This new year, I decided to get back to downsizing my genealogy files. I currently have one file drawer and three plastic file boxes full of files from thirty years of research. Now, most of the paper records are from over ten years ago as I now save mostly digital files. I would like to get the files down to one box. I think that would be manageable to pass down to the family (or perhaps as a donation).
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| File folders before downsizing |
Save or Toss?
So, what to keep and what to toss? Last year when I started
this, the families I worked through were from the South and most of the folders
held copies of census records and photocopies of indexes from books. It was
easy to toss those as I have since downloaded digital files of census,
marriage, and death records. I have also added deeds, tax, and probate records.
If I copied pages from a history book, then I scanned those and tossed the
photocopies. If the book was old and out of copyright, I would look for it on
the Internet Archive and download a copy before tossing the paper.
Work Plan
This week, I am working on my Gleeson, Sullivan, and Tierney
families. There are many more pieces of paper in each couple’s folder. For the
Tierney families, I mostly had photocopies from books, a few deeds, some
correspondence, and research notes written on binder paper. I took those papers
to the FamilySearch Center and used their large copy machine with the sheet
feeder. I scanned the different piles into PDFs and saved them on a thumb drive.
I was very careful to name each file as I did it. I then checked each file on
the Center’s computers before I tossed the papers into the recycle bin. At
home, I transferred the digital files to the appropriate folders.
Now the Sullivan family is more recent in time and I have much more paper. I corresponded with a couple of distant cousins and I have their correspondence plus copies of records they sent. As I go through each folder, I make sure I have a digital copy of the document. If I do, then I toss photocopies. If I do not have it, it goes into the ‘to be scanned’ pile. If I have a big stack, I will save it for the next time I am at the Center. The photocopier scans in color, so that’s a plus. For smaller piles, I can scan at home with either the flatbed scanner or my phone.
New Folders
I am creating new folder labels instead of having folders labeled
by couples. One for vital records, one for correspondence, and one for images.
Each of these will be created for each surname line. Like this:
- GLEESON – Correspondence-Research
- GLEESON – Correspondence-Family
- GLEESON – Vital Record Certificates
- GLEESON – Images
Before I am finished, I might end up with one or two more folder types.
As I work through this project, I will provide an update. It will feel good to have it all done!
You are really getting organized! I've been downsizing paper as well, so I'm particularly interested in your methodology and reasoning regarding what to keep, how to digitize before tossing other stuff. Looking forward to an update later in the year.
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