Scrap Notes - HELP!!!

Since I have retired from my profession, I have created a to-do list, at least mentally. One of those items is to get my office area organized (do we ever?) and begin going through the boxes and boxes of genealogy notes, files, and other ephemera!

One thing that I am bad about and maybe you are, too, is writing myself notes on small scraps of paper. Have you ever wondered what to do with all these little pieces of paper? Well, so have I. Tonight I had one of those 'light bulb' moments. I have an "information please" notebook for general tidbits of information - why not one for genealogy. It can be as simple or complex as you want it. However I have found that the more complex I make it, the less likely I am to keep it up.

Sometimes just buying an A-Z dividers is the easiest way to sort the information. Course, the question comes when you can file something 2 or 3 different ways. How do you solve that? Make a list in the front of your book - like an index. It will help you remember what you filed where.

I sorta use this idea with my bills and important papers in an accordion file. So here's a good example of 'where do I file?' I have insurance papers: house, car, and medical. Do I file everything house related under H, or do I file all things insurance under I? These are the kinds of things you have to decide what works best for you when you do your genealogy information notebook.

When it comes to genealogy my inclination would be to file everything by surname. SO -- for me, A would have any/all information for Adams, Allen, Aldridge etc. B would include Bowers, Bennett, Brown. C would possible contain information for Clark. However this is not a surname I am not actively searching. But if I proved a "c" section, it will be there whenever I decide to throw something in.

I was all ready to post this when I realized there are 'other' information tidbits we also collect: hours a historical society is open, tips in researching Germany, how-to this or that! You could create two notebooks - one for surnames and one for all else - or - just throw them all into one book. It's what works for you!

NOW - Let's get our act together and make us a note book for scap notes!!! We'll conquer the paper mountain one piece at a time!!!

Now You Know!

Enjoy!