keep folders sorted by surnames.
I hope this helps.
You'll find this site amazingly good for all sorts of advice— use the search at the top of the page to look up topics. There is also a surname interest table at the bottom of the page which is good for contacting "cousins".
Good luck, Rian.

[kerryb]

Hi Squid and welcome to Rootschat

You should find lots of help round here with your question

If you have a look at
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,158637.0.html
you'll find some interesting discussions about family history software. 

You might also find
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,158638.0.html useful which is about organising your family history.

Best wishes

Kerry

[kooky]

I think you are going to need more than one file!

When I began, I put everyone I found or knew about on an index card. They fitted nicely into a shoe box. I now have at least 2 files per family, one for bmd certs, and one for census info.,wallet files for siblings and marriages and a drawer in my filing cabinet, plus a large box per family for notes, photos etc.!!
I have never got round to using my computer program.
Kooky

[wileman 121]

i have all of my info on paper i have only been doing genealogy on and off for 2 years since i was 17 but after doing it for a year and finding a mass of information and then for your computer to crash with a virus and you loose all of your info is quite annoying so i always make a copy on paper.

i have been researching all of my direct ancestors lines eg i am a wileman my mother is an emmingham and her mother is a page i did the same for my fathers side ect researching  every direct ancestor i could find and compiled each family into a section in a big a4 ring binder.

i use dividers to seperate the families and when i think there is not much more to do i will write a story on that family using all of the info i have

ill never get bored 

[Squidward]

Thanks for your warm welcome and your helpful replies. I have one file at the moment but it's hard putting it in an order so I can find the certificate etc. I want when I want it. I'm sure it will expand as my research gets bigger.
I think I will invest in computer software. Thanks for that.
Squid