January 9, 2026
Last week I talked about visiting and interviewing older family members. This week I want to suggest another possible genealogy resolution.
This resolution concerns your files. New genealogists assume that most of their work will be done online. Any files they accumulate will be digital. However, as anyone who has been working on their family tree for a while knows, paper files accumulate whether you want them to or not. Copies of old records may only be available on paper. For example, I have ordered birth and death certificates and divorce files from various archives and courthouses. Many of these archives would only make paper copies.
If you have paper copies of records, make it a priority this year to digitize them. Digging through piles of files to find a specific birth certificate that you know you ordered years ago can be daunting. Even worse is to find that you just spent an unnecessary $50 to order records you already had. If you think it won’t happen to you, think again. I tucked several birth certificates in an envelope several years ago. At the time I was busy with other things and thought I’d organize and properly file them later. It was only after I’d spent most of a day at an archive copying the same records that I discovered my earlier copies – still waiting in that envelope for me to get back to them.
Out of sight out of mind is particularly true if your older files are in cabinets or binders. A lot of the documents in those old files may be records such as censuses. Years ago, copies of censuses were difficult to obtain. Finding someone on a census was a major feat. Once we’d succeeded in finding a record for great grandpa, we were thrilled to make a copy – usually on 11” x 17” paper. If you have those unwieldy copies still neatly filed away, now is the time to part with them. Censuses are readily available online on almost every genealogy website. If you want a copy, make a digital one. It will be easier to access and easier to read than your paper copies.
I admit that I have a sentimental attachment to those old paper copies that I worked so hard to get. However, I also know that I rarely refer to any of the paper copies. It’s just too cumbersome to dig through all that paper. Do yourself a favor and digitize anything that is still pertinent.
Once that is done, I suggest keeping any original documents and photos you may have. The rest of the paper should probably go in the recycling bin. Your file cabinets will be less stuffed, and you might be able to find something when you need it.
Once you’ve digitized your old paper copies, make an additional resolution to digitize any new copies when they arrive. Then either recycle the paper copy or, if it’s unique or original, file it in your slimmed down paper files.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society