How to Organize Your Family History: Paper Documents

Paper is part of our physical environment. We can see it, we can touch it, and some of us can even smell it, believe it or not.

Disorganized piles of papers sitting on the desk or floor can make us very uncomfortable. And having to see those piles each and every day can keep many of us from enjoying the experience of family history.

Now, please don’t go all Marie Kondo on your paper documents just because they might not be “sparking joy.” Instead, let’s talk about how to organize your family history so you can finally get those paper files in order!

NOTE: This is part 1 of a new series about organizing your family history. There’s more to come, so please stay tuned for future installments!

Why Bother With Keeping the Paper?

Birth, death, and marriage certificates. Photographs. Census records. Charts. Letters. Diaries. Land records. Newspaper clippings. If you have been researching your family history for any number of years, you have probably accumulated many of these types of paper documents… and more.

Not knowing what to do with all of these papers is what makes many of us crazy. Our desks, floors, and even dining room tables may be covered with our own special “piling system” of documents. And all of these piles can make it difficult for us to get any real research accomplished.

Paper Free(dom)?

The popular trend these days is to be completely paper-free. I have heard many genealogists boast that they have shredded all of their paper files (cringe!) because their family history documents are scanned and digitized.

And you know what? If paper-free works for them, that’s wonderful!

But if your family history documents are truly important to you, consider this: the only medium that has been known to last is paper. Properly preserved, paper can last for decades. Centuries even.

The Trouble With Digital

Digital storage methods change, often rapidly. Over the past three+ decades of family history research, I have gone from using 5″ floppy discs to 3.5″ diskettes to Zip Disks, CDs, DVDs, external hard drives the size and weight of bricks, external drives the size of index cards, and flash drives. And I can only hope that I got all my genealogy files off of each type of media before moving on to the next digital storage trend!

Also, keep in mind that digital media can – and does – malfunction. Hard drives “crash,” and data can become corrupted. CDs and DVDs get scratched. Flash drives sometimes fail for no apparent reason. And let’s not forget “user error,” or the mistakes YOU made by deleting or overwriting a file. I once overwrote my entire genealogy database with an import of someone else’s GEDCOM!

Even with proper backups, there are many ways in which your digital files could be lost.

And depending on your learning style, a paper filing system may help with memory retention as well as your willingness to maintain your organizing system (more about this in a future post).

This is why I advocate for a combination of paper and digital files.

Binders or Folders: Which System is Best?

Back in the late 1980s, when I first started on my genealogy journey, I kept my documents in folders in a file cabinet in the closet. As a new genealogist, I had absolutely no idea how to organize my family history. I just wanted to get the piles off my desk.

However, the problem with my file folder system was that it was “out of sight, out of mind.” Documents went into the folder, and I soon forgot I had them. I thought my system was working until I discovered that I had ordered the same vital record for the same ancestor… twice.

I eventually switched to binders, but it took me many years to find a system that clicked for me (which I will tell you all about in a future post).

For now, I will let you in on a little secret: The only RIGHT system of organizing is the one that works for YOUR learning style.

Pros and Cons of Binders and Folders

The decision to store your documents in binders or folders is a personal one and should be made based on how you learn, organize, and retain information.

Here are a few things to consider when making your decision.

4 Popular Methods of Paper Organization

After selecting your preference for binders or folders, you will need to decide how you want to organize your documents within them. You may need to try a variety of systems before finding the one that is right for you.

Here are four methods of paper document organization that are popular among genealogists today.

1. Alphabetically by Surname

In this method, your binders are labeled with a surname. The given names of each ancestor bearing that surname would be organized alphabetically with individual divider tabs within the binder.

File folders would be organized in a similar manner. Each individual bearing the surname would receive a folder, and the folders would be filed alphabetically by first name within the surname folder group.

Within each tabbed ancestor section or file folder you may choose to organize the documents by record type (i.e., vital records, probate, deeds, etc.) or by date, creating a sort of timeline.

2. By Ancestral Couple

For this method, you would envision your ancestors as a family group, including the parents and all children.

If you are using binders, you would use one binder per direct ancestor couple. Each parent and child has a tabbed divider section, with documents organized by type or date behind the tab. Documents for the direct-line child ancestor would go into a new ancestral couple binder.

If you are using folders, you could put all documents for the entire family into one folder. Since this could make for a very bulky and disorganized folder, it would be better to give each family member a folder, with the parents’ folders in front, followed by folders for each child behind them in alphabetical or birth order. Documents for the direct-line child would go in a new ancestral couple folder group.

3. By Record Type

This method organizes all records for a specific surname by the type of record. For example, all Smith vital records would be filed together, all Smith probate records together, and all Smith land records together, etc., etc.

Within each record type group, the documents could be arranged alphabetically by first name or ordered by date, depending on your preference.

Alternatively, documents could also be organized by location within the record types, such as Tennesse vital records, Iowa land records, etc.

4. By Research Location

Some people find it helpful to organize their documents by the locations in which they are researching.

To do this, you would start with the name of the larger location and break that down into smaller locations. For example, you could have a binder or folder group for the State of Tennessee, with tabs or folders for the various counties you are researching within Tennessee. You may even want to divide further by adding sections/files for the towns or cities being researched within the county.

Within the location sections, you may also want to add alphabetical dividers/folders for the various surnames or ancestral couples being researched in that location. Or, you may prefer to add dividers/folders for the different record types you have found in the location.

What About Numbering Systems?

When my “genealogy aunt” passed away, I was the fortunate recipient of her 25+ years of research. As I was packing up her files to mail home, I noted that a number was penned in the upper right-hand corner of each document. Upon returning home, I discovered – to my horror – that those numbers referred to the document’s source, and I had neglected to pack the key. I have spent more than a decade trying to reconstruct her system and find the sources from which her documents came.

Thankfully, this method of family history organization is no longer popular due to the possibility of citation separation. Genealogy Standard #8: Separation Safeguards states in part, “When transmitting or storing documented material, genealogists prevent mechanical or digital separation of citations from the statements, facts, images, and conclusions they document…”¹Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, Second Edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry.com, 2019), 9.

Though some people still find numbering systems to be useful for organizing, I do not recommend using them unless you have an eidetic memory (like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory). Having to contemplate which ancestor is represented by which number – or which document number corresponds with a particular source – is just too much to think about when you are trying to quickly retrieve a document or file!

Wrap Up

Keeping your genealogy documents organized is important, not only for effective research but also for your overall enjoyment of family history. And if you choose not to go paper-free, you need a method of organizing that makes sense so you will stick to using it.

Despite what some “experts” say, there is no right or wrong method of organizing your paper documents. Several tried and true systems have been tested and used by a variety of family historians, including myself. But you need to let YOUR brain guide you to the system that makes the most sense for your particular learning style.

What method of organizing family history paper documents do you prefer? Please share in the comments!

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Footnotes

• 1
  Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, Second Edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry.com, 2019), 9.

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