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

Oogiem said:
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.
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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!
 
RS356 said:
My genealogy files stand alone from my general A-Z reference...
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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.
 
TesTeq said:
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.
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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.
 
TesTeq said:
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.
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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.
 
Oogiem said:
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.
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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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