Genealogy Chat

Dear PME

I spent about a month last year attaching all the certificates to FTM and they have now disappeared - i.e no longer attached. That has happened twice now, and I am not going through it again!

I have tried spreadsheets, devised so many that didn't work. I am not clever enough to devise a coding system. For 2,500 people?

Really hoping someone else has the same issue and can send me something.

Carolyn, I rarely use Free Bmd, so that will only work for a few of them.

Thanks for suggestions though.

Margaret

You should be able to attach all the computer files to the relevant people using FTM.

I guess a basic spreadsheet would do it names down oneside (surname, then first name, so familites sit together) then items accross the top, e.g. certs, birth, marriage, death, census 1851, 1861 etc, etc. Maybe split it alphabetically so you have several pages, so don't have to do too much scrolling.

Then make up your own coding system, and organise your computer and physical files appropriately.

Sorry folks, but I have posted more than once on this subject, and am getting no better at keeping records, even after 5 years.

I now have about 2,500 people in my tree (including a couple of relatives' trees), and want to "pull it all together" to see what I am missing.

I have FTM with the bare bones. I have folders (on computer) with census images. I have copies of about 450 certificates (plus about 100 that were wrong!). Most I have scanned to my computer - but not all. I have recorded sources for many of my finds - but not all. I have located graves, other documents (like CWGC records, a few wills, a few service histories, some newspaper cuttings, etc.

I have hundreds of census records filed by family (on computer).

Has somebody got a good spreadsheet or other system of recording what I have got, and where it is, and how to determine what I am missing?

Ever hopeful of someone being as disorganised as me and having a solution that fits.

Love to all

Margaret