For paper filing: Should we separate Live Projects / Archived Projects / Support Materials ?

RS356

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That is a brilliant idea. I've been using the filing system from the book "Organizing Your Family History Search" by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.
I've been using a different color file folder for genealogy stuff. I think I will pull it all out into a separate drawer though as you are correct, it might get inadvertently thrown away if it's in the main filing system.

Color is helpful too - each of my file boxes is a separate color to allow for quick identification.

If I recall correctly, Carmack advises creating a file folder for every family group. This never worked for me because, ultimately, a person's data would be in at least 2 locations - the family group they were born into, and the family group they established upon marriage. Adding in files for locations or events that cover multiple families - this could get confusing!
 

TesTeq

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My genealogy files stand alone from my general A-Z reference...
Why is this information so valuable? It is a very serious question for me since, strangely enough, I can't find any motivation to dig into my family history.
 

RS356

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Why is this information so valuable? It is a very serious question for me since, strangely enough, I can't find any motivation to dig into my family history.

Great question, @TesTeq. Most of my standard reference files contain information that will ultimately become obsolete or can be easily replaced. The genealogy files, on the other hand, are a body of knowledge nearly 100 years in the making, started by my great grandfather. Many of the files contain original primary sources - some as old as the early 1700s. As a mentioned, these items are safety archived, but the remaining files include countless notes documenting the research process, both mine and others.

As a historian, I find these stories fascinating, inspiring, and particularly relevant to modern life - how others lived, solved problems, and related to one another. Sure, there is an a sentimental value to the files, but historical importance as well. My motivation comes from the thrill of the research and the sharing of knowledge with others.
 

Oogiem

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Why is this information so valuable? It is a very serious question for me since, strangely enough, I can't find any motivation to dig into my family history.
To repeat a famous quote. "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it."

The lives and stories of our ancestors are endlessly fascinating. Someone who has curated a large volume of data into useful categories and who is maintaining it in a fashion that aids in further research is a treasure. That stuff ultimately belongs to the entire human race not even to just one family.

You may have no interest in it but thankfully your attitude is rare.
 

TesTeq

Registered
To repeat a famous quote. "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it."
(...)
You may have no interest in it but thankfully your attitude is rare.
Alhought I must admit that there's nothing to be repeated from history in the "social mobile media" world, but I agree that other lessons are valuable. People change slower than technology. Thankfully my attitude is rare.
 
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