I posted before about how I’m saving my genealogy FOREVER. There is a part one and two, and three will be coming soon. But for now, I will postpone three and go straight to four.
I consider part three to be gathering info about yourself, but I’ve been busy organizing some things collecting on my desk, so I’m working on clearing that off. You know, the stuff…. Documents and certificates I’ve ordered and haven’t scanned and put away. Those types of things.
So here’s where I’m at on my project. I have my albums set up on FOREVER. I have a main album called Genealogy with nested albums for each surname couple. I also use numbers just for ease of organizing. So I’m generation 00, and my parents are 01, and their album is called 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Genealogy. My grandparents are Generation 02, and each couple has their own nested album (within the genealogy album) 02 Thompson/Oliver Genealogy and 02 Middlebrough/Beaton Genealogy. In each of the couple albums, there are more nested albums, which are for various documents such as census, certificates, DNA, group sheets, photos, newspaper, FAN Club, Misc. Below, you can see the main album, and if you want to read about it, you can read Part One and Part Two HERE.
Part four is about some things I’ve adjusted as I work through the organization. It’s nothing huge, just some things to make it easier and prettier. I now have specific photos for each surname album, as shown below.
I’ve scanned or have had FOREVER digitize everything (for the most part), and now I’m putting the physical things into new binders I’ve purchased for each generation group. I’m not keeping the things that can be found on the internet, such as the census documents, but the documents that I purchased or that have been handed down through generations will be stored in the binders.
The binders I’ve chosen have an opening on the front for a cover page, and on the inside is an envelope with a fastener so I can put odds and ends that might fit. The styles I’ve chosen are pretty durable, and they come in various binder widths, so I can change sizes if needed.
I decided that two things I needed for the binders were a list for the cover of the book to show the families that are inside, and I’ve also put a master list inside each binder. In the binders, I’ve put dividers similar to the nested albums I have at FOREVER. If I decide later to separate out a generation, it’s pretty easy to buy a bigger binder and change out the cover page.
The project continues, and I’ll make changes that make sense as I go along. You have to do that when you have a big project like this… you have to pivot. Which is actually something you have to do in life. As things change, you pivot to make it work in your life.
Here’s the question… did I get my desk cleaned. Some might not find my desk neat, but I know it’s more awesome than it was when I started. Could it use more work? Absolutely. Here are some tips that I gathered from doing this.
- When you purchase a new document. Scan it, document it, and put it away. Don’t wait because they just stack up on your desk.
- As you come across things in your personal collection, decide if they are needed, necessary, or wanted. This can be hard when you’re a genealogist. I can only speak for myself, but sometimes it’s hard to be ruthless and throw something away. But I know that if I don’t, the family will if there is too much stuff to deal with. So keep the things that matter.
- When you find an SD card, look at the photos and see if you already have them stored either on your computer or, like I do, in my FOREVER Storage account. If you’re not sure if you have them, then set up a folder; you can put them in it and come back to confirm, but do that right away. Make sure you delete those that are on the SD card. (I found 3 SD cards that I had to store, just in case <sigh>)
- When deleting things from your SD card, be sure to uncheck any items you don’t want permanently deleted <sigh> Yes, I did that.
If you’d like to learn more about FOREVER, please don’t hesitate to contact me by commenting on this page. I am a FOREVER Senior Ambassador, and I’ve been using FOREVER for seven years. You can digitize, store, and share your own photos, videos, and documents (including your genealogy) for your lifetime plus 100 years with a paid account. You don’t pay for it monthly. You buy it, and it’s all yours. You can not only share with your family and friends, but you also make someone the beneficiary of your account. If you think this is for you, then you can accept my invitation HERE, and you’ll receive 2GB of FOREVER Storage to try and $20 to spend and you’ll also be connected to me, and I’ll contact you to learn more about your plan.
Managing your digital life can be a daunting task (I know I’ve been there), but it can be done. Not overnight, but one step at a time.