Family Tree Software
What I'm actually trying to do is to re-input all my research into Family Historian, but I keep on allowing myself to be distracted by further research!
Many moons ago, I started using Brother's Keeper but I found it tedious that if you entered census details against one person, you'd have to also put in everything for everyone else in the entry but if you were looking at any one person, you wouldn't necessarily know who else was on the same census entry. I was also finding that recording sources was not very thorough on Brother's Keeper.
When I decided to look for other software to use, I had a look at some of the other popular software but decided that Family Historian seemed to have all the facilities I wanted so I bought the latest version at the beginning of the year. I have been trying to thoroughly record my sources but, after doing the FutureLearn online course, I'm not entirely sure I'm doing it right!
Anyhow, within Family Historian, in the Media folder, I have created the following folders to store images or details about sourcees used:
The folder called Census 1891 - SMITH (Others) is where I've been eliminating SMITHs that could also be candidates for 'my' SMITHs but I wanted to keep what I'd found as negative proof! I've done the same on another census for DIXON.
By the way, I've been recording both my tree and my husband's tree on the same root tree. Hence, really the 'root' person is our son, James.
Within each folder, I've adopted slightly different naming conventions depending on what the type of record actually is.
For all the censuses and the 1939 register, the first word is the surname of the Head of the Household in capitals, followed by their first name and then HO reference number for that record as specified by the National Archive. If, when I found the record, I had to dig around to find the actual address for the page entries, I also include this as part of the name. Also, since doing the FutureLearn course, I've been accessing the Source information section and copying that into the Comments in the Properties for the image.
For Birth Certificates (and also for Death Certificates), the image of the certificate is named with the Surname in Capitals, followed by the First Name(s) and then the date of birth or death as YYYY MMM DD (although sometimes I've written the whole month, but I have tried to stay consistent).
For marriages, the certificate image has the groom's name first as capitalised surname followed by the first name(s) then an ampersand followed by the bride's name in the same format, then the date of the marriage as YYYY MMM DD.
For Baptism entries, I realise quite early on that often the register page doesn't have the name of the Church. So, the name is similar ie surname in capitals, followed by the first names, then the word BAPTISM follwed by the name and location of the Church and then the date. I've adopted the same format for Church register entries for Marriages and Deaths as well.
On the whole, for any photograph or newspaper clipping etc that I've taken copies of, the name of the image or document always starts with the surname in capitals followed by the first name(s) and then a brief idea of what it is plus a date. If I've obtained the information from somewhere, this is recorded in the Comments for the image properties.
Hence, I have the documents stored by document type and then sorted by surname. I have found I prefer this route. I know some people prefer to have things stored by family but I find that a bit confusing! Someone always starts off in one family (their parents) but then go on to form a family of their own and even possibly more than one if they marry more than once!
I do also maintain a spreadsheet of all Civil Registration Birth, Marriage and Death entry details that I'm interested in. I don't always know which ones are 'my' ones to start off with but I find that if I record them, it makes it easier to 'see' family groupings with the births and also I can analyse them later once I have all the possible choices (say when tyring to find a death).
One final spreadsheet I keep is a research log where I record what I've tried to find out and how I tried to find it and whether it was successful. I've also started using this blog as a 'fuller' version of documenting the research I've been doing and the conclusions I've reached.
Many moons ago, I started using Brother's Keeper but I found it tedious that if you entered census details against one person, you'd have to also put in everything for everyone else in the entry but if you were looking at any one person, you wouldn't necessarily know who else was on the same census entry. I was also finding that recording sources was not very thorough on Brother's Keeper.
When I decided to look for other software to use, I had a look at some of the other popular software but decided that Family Historian seemed to have all the facilities I wanted so I bought the latest version at the beginning of the year. I have been trying to thoroughly record my sources but, after doing the FutureLearn online course, I'm not entirely sure I'm doing it right!
Anyhow, within Family Historian, in the Media folder, I have created the following folders to store images or details about sourcees used:
The folder called Census 1891 - SMITH (Others) is where I've been eliminating SMITHs that could also be candidates for 'my' SMITHs but I wanted to keep what I'd found as negative proof! I've done the same on another census for DIXON.
By the way, I've been recording both my tree and my husband's tree on the same root tree. Hence, really the 'root' person is our son, James.
Within each folder, I've adopted slightly different naming conventions depending on what the type of record actually is.
 | |
| Names Used for Census Images |
For all the censuses and the 1939 register, the first word is the surname of the Head of the Household in capitals, followed by their first name and then HO reference number for that record as specified by the National Archive. If, when I found the record, I had to dig around to find the actual address for the page entries, I also include this as part of the name. Also, since doing the FutureLearn course, I've been accessing the Source information section and copying that into the Comments in the Properties for the image.
 | |
| Names Used For Birth Certificate Images (also for Death Certificates) |
 |
| Names Used for Marriage Certificate Images |
 | |
| Names Used for Baptism Entries |
On the whole, for any photograph or newspaper clipping etc that I've taken copies of, the name of the image or document always starts with the surname in capitals followed by the first name(s) and then a brief idea of what it is plus a date. If I've obtained the information from somewhere, this is recorded in the Comments for the image properties.
Hence, I have the documents stored by document type and then sorted by surname. I have found I prefer this route. I know some people prefer to have things stored by family but I find that a bit confusing! Someone always starts off in one family (their parents) but then go on to form a family of their own and even possibly more than one if they marry more than once!
I do also maintain a spreadsheet of all Civil Registration Birth, Marriage and Death entry details that I'm interested in. I don't always know which ones are 'my' ones to start off with but I find that if I record them, it makes it easier to 'see' family groupings with the births and also I can analyse them later once I have all the possible choices (say when tyring to find a death).
One final spreadsheet I keep is a research log where I record what I've tried to find out and how I tried to find it and whether it was successful. I've also started using this blog as a 'fuller' version of documenting the research I've been doing and the conclusions I've reached.
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