Organize Now!

Before you get too far into the genealogy process, it might be a good idea to set up an organizational plan. I can't tell you the be-all end-all way to organize all have our different ways of sorting information, and it's up to you to come up with a plan. Personally, I start off with a filing folder for each family. As my folders start to overflow, I start breaking my family folders into individual folders. This is where I put hard copy information, such as photocopies I've made from LDS microfilms.

I also store my family tree on my computer, which you will probably want to do as well. There are a ton of different programs out there... and I don't like any of them immensely :) Each piece of software I've tried has it's bugs and annoying features. I suggest trying all the demos you can before you make a purchase. You should be able to find some at www.download.com or one of the other software repositories online. If you'd like a free program, look at the offerings from the Church of the Latter Day Saints at www.familysearch.org.

If you decide to buy software, I would suggest ignoring the number of cds, even if the software is part of a special edition focusing on immigrants. I purchased a 24 cd set which contained a ton of bonus databases. These have all been useless to me, and had I paid full price for the software, I would have been very upset. Why spend twice as much money for something that has 50 cds when all you really need is the one cd with the program?

Software, whatever kind you end up with, allows you to easily visualize the big picture, to quickly see what holes you have in your family tree. It also allows you to keep a bibliographic record, the importance of which I have discussed quite often in my articles. The software I use numbers all my sources which means I never have to retype bibliographic information. Most programs come with preformatted bibliographic entries, which is a great escape from the tedium of typing in your information in the proper form.

And speaking of typing- make sure you back up your family tree often. Like every time you use it. There should be a feature which allows you to back this up to a floppy. Test the disk and makes sure the file works. The first time I tried, it didn't. I've had to reenter my family tree about three times now because I am the world's worst backer-upper.

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