SNGF: True Confessions about Genea-Assets

Randy at Genea-Musings has given us a interesting challenge this time. It is:

Hello there, genea-collectors - it's SATURDAY NIGHT, time for more GENEALOGY FUN.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Think about this: Is all of your genealogical material, which you've gathered over the years, well organized? Do you have papers, certificates, photographs and other ephemera squirreled away somewhere in your genealogy cave center? Do you have forgotten digital files, including documents, photographs and notes hiding in your computer file folders? It's Saturday night, do you know where ALL of your family history information is?

2) Give yourself a grade (from A to F) on how well you've done with your filing of tangible and digital genealogical assets (two grades, one for each). Brag about your organizational prowess if you deserve it - you can be a good example to the rest of us. Bemoan your situation if your files are like mine.

3) Look through your tangible or digital genea-assets and find something you've "lost," forgotten or overlooked that might add to your knowledge about one or more families. Tell us what you found, how will it help you, and will you commit to analyze it, source it, and use it?

4) Write a blog post of your own, make a comment on this blog post, or enter a Facebook Status or Google Plus Stream item concerning your "find" and what you're going to do about it.

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Here is my situation:

In 1990 I began filing ancestors charts, family group sheets, and assorted obituaries, photographs, and other documents in 3-ring binders, arranged by surname. In theory, I am supposed to be keeping up with births, deaths, and marriages...but since I have a busy life filled with loads of work and family commitments, they are not so very up-to-date! I would say my notebooks would earn a C+.












Regarding digital assets, I have a "vintage" version of Family TreeMaker. My goal is to get whatever information is in my physical notebooks transferred onto Family TreeMaker. I must say that I would give myself a C- in this task! Below is just a fraction of what is in my Family TreeMaker files.
















Other digital aspects of my life are even worse! For the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay blog, I often go to area cemeteries, take digital pictures, and then do up blog posts about them. To date, I am WAY behind in organizing these picture files! I usually can find what I need, but it is getting to be a real challenge.











In spite of all this disorganization...and I didn't even mention paper copies of articles, theories, photos, and documents that are stored in drawers and storage boxes...this past week my sister dropped off a family clipping book/journal, and I do plan to scan selected documents from it for future blog posts. So, my life is state of constant chaos, but I usually find time to research, take photos, and blog about them, so "it's all good!"