Filing Various Documents

[Frank Zwolinski]

Hello All,

I would like to hear how others deal with various so called, "unrelated" documents (maps, photos, news articles, drawings, audio & video, reports, etc., sorry to be so vague but I have so many), with REUNION 10. Specifically, I would like to hear from folks who have these items actually linked with their Family File. Many of what I am discussing are things which may be of interest when researching a specific family or even a person (within the Family File) and are not actually Genealogically significant (in the mind of some people) but of general interest to the family or the area where they lived or the time period in which they lived. I sure hope THAT was not TOO convoluted an explanation!!

I have considered: making each of these a source and using it where appropriate, OR using it as a multimedia item and again, using as appropriate but I always get tied up in another "but if" Or "but what." If anyone has any thoughts on this, I would like to hear from you either on the forum or off line at <fzwolinski@santarosa.edu>.

Sometimes I think I am being silly or picky but as more and more of these interesting items show up, I really want to make sure that they are preserved AND associated with my Family File and my family records.

Thank you all for what I know will be an informative and generous discussion.

Enjoy the hunt!
Frank

[rclrocco]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Frank,

I try to include all and every item of interest whether it is of "genealogical significance" or not . So in my use of Reunion, I include as much biographical detail for a person wherever possible, with all sources numbered in the right place in the text. I put this in a person's notes. Sometimes I add notes of my own in red so that I can see a particular line of research or highlight something I'm not sure of, or just to record a comment or guess of my own. I include all sorts of things: photos of houses they lived in, photos of gifts they received eg a retirement watch as a gift with an inscription; then and now, portraits if available; group shots eg weddings; photos of sports teams from School or College days extracts from other photos; and any other photos such as the place where they worked or transport they used ; pets they kept, events they attended, and in particular newspaper extracts from the local area in which they lived. Increasingly now taped conversations and short videos especially of the elderly at family gatherings.

My view is that I don't know when something that may be trivial suddenly becomes important and therefore everything is potentially important. I make big use of sources even when something is not a direct source for someone, eg I will include a photo of a house in which someone lived, a place where they worked, a ship they sailed in. Reunion is a database and it makes sense to me to include as much as I can which may or may not be relevant. You are after writing down the story of a family not just a list of names. I also try now to get as much into Reunion as possible so that all the information about the family is there in one place. This makes particular sense when I visit relatives and take Reunion on an an iPad.

I guess I am using Reunion and "doing my Family History" to leave something for others coming after me to see and therefore the more I can tell about the story, the better. So yes I very much include unrelated documents.

Dunno whether this helps you but it made me think a little about the type of things I include

[donworth]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Frank,

I have a lot of "social history" stuff associated with the places my ancestors have been, their occupations, etc. I generally do not bother to associate that with my Reunion database but keep them in a folder inside the folder I use to store information about a particular family line. For example, I have a "Research Bishir" folder. Inside that folder I have all the images and documents I am currently working on w/re to the Bishir family. One sub folder is "Sources" which has images of censuses, birth records, etc. that are tied to sources in my Reunion database (by naming convention - I don't bother to directly link them since I can find them quickly if I can predict the file name from the source). There are other subfolders in there with "Maps of Lynchburg Ohio" or "Local histories of Campbell Co KY" and so forth.

In my Reunion database, at the furthest ancestor in a line, in his notes field I keep a list of things I have found about the family that might relate to yet unidentified ancestors (or that haven't specifically been tied to him yet). A lot of the files that relate to that information are in a subfolder called "Unresolved Sources". When I finally am able to tie them to someone in my database they move to the Sources folder.

Don

[rclrocco]

Re: Filing Various Documents

So were the responses any use Frank ?

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Thank you Gentlemen for your ideas and I apologize for the lateness of this reply as I have been ill.

Rupert, I do have a further question for you. I am not one who believes in using only a few sources and using them over and over. I have many specific sources which are used for only one or two citations. For example rather than just use "1925 NY Census" for anyone listed there, I have a specific page for that particular family, which means I have many "1925 NY Census" sources, each for a different family. My question to you Rupert, is how many sources are you ending up with by including almost every document as a source (if I understand you correctly)? I also keep a 'hard copy' for each source in my file, organized numerically by source number.

Don, are the folders you discuss, all electronic and on your computer, or do you have actual hard copies of everything?

Thank you both, and for those of you out there who did not comment on my original question, please feel free to do so! I learn so much for everyone's comments.

Thank you,
Frank

[donworth]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Don, are the folders you discuss, all electronic and on your computer, or do you have actual hard copies of everything?

Everything is electronic now. I had several 3-ring binders of stuff from before there were computers which I have subsequently scanned into files and put into my electronic folders.

I kept worrying about what would happen if there was a house fire until I got everything scanned. Now I have a several backup digital copies stored in various places, including out of state, so I can rest easier!

Don

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Thanks Don.
I am scanning everything too, but just to be sure I also have a paper backup. I am greatful to have lots of enclosed shelves.

Thanks again,
Frank

[rclrocco]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Frank,

Hope you're feeling a lot better?

My database is pretty small still at less than 2000 names , and so far I have nearly three hundred sources, with many more to enter. My view is that I'm using a computer and handling a few hundred sources is exactly the sort of task it should be able to do, with Reunion, with complete ease. If my number of sources was also 2000, or far exceeded d the number of names in the database, I would be perfectly happy. In fact thinking about it, there is a case for there being at the very least, the same number of sources as people in the database. I think every date, name , fact and event you enter in Reunion should have a specificsource.

Like you, I don't enter a generic source like Birth Certificate or Census. That tells me nothing of value unless I have the actual document or specific Certificate etc. When I started out with Windows software - dark ages, I know - I did put things like census , or certificate etc down as a source, but quickly realised this was useless. Now I always make my sources as specific as I can. If that means having quite a few , thats fine with me. I enter as many sources as possible on the basis that every fact I enter about my family needs to be justified and trackable, so that someone coming after me and picking over my data will know exactly how I came to record what I did and how I was able to prove the links from generation to generation. Sources should be your record of Proof of how you have researched your family history. And mulitimedia things amplify your knowledge about t a person and family and make the database so much more useful to third parties.

Your question of filing documents is interesting. I started out on my personal family history in about 1980 and have a collection of over thirty standard A4 sized two ring files, ie cardboard and paper. I am conscious that this is a vulnerable collection of data and it would be much better if the key things were all scanned and preserved digitally. And Reunion is a great place to do this. You can use it as a kind of inventory. I've done that when I inherited many items from relatives and my father when they passed away. Reunion doesn't always have to record a family history - it is a highly versatile database too.

But I have found it hard to regard a computer and Reunion as my prime location for all the data. Or my first port of call. I guess I enjoy the paper collection - it took 30 years of assembling, much of it before I understood how to use Family History software, and hasn't stopped yet. I particularly enjoy the many hand drawn family trees in those files which I always feel are superior to any computer drawn ones. Thats a separate hobby all of its own, if one can draw and write well.

But I'm sure that the paper file collection contains a lot of rubbish and could be much reduced. And thats where Reunion is so useful, because almost everything can be included in multimedia. So my task, one of them for the next few years is to get as much as I can into Reunion and reduce my dependance on paper files as much as possible.

Sorry to ramble a bit and hope this helps?

[kmgenealogy]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Hi Frank,

Don't remember if I mentioned this in another post. However, you might want to take a look at Mary Hill's paper organization system. I'm starting to use it and find it easy to use. Take a look at http://123genealogy.com/organizer/index.htm. If you find it interesting, you can look at the first 15 minutes of her webinar for Legacy Family Tree at http://www.familytreewebinars.com/do...webinar_id=125
Click on "Watch Preview" button. If you like what you see, you can buy the CD...I did.

Hope this is helpful.

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Frank,
My database is pretty small still at less than 2000 names , and so far I have nearly three hundred sources, with many more to enter. My view is that I'm using a computer and handling a few hundred sources is exactly the sort of task it should be able to do, with Reunion, with complete ease. If my number of sources was also 2000, or far exceeded d the number of names in the database, I would be perfectly happy. In fact thinking about it, there is a case for there being at the very least, the same number of sources as people in the database. I think every date, name , fact and event you enter in Reunion should have a specific source.

Rupert,
I have a followup question: Do you have a separate source number for every item in your multimedia file. OR are these separate from your sources?

If this is becoming a matter between the two of us, feel free to contact me off line at: <fzwolinski@santarosa.edu>.

Thanks for your time,
Frank

[s1xc00k]

Re: Filing Various Documents

...I think every date, name , fact and event you enter in Reunion should have a specific source....

I think having a separate source citation for every date, fact and event, but these may relate to the same source. For example, a census record being a single source has details on residence, occupation and also, a rough date of birth. Thus one source could have three citation entries with specific citation details being saved in the detail field.

....But I'm sure that the paper file collection contains a lot of rubbish and could be much reduced. And thats where Reunion is so useful, because almost everything can be included in multimedia. So my task, one of them for the next few years is to get as much as I can into Reunion and reduce my dependance on paper files as much as possible....

Brilliant; the hard part is knowing what to scan and include in Reunion. My paper file is similar and it is basically a shoe box with lots of paper and stuff in it. Whereas my Reunion filing is very structured with sub-folders within sub-folders.

Regards,
PC

[rclrocco]

Re: Filing Various Documents

"Do you have a separate source number for every item in your multimedia file. OR are these separate from your sources?"

The short answer Frank, is No.

But the more interesting answer is that I would like them to! I use multimedia in two slightly distinct ways. One is to show an actual source eg a Census entry, a birth , marriage or death certificate etc. I number the specific source and then include a scan or photo of the actual document in multimedia, whenever possible. When I was learning the software, fellow Reuniontalk member , Michael Talibard q.v. helped me with this. He also kindly showed me how to use Smart Lists to add multiple events to a persons entry, such as Census references, so that a persons entry in Reunion has multiple events such as Census entries showing up in chronological order.

These are the primary events or facts by which I verify a persons details in my database. ie the proof for someone's presence and position in my database.

The second way is to include something in multimedia because it helps to amplify a persons entry and adds detail. This might not be a particular fact but helps to build the story of a particular person. For example, I include as many Ship Voyages for a person that I can. They don't prove his position in a family, so may not be a key event in his or her life, but they tell me much about what he or she did and when. I could give many other examples but old newspaper entries would be a good one. A photograph of a retirement gift is another. If I include these in multimedia as part of a person's "story", then yes, I number them as sources.

But I also have many photos etc in multimedia which do not have source numbers, simply because I haven't got round to that, or was lazy when I entered them and didn't then think a source number was relevant. Usually I find it is later! And you can always go back and enter sources later - I spend many hours doing that. I ask myself the question about any person's details or dates, how do I know that? If the multimedia item is the record of how I know, then Yes, that has source number. Having a source number is also very helpful later on, when I think how did I come to have that.

I like to use Reunion to tell a persons story, beyond the bare facts of birth, marriage and death etc. Often I write a biography in a persons notes section, and this will refer to numbered sources. These might be photos of documents, events, places or things etc.

If this is not clear, well even if it is ! , I can happily email you direct, but I know that people on ReunionTalk like to see the responses on threads, and it is sometimes frustrating if a thread peters out. Plus my rambles may help someone else.

Hope this helps.

[rclrocco]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Forgot to answer directly your second query, Frank but yes, my multimedia items are separate from my sources. I'm sure you know that your list of sources will always show you when there is a mulitmedia item present ?.

Its a whole new thread, but mulitmedia will feature more and more as time goes by. We are probably the first generation easily able to record small snippets of voice, film, movie, video -call it what you like -with phones, cameras, iPads and so on. i already have several taped conversations of elderly relatives which are like gold dust now. Plus old cine film from my childhood etc

These wouldn't necessarily be a numbered source for these initially but once I include them as part of someone's story, then I would definitely give the item a source number. If it is say, a movie of a wedding or special family event featuring many family relatives, you can use the one source number and pop it in as many person's details as are featured.

[randy_godfrey]

Re: Filing Various Documents

I know that people on ReunionTalk like to see the responses on threads, and it is sometimes frustrating if a thread peters out. Plus my rambles may help someone else.

Yes, yes, and yes. Thanks for thinking of all of us who are following this discussion.

Randy

[Frank Zwolinski]

Re: Filing Various Documents

Thank you all for contributing to this thread, I have learned so much and I marvel at the generosity of all of those who read and contribute to ReunionTalk!!

Frank