Storing information

[Finn]

I have not been doing family history for long, but my mother has collected stuff over the years. Now that I am no longer working she has given it to me to carry on. At the moment I have a box full of her information written in note books, on the backs of photos etc etc.

I imagine to make sense of it I will need some kind of computer programme, just typing it in word becomes quite hard to follow.

Are there free programmes that are any good? Or should I use a website one?

[Bobtail]

well with mine I have note books that I tend to keep my note's in, yes they do pile up also I have one of those A-Z boxes with card in that I keep records on, because I find it easier to keep track of, I dont know if you have family tree maker, you can store records on that, but I think we all have loads of note and the like, for my certificates I have 3 long folder for those which you can buy, 1 for marriage certificate 1 for death and 1 for birth.

[geniedi]

There are some free programmes around, what about PAF - it's a download off familysearch.org.

Might be worth trying to get you started.

Once you get into a programme you can always change to something else be exporting the information.


http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp

[Finn]

Thanks for those tips, that site looks good, I might try that to start with. I just want to get some sort of order for all the information that Mum has put together. I keep finding new bits and pieces as I go through all her books, like trying to work out if the parents for Aunty Monica in one book are the Aunty Monica that married into her mothers side, or the one that married into her fathers side! Not that the programme will tell me that, but at least I will have somewhere to put them so I don't loose them again. lol

[geniedi]

I think once you start inputting all your info into a programme you can then see what exactly you have got and see what you need to find.

I have to say I still have bits of paper etc, I still haven't put anywhere near all mine onto a programme but when I do have a mad blitz and do it it really does help.

D x

[Finn]

Yeah, when my Mum started there was no such thing as computers but she went and visited relatives when she was on holiday and wrote everything down, that is why there are so many note books and everything got jumbled. Many of the people she saw have passed over now so I suppose I am lucky to have that information.
I will have to spend a few days sorting it all out and crossing it off in the books as I go. I bet there are lots of gaps when I finally get it sorted.


Thanks a lot for the information you have given me. People are very approachable on here and it is much easier to ask the stupid questions!

Finn

[Stu in Hastings]

Everyone has been there before Finn, we all had to ask the 'stupid questions' to start with.
I don't think there is a stupid question if you don't know the answer.
If you can't find or get the answer here, we might know of a site where you might be able to get the answer. Its just a case of asking a question.