There was a paper explosion at the office of the writer. The accumulation of this paper has been ongoing for over 10 years. I survived this paper explosion but discovered the inadequacies of my genealogy filing system. After researching my genealogy for over 10 years I accumulated a file cabinet of family photographs, correspondence, BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death) records, published family histories, obituaries from various newspapers and several other documents. My filing system consisted of a maximum of 4 file folders titled: Ontario, New York, England and Correspondence (quires and replies) and several folders that were not labeled but had documents stuffed in them.

After enrolling in The National Institute for Genealogical Studies I quickly discovered I was unable to retrieve the documentation to support my research work. In one of the course modules I was studying the topic of Research at the Family History Centers™ which also required you to be familiar with familysearch.org. In accessing familysearch.org I came across a document titled "Organizing Your Paper Files Using File Folders". This document can be found at under Research Helps/Articles, select the letter O and scroll down to Organizing. You will find four documents listed under Organizing:

1. Organizing Your Genealogy Using Computers
2. Organizing Your Paper Files
3. Organizing Your Paper Files Using Binders
4. Organizing Your Paper Files Using File Folders

If you do not wish to organize by File Folders there are three other alternatives. I use a combination of file folders and computer software. The four above mentioned documents are in PDF format. You will need the Adobe Reader to view and print the documents.

In reading the Introduction to Organizing Your Paper Files Using File Folders the writer states "The steps given below for setting up a filing system were developed and refined over several years". This statement sold me on adopting this file system. The method I adopted will take some time to setup however it is definitely worth it.
 
The benefits of organizing your genealogy documents are:
* A file system to support you research work.
* Quick access to documents that you have already gathered.
* A place to file new documents that you located.
* A file system that will preserve what you have collected to pass on to the next generation.

Check it out. It is never too late to get organized.

The following is the tagline from the movie Contact – “Get ready to take a chance on something that just might end up being the most profoundly impactful moment for humanity, for the history… of history”. This tagline best describes the results of having my genealogy online. My genealogy online may not make a profoundly impact for humanity but it does impact my research work of many years.

Having my genealogy online for 5 years has resulted in 1st contact with relatives that are following the the same family surname. It is exciting to share photographs and stories and make those connections. I had another email this week from an individual who found my website and inquired if we shared the same ancestor. She has been very generous by sending photographs. Over the next few days we will communicate with each other to determine the origins of those elusive Irish ancestors.

At the last National Genealogy Society conference I heard a speaker say “Never say quit!”. The best genealogists are those who build a research repertoire by which various types of problems can be solved. One of those techniques for me is a genealogy website where I can display and promote my genealogy online.