Spring Cleaning: Organize Your Genealogy Research

Now that spring is officially here, it’s the perfect time to do a little genealogy spring cleaning. Take a break from your research to reorganize, refresh and get yourself in the best shape before tackling your next genealogy hurdle.

Image: Nationaal Archief, Flickr

Here are some quick tips to get started on your genealogy spring cleaning:

Time to scan old documents and photos!

Do you have a pile of old documents and photos that you’ve been meaning to get to? Now is the perfect time to gather them up and start scanning them into your computer and preserve them for the future. As you are scanning them, organize the hard copies before putting them away.

After scanning them, be sure to upload them to your family tree on Geni. Tag the proper relatives to your new uploads so that the documents and photos will appear on their Geni profiles. Not only will you be able to add more sources to your relatives’ profiles, but you will also be able to share them with all of your relatives!

Review your filing system

It may not sound like the most exciting of tasks, but taking a second look at how you file your research can be a great benefit. Make sure everything is properly labeled and take into account what works and what doesn’t. Then make sure any new documents or information you’ve discovered has been properly tucked away. It’s easy to forget to do this while you’re busy researching, so now is a good time to double check.

Clean up your family tree

When was the last time you cleared your Merge Center on Geni? Take a short break from pursuing new research and clean up your existing tree. Merge any new duplicates you may find and be sure to resolve the tree conflicts that may emerge. It’s also easy to forget to go back and resolve data conflicts after completing merges. Go back now and resolve all that you can to ensure the best information is found on your Geni profiles.

What are your spring cleaning tips to better organize your genealogy research? Share them with us in the comments below!