The geneologist must not hope to do his geneological research so perfectly as he goes along that it will not have to be rewritten and worked over many times before it is finally ready for publication. It is necessary, therefore, to lay out his work so that it can be amplified in any place; changed about as to arrangement; new family lines added; and generally built up without upsetting the main plan or running into complica­tions which will necessitate any decided change of scheme. There is perhaps no work that a man undertakes where so many loose ends must be left for completion as in the com­pilation of a geneology research. It is patchwork that must finally fit together into an orderly arrangement to make the picture of an American family in its entirety.

Much valuable time is often spent and lost in the prepara­tion of geneology research by the writer discovering in the midst of his work that his plan is not flexible enough to meet his needs, resulting either in rewriting and rearranging the whole job on a more expansive plan, or carrying on with a made over arrangement which is very liable to produce mistakes and lead to confusion of lines that is troublesome. Years of work may be almost hopelessly mixed up, and the compiler of the geneology completely discouraged, because he did not have a well thought out plan and adequate scheme of opera­tions.

There are many plans of arrangement, all of them having some virtues to recommend them, and most of them lacking in some vital point. The plans to be explained herein are built up from what seem to be the best of all of those in gen­eral practice with such additions as are necessary to make the work easiest to accomplish and most successful in results.

Bearing in mind that any geneology research of size is going to em­brace many thousands of people, it will be apparent that any attempt to keep them in mind without careful numbering and indexing is futile. Also it will soon become apparent that the geneologist is going to meet very confusing propositions relative to intermarriages which, while they may be so re­mote as to render the actual relationship almost nil, are still unions that will form cross lines for which provision must be made. In a recent examination it was found that all four of the grandparents of a certain member of a family were de­scendants in the same degree from a common ancestor, and although each grandparent came from a different line divid­ing prior to 1700, still there was the complication of number­ing, indexing and cross indexing necessary to keep straight the various lines.

If several lines from a common ancestor are being com­bined in one book, there must be cross references. And if several lines are being prepared, each carrying one line from the common ancestor, there must be duplication of work that the member appearing in more than one line may be properly placed in correct order in each book. Through one line a person may fall in the sixth generation, while in an­other line he may be in the seventh generation, and unless the numbering and indexing are very carefully done the result is not going to be clearly set forth, and the entire work will be weakened to the extent that the reader will not easily understand the true relationship intended to be conveyed.

It seems necessary to have a plan of working papers with sufficient flexibility to record a family of a thousand individ­uals, or one with an unlimited number.

In geneology research, working Papers should be clearly understandable, and a printed form is to be preferred. If one has a set of questions to answer there is less liability of leaving out an essential fact. A form with a definite place for births, marriages and deaths, and the chronological order of issue with such data as are necessary concerning them, should be strictly followed. The form should be simple, its meaning and arrangement clear to the ordinary person, and so made up that it can be used by the geneologist himself in his own office or wherever he may have occasion to work, or be sent out to others for their assistance in completing the answers to the questions printed thereon.

Working papers should be printed on small sheets. It is often necessary to make records while talking to some one out of doors or over the telephone, and much work will be done in cemeteries, where the use of large sheets is a nuisance.
In the following illustration is shown the form of a working sheet which is both convenient and clear.*

* Lefax, Philadelphia, Pa. Corp. 1910.

This form has much to recommend it. It also has its limi­tations and faults. The printing on the form is so indented as to make the writing line very short. It is designed for use of the male lines only, whereas it is necessary to make provi­sion for carrying female lines, as regardless of the decision of the limitation of the work to male lines there will be occasions where the female lines must be continued, and they all should be carried until they are definitely established in the families of their husbands at least. There is not continuity of the story. The birth, death and marriage should be closely as­sociated on the form for ease of comparison. There is provi­sion for but one death. It is as necessary to record the death of a husband or wife of a member in line as it is to know the date of their birth, for which provision is made on the blank. Much would be gained in the ease with which the blank is to be used if the arrangement were shifted about.

While it is possible to carry the form shown in the standard ring binder, to those persons who have had experience in writing on sheets held together by rings the advantage is offset by the bother of writing on sheets so fastened together. The rings are always in the way and the hand of the writer must rest on them which does not make for ease or good pen­manship. Ring binders have a very valuable use in fastening together sheets of data which are to be consulted and which may need to be changed from time to time, such as price sheets etc. but as a notebook to be written in they do not commend themselves.

The illustrations on pages 80 and 81 show a form seeking the same information (which must appear in any form used) with the addition of such other questions as are necessary for the gathering of genealogical data and with the arrangement of the questions in a more logical way. The entire line can be used for writing; either male or female lines can be carried; the story is continuous, and room is provided for such bio­graphical notes as the geneologist may wish to make in con­nection with the member, such as war record, college de­grees etc.

The working sheet should be of a size which can be mailed without folding. It should be large enough to contain all the necessary data and small enough to be easily handled any­where and it should be a size which will fit the standard en­velope both for mailing and filing.

Progressive Numbering

In geneology research, every page of Working Papers should bear in the upper left hand corner a progressive number which can be stamped on with a hand numbering machine or numbered by the printer when making the forms. This number has several uses. It is necessary for various indexing purposes. There will be occasion to send to correspondents Working Sheets on which have been written partial data, asking that the form be completed and returned, in which case the fact that it is numbered will assist very much. Numbered sheets are thought to be a part of a general scheme which should not be broken, and experience has proved that many more replies will be received if the sheets are numbered than if they are sent out unnumbered.

This system of numbering has nothing to do with the finished work, and it is of no consequence whether members of the family are numbered in sequence or not. Let the order of the sheets follow the work from branch to branch and from family to family, the index will care for the desired re­sult. If sheet No. 2758 is used for John Sylvester, recording thereon information secured regarding him from the Hanover Massachusetts History, and six months later when the gene­alogist is working in the larger numbers, more information is found from some other source relating to the same John Sylvester, the next unused sheet, which may be No. 4320, should be taken, upon which is entered the additional infor­mation. The index card for John Sylvester will care for the bringing together the information on these various sheets when it is wanted. It is well, however, to take time to cross reference as the work is going on, putting the sheet numbers in the reference line at the bottom of the sheet, but this is not absolutely essential.

The Work Sheet should never be taken out of the files for the recording of additional data thereon unless it is done with a different color of ink. Otherwise it can not be deter­mined what information came from one source and what from another. If ink color is changed the reference and the information which correspond in color will be easily dis­tinguished. On the whole it is easier and safer to put the in­formation derived from one source only, on a sheet, using as many sheets as there are sources of information.

When the final compilation is to be made it may be found that there are several Work Sheets, widely separated by numbers, referring to the same person or head of a family.

In the following illustrations will be found a Work Sheet bearing information derived from two sources, the difference in type representing the different colors of ink.

It is preferable to put on one sheet only that information gleaned from one source. For example, the preceding Work Sheet contains information from both the Hanover History and the Abington History. A sheet for each source would be better. It will be found that the saving of time and bother will more than offset the difference in cost of material.

There will be occasion to use two other methods of desig­nation in other places in the work, therefore it is important to fix in mind the term Progressive Numbering. Hereafter when the term is used in connection with Working Sheets it will have reference only to the number in the upper left hand corner of the Work Sheet.

Generation Index Lettering

In geneology research, in distinction from Progressive Numbering, wherein one person or head of a family may be given several numbers, there must be a generation Index Lettering or Generation Index Numbering which is never used for any other person than that to which it is first assigned, and which, when used for that one particular person is always reserved for him without change. Just as there is a place for each person in a family and no one else can be substituted for that person, so there must be a designation for each person which is his very own and represents him wherever it is found.

This is a form of designation devised to render flexibility in the compilation of data, assigning to each person as found a letter or number which will not conflict with any other per­son's letter or number, and yet will leave the work open for the insertion of the record of newly found persons in the family that they may be put in their chronological order, though they may be found at widely diverging times.

This form of designation may be carried into the published work as was done in the Lincoln and the Waldo Genealogies, where Index Letters have been used, and in the Chapin geneology, where Index Figures are used, or it may be dropped when it has served its purpose, and the system sug­gested by the New England Historic Genealogical Society adopted in its place. It must be followed, however, until the work of compilation is completed and all lines are closed to additions.

The explanation of the system will show its flexibility and necessity.

In chapter 2 of Part 1, under the title of "Sources of Infor­mation" will be found a full description of Mr. Lincoln's plan of numbering by letters with its variation of figures as found in the Chapin geneology.

The plan has its drawbacks when applied to the printed book as done in the Chapin and Lincoln genealogies because the average user of the books is not a geneologist and finds it some bother to accustom himself to the use of the plan. Librarians universally condemn the system because in their busy lives so much time is expended to explain the plan to their patrons before they can work with the books where it is found, with ease and comfort.

It is, however, the only system worth considering in pre­paratory work. By its use there is no danger of confusing numbers. There is ample room in the numbering scheme for recording as many families or as many children in a family as can possibly exist without having to resort to fractional numbers, changing from Arabic to Roman numerals or adopting letters to help care for subdivisions of families. The plan is more scientific because it enables the worker to jump back over several generations and pick up a common ancestor without being obliged to back up the line. For example, us­ing the letters adefa be and adefb ae as representing two persons in the work, it will be seen at once without looking up the intervening generations that the two persons came down the same line through abef or for four generations and that as three generations are different, i.e., c and e represent­ing the individuals under consideration, their fathers b and a, and their grandfathers a and b, the fourth generation back or their great-grandfather was the same person and their point of union ancestrally.

With any other method it would be necessary to look up both fathers and both grandfathers and even then there would be no indication in the numbering whether the lines ever joined.

The plan when mastered, which is quickly and easily done, has great advantages over any other in so far as it applies to compilation.

If sufficiently used to acquaint the student who has occa­sion to use genealogies it would be superior for the printed book, but until its use becomes general enough to be well understood by the lay worker it will continue to be trouble­some to those who encounter it in their work and a nuisance for librarians who are called upon to explain the plan to pa­trons of their libraries.

The third system of numbering to be used by the genealo­gist will only be necessary in preparing the printer's copy, and will be the last operation before the manuscript leaves the compiler's hands. It will then only be used if the system of the New England Historic Genealogical Society is adopted for the printed book. It will be discussed with the subject of preparing copy for the publication.

It will be necessary to work throughout the compilation of the material with Progressive Numbers and Index Letters and they will be referred to as such in further dis­cussion.

Taking up the form of the Work Sheet again the space in the upper right-hand corner is designated "Index Letters" and on that line should be entered the Index Letters of the person whose name is to appear on the next line which is designated on the form "Name," thus:

Showing that Abraham Josselyn is in the sixth genera­tion and that he is the first child of aabeg of the fifth gen­eration.

The heading of the Work Sheet (Name), should bear the name of the person in line of blood, regardless of whether it is a male or a female. The business of the geneologist is with the blood and not with the in-law. This should be followed by the name of the father and the maiden name of the mother, thus:

In this geneology reserarch, it is suggested that the name of the person under exami­nation and the name of the parent who is of the blood be checked in some way. If the work is being typed the aster­isk (*) can be used, and if the work is being done by hand checking may be done with a pen. It should be done in some distinctive way that will not be confused with any other marking that may be placed against the name. This check­ing is especially helpful when names other than the surname of the family, are being run as in the case of daughters whose lines are being continued out of the family surname. By reference to the above illustration it will be noted that this has been done, thus showing that the relationship to the family is through the line of the mother, the Jackson family, rather than through the Jacobs' line of the father.

The name of the husband or the wife, as the case may be, should be given in its proper place with the same information regarding parentage. No check mark can be used with the husband or wife unless they also are descended from the common ancestor under consideration, in which case it is wise in carrying the names of their children, to use two aster­isks (**) or check marks in heading the Work Sheet of each of their children. Sometimes in old New England families all grandparents are descended from the same common an­cestor in which case as many asterisks or check marks will be used as there are found lines of descent. This checking is very helpful in keeping straight intermarriages.

Dates and Places

In geneology research, it is found most convenient to write the dates of birth and death in conjunction for easy mental calculation. Errors can thus easily be caught that would escape attention if the dates were separated by other matter. And for the same rea­son the date of marriage should follow those of birth and death. The date of marriage should never be placed between those of birth and death as it breaks the continuity of the story. The line carrying the item of marriage connects the history of the husband with that of the wife.

With the dates of birth, death and marriage should be recorded the name of the place where these events occurred. This is very important in checking for correctness. It will be useful also for those readers who wish to prove their lines for admission to patriotic societies. It is disappointing to pick up a geneology and find that the desired ancestor was born, married and died on definitely known dates, but with no information where any of these important events took place, and with no suggestion where to address a communi­cation to the proper authorities for certificates, which are so necessary in proving these matters.

In the event of conflicting dates, which are not at all un­common in genealogical work, it is valuable to know where to go for the official record.

The same facts should be ascertained for the wife, or for the husband, as for the person in line, and for the same rea­sons. In searching ancestral lines, genealogies are very help­ful and many times can furnish data of a grandfather or grandmother who, while they may be an in-law in the gene­alogy where their names appear, are in ancestral line of the examiner, and in the absence of a history of their own par­ticular family, could in no other way be found.

It is always advisable to furnish residence if possible. In the case of generations that are dead, residence often gives clues for other family data and possible descendants. For generations still alive, residence is very valuable to examiners working on other family genealogies where marriages have occurred with the family whose history has been published. In a very complete geneology recently printed, otherwise very carefully prepared, this important detail is missing and the examiner having occasion to use the book in search of living members of his own family whose names appeared in the volume through marriage, found several hundred names of the people with whom he wished to communicate, but al­most no addresses by which he could get in touch with them. Thus for his purpose the book was practically worth­less.

It is also recommended that professions and occupations be included where they are known, and space is provided on the form for the recording of such information. Such knowl­edge will have many uses in the minds of the readers.

Room is also provided for biography. It is important to make note of any war record; of the educational attainments; and the noteworthy events in the life of the individual. In the large majority of instances the space provided is suffi­cient, but where more room is needed it is a simple matter to use a blank sheet cut the same size as the form which should bear the same Progressive Number and Index Letters and be treated as a continuation of the biographical sketch on the form.

References

In geneology research, there should be in a place apart from the family data con­tained thereon, a place for reference to the books or people consulted regarding the subject matter on the sheet. The geneologist should very carefully fortify himself with the evidences of his knowledge or belief. It will also be necessary to know where to re-examine in order to check back if for any reason the record is ever in question.

In the form shown, the bottom of the page is reserved and boxed off for reference authority wherein can be written the name of the book and the page consulted, or the name and address of the person furnishing the information, thus:

or:

With the completion of the history of the husband and wife the Work Sheet will be as illustrated:

Recording Children

In the form illustrated provision is made for six children. The size of the form can accommodate that number with the proper data concerning each, and six is usually a sufficient number for which to provide. In larger families it is easier and cheaper to use a second or even a third sheet, changing the index letters or numbers opposite the names of the chil­dren as needful. In using additional sheets in this way suc­ceeding Progressive Numbers should be used, but retaining the same Generation Index Letters or Numbers.

In this geneolgy research, while it was a common occurrence to find families of ten or more children one hundred years ago, thus requiring two Work Sheets for their recording, the average family for the last fifty years will record less than six children. It will be found that there is ample provision on the blank for a large percentage of the families with which the geneologist has to deal, and that provision for larger families would be paper wasted and added bulk in handling and filing.

Data regarding children should contain for each child the name, place and date of birth, death and marriage, and to whom married. Also residence should be recorded. If there is no issue of the union, there is no need for further record, but if there is issue, a new sheet should be started bearing the name of that child, the proper Index Letters, and at the bot­tom of the sheet in the Authority box the Progressive Num­ber of the parent from whose Work Sheet the record has been transferred. The Progressive Number of the child's Work Sheet should also be marked against his name on the parent's Work Sheet, thus cross referencing and tying together the records of parent and child for convenience in later work.

The Work Sheet of a parent with a first child who married and died without issue; of a second child who married and had issue; and of a third child who died unmarried is shown in the illustration below. It will be noted that the record of the first and third child are ended on the Work Sheet of the parent, but that of the second child is transferred to an independent Work Sheet of his own for continuation.

Successive Marriages

In the event that the subject of the Work Sheet has mar­ried more than once a separate Work Sheet should be used for each marriage, and the children of each union should be recorded on the Work Sheet of their parents.

In heading the second marriage Work Sheet it is not nec­essary to repeat the data of the subject of the sheet, but the Generation Index Letters and the name should be repeated.

Had John H. Jacobs married a second time his Work Sheet would be headed as follows:

Field Working Papers

The same form may be used for what may be called Field Working Papers, i.e. for gathering information from others, principally by correspondence. While it will not take the place of the Questionnaire already described, for the securing of entirely new data, it will be found better than the other form for the completion of partial data.

The one doing geneology reserach who is after information is always handicapped when he has to resort to the mails. Many people are totally unin­terested in family history. Others are woefully ignorant of their family data. Some do not realize how little they really do know about their family affairs as was recently illustrated by the experience of a title examiner seeking the heirs of a dead land owner. A certain member of the family told the examiner that he knew the complete history of the family and could furnish all that was needed in the case. When it came to definite information, however, he could not name, without the aid of his wife, the date of birth of any of his own children or tell how old they were, nor did he know the names of all of his grandfather's children, his own uncles and aunts.

This lack of knowledge often results in a correspondent having to write to an old aunt or some one else who is far away, for definite data. And presumably the aunt has to write, when she gets around to it, to a sister in some other place, perhaps a remote corner of the country, to help out. Weeks and sometimes months go by without any reply, leaving the geneologist uncertain whether any attempt is being made to assist him.

In geneology research, a correspondent may know some family history and have every intention to help by answering letters addressed to him or filling in information on Work Sheets sent him, but the busy life of the ordinary person makes it easy to lay aside such matters until some more convenient time for answering which is, usually, never. He does not realize that the geneal­ogist is probably spending valuable time and hundreds of dollars trying to get answers to those inquiries that are so nonchalantly laid aside for a more convenient season.

Another reason for unsatisfactory replies is indefiniteness. It is the usual experience to have a large correspondence with many people who try their best to help, but who do not know how to give definite information, and therefore write long letters that, while interesting, are totally devoid of informa­tion or data. This interesting correspondence would be de­lightful were it not for the fact that any one who undertakes to write a geneology is the busiest person imaginable, buried with necessary correspondence, and usually too poorly paid to afford secretarial assistance.

The correspondent does not realize that the geneologist has very meagre knowledge of the branch of the family about which he is making inquiry. Matters that are so thoroughly known to the correspondent are assumed to be somewhat familiar to the geneologist. This may be illustrated by the experience of a compiler with an old lady in a midwestern city recently. She replied to his letters promptly with abun­dant references to "my husband," "my son in Detroit," "my son's wife," "my grandchildren," "my sister's oldest boy," etc., but not one name or date in her whole letter. She did not answer a single question that had been asked, and evi­dently did not reread the letter of inquiry at the time she was answering it. This was repeated three times, and then she was sent a Work Sheet with such information as was at hand filled in, and asked to complete and return the identical blank. It came back promptly, properly completed, and gave all the desired information that six months of corre­spondence had failed to secure.

In geneology research, a word should be said regarding family tradition as it enters into correspondence. Tradition may be proved to be fact, but often it is otherwise, and sometimes it is very diffi­cult to weed out tradition from among the facts. This is particularly true in correspondence. Some one says to his children, "Grandfather was said to have come from Rhode Island," and years later one of those children, who is sought for information on this subject writes: "Father said his grandfather came from Rhode Island." That was not what the father said at all. Later it may be found that he did come from Rhode Island, or it may have been Connecticut from which he came. Tradition, in being repeated, was stated as fact. This sort of misinformation is often exceedingly diffi­cult to catch and correct, and every correspondent should be cautioned to qualify all information he is not absolutely sure about, by stating his source of knowledge or reason for belief.

Tradition has its place in geneology as a suggestive source of information. When a letter is received from a western cor­respondent saying that the family was supposed to have come from "Little Rock, Rhode Island," and there is no Little Rock in Rhode Island, and never was so far as is known, the suggestion at once prompts a search in Kingston which in the early days was known by the name of Little Rest, or in Lime Rock, a neighborhood in the town of Lin­coln, for the family, with possible satisfactory results. There­fore it cannot be said that the family tradition is worthless and is to be entirely avoided in genealogical work, but it must be used with the greatest of caution. It is a guess that must be investigated and either proved or disproved, or else it must be clearly branded in the record as tradition.

How to Prepare Field Papers

In using the same form of Working Sheets for Field Work­ing Papers, such data as the geneologist has should be in­serted in its proper place and preferably with a typewriter. This start will be encouraging to whoever is to receive and attempt to complete it. If it is done either with a typewriter, or with a color of ink not commonly used, any additions or alterations by the correspondent will be quickly discernable. In typewriting it is advisable not to use a black ribbon which is the color so universally used today, but some color that will contrast with any work the correspondent may elect to do with the ordinarily equipped machine.

The partially filled in sheet should bear the same Progres­sive Number as the one from which it is copied in the geneal­ogist's file, and when returned and indexed, it should be filed with the original. In typing it, a carbon copy should be taken which may be on cheap unprinted paper, as its only use will be to keep a check on the Work Sheets sent out until such time as they are returned. These copies should be filed by number in cheap manilla envelopes, on which should be written the Progressive Numbers appearing on the sheets enclosed, the name and address of the person to whom they are sent, and the date on which they go out, thus:

Nos. 2746, 2747, 2748, 2749
Mrs. J. Thomas Wilbur, 235 Main St., Yonkers, N. Y.
4/8/1931

In this way it is easy to know what, when and from whom information has been sought, and if answers are not received within a reasonable time it is easy to follow up with further correspondence.

Inasmuch as some explanation is necessary to go with the Field Working Papers being sent out, a printed letter can be enclosed with it. Something on the order of the following is suggested:

OFFICE OF THE geneologist OF THE
CHILDS  FAMILY IN AMERICA
23 MAIN ST. BEVERLY,
MASSACHUSETTS

Dear Cousin:

To complete the history of the family of Thomas Childs who came to America in 1634 and settled in Duxbury, Massa­chusetts, information is being sought.

Enclosed you will find a form which we have filled out so far as we have information. Will you kindly check this data for correctness, and add as much as possible of the required information, and return the sheet to this office. Return postage is enclosed, and as these sheets are numbered, please do not destroy or keep them, but return them as soon as possible that we may not be unnecessarily delayed with the work.

We wish to use one of these sheets for each descendant having children. If you need more of the sheets please send a list of descendants who have, or have left, families, and sheets will be forwarded to you.

If you cannot furnish the information sought, please re­turn the sheet and send us the name and address of any one who can help us.

We are preparing a very valuable geneology at great ex­pense, and we depend on you to co-operate with us in every way that you can. It is your work as well as ours.

Very sincerely yours,

Such a letter is very helpful in securing replies. It has seemed, when used, to be as satisfactory as a written letter, and saves greatly both in time and labor.

In geneology research, small as it may seem, many people will not spend the necessary money for a postage stamp for a reply. There­fore it is suggested that the geneologist adopt the govern­ment plan of using Business Reply Envelopes. While there is an extra cent rate on this class of mail it is only payable on those replies which are returned, and no postage is wasted on those who do not reply. The cost of this plan is less than that of enclosing stamped envelopes.

To secure the permit for the use of these envelopes, it is only necessary to apply through the post office through which in-coming mail is to be received, and when the permit is issued, which is done without cost, any local printer can fur­nish the printed envelopes as specified in the post office regu­lations. It has been found that enclosing these paid reply envelopes greatly assists in securing the desired information. It is often advisable to send duplicate blanks to various members of the family. While one may know one date, an­other will know some other necessary information. Dupli­cates should all bear the same Progressive Number so that they may be filed together upon their return.

Indexing Working Papers

Indexing is a tedious task and an easy one to neglect, but in no line of work is a carefully made index of greater im­portance than in the preparation of a geneology. Unless the geneologist is untiring in his indexing, he will soon find him­self consulting books that he has already examined and from which he has abstracted; writing people for information which is already in his files; duplicating his work in various directions. It is entirely impossible for him to remember what he has or has not done, when he is going over names by the tens of thousands, and if he could remember it would be a useless mental exercise. The successful geneologist must index early and late, everlastingly index, but do it in such a way that it will most speedily and successfully accomplish its purpose.

In geneology research, for every index needed in the entire proposition, the best card to use is what is commonly known as Library size (2 x 5). It is as large as is necessary and is better than the ordinary 3x5 card as it saves an inch both in cost and in filing space which is worth consideration. Index cards of this size can most cheaply be cut from sheet stock by any printer and should cost around a dollar per thousand if cut from cover stock which is thinner and tougher than the cheaper grades of card stock.

To distinguish easily different indexes, different colors should be used, white for Working Sheets, primrose for the book index, gray for a mailing list, etc. By this arrangement there is little liability of confusing the different indexes.

Two indexes are advisable for the Work Sheets. A general index which should embrace every name written, and be so made as to make clear from the index without consulting the Work Sheets which particular person of the same name is wanted. This is especially necessary because of the constant recurrence of old family names such as John, Thomas, Mary, Abigail, etc. These names will run through generation after generation and unless there is some way to tell from the index which John or which Abigail is wanted, the geneologist will find himself getting out from his files envelope after envelope of Work Sheets on which the wanted name appears as shown by the index. It is surprising how many times these Work Sheets will have to be consulted as information keeps coming in from all sources.

It is suggested that the general index of Work Sheets be made thus:

♦Jacobs, Grace M.                    1873-1897
of *John H. and Mary E. (Sampson) Jacobs
m. George R. Hill Rockland, Mass.

This gives the name; the approximate date of birth and death (the dash following the year of birth as 1826-; preced­ing the date of death as -1874; separating the dates of birth and death if both are known as 1826-1874; and preceding and following where birth and death occur in the same year as -i874-); the name of the parents which will be found useful; the name of the husband or wife as the case may be; and if known, some place of residence either at birth or later in life where information is most likely to be found.

When the index is consulted for any information of Grace M. Jacobs, born about 1873, there is no question what Grace M. Jacobs is wanted even though there be a dozen of the same name in the geneology. The story is all on the index, and Work Sheet No. 2958 is the only one that needs to be removed from the files. There is of course no other Grace M. Jacobs in the entire index with the same distinguishing data on her index card. It is well also to continue the practice of starring of checking the name in line of the blood.

In the case of in-laws the index merely says:

Sampson, William m.
Mary Russell 2958

There being no asterisk or check it is understood that Wil­liam Sampson was merely a parent of an in-law and not properly a part of the geneology.

The practice of so carefully and explicitly indexing will be attacked on the ground of time and labor involved, but the geneologist has only to make the test of finding a member by this method and then one by that of simple indexing by name and number of sheet to convince himself of its value and saving qualities. With the Work Sheets properly filed as will be later explained it should not take over thirty seconds to find any particular person in an index of forty thousand names.

If there are several Work Sheets having information of the same person, they may be all indexed on the same card or a new card may be made for each time the name appears on a different Work Sheet. The latter method will consume more cards and fill the index file faster thus requiring more filing room, but will take far less time than examining the index each time the name is found, and on the whole will be found the more satisfactory plan.

To avoid double indexing, the name appearing in the head­ing of the sheet and the name of the husband or wife with the father-in-law and mother-in-law should be indexed. The names of the father and mother of the subject having been previously indexed on their own sheet, they should not be done again. In indexing children, those names marked for continuation should not be indexed on their father's and mother's Work Sheet, but will be indexed when picked up on their own Work Sheets in continuation. All uncontinued names of children should be indexed on the parent's sheet, together with the names of any family appearing with them.

Index Guides

In geneology research, guide cards may be easily made from the same cover stock having them cut one fourth inch wider {2¼ x 5) and printing the name or index subdivision of the alphabet on the very top edge of the card so that it will be visible above the edge of the regular cards. A separate color should be used for guide cards, varying the color if subindexes are to be used. The alphabet may be divided on the guide cards to meet the requirements, which is an advantage over the stock cards on the market. If the geneology is to index a large number of names it will be found advantageous to put in a guide card headed with each given name of the family surname, as Aaron, Abigail etc. and separate guide cards for each sur­name other than that of the family under consideration, as Aaronson, Abbe, Anderson, etc. This will require more cards than the regular subdivision of the alphabet, but it will greatly speed up the finding of names as they are wanted in the work, and if a hard finished fifty pound stock is used it will not unduly fill up the files.

Indexing Variations or Spelling Surnames

In indexing Work Sheets it is not advisable to index sur­names by their various spellings, as Whiton-Whiting, Haines-Haynes, Munro-Munroe-Monroe, etc. The most commonly used form of spelling should be selected and adhered to throughout the work. Unless this is done mistakes are likely to occur because all of the variations may not be examined. There seems to be no law to prevent any member of the Smith family from adopting Smythe as the way he spells his name. When nearly all the other members of the family spell the name Smith it is easy to forget to look under Smythe, nor is it conducive to speed and ease of work if the geneologist has always to look under Smythe when looking up the Smiths to be sure that he has not missed some one. A cross reference card should be made for each form of spelling and filed in its proper place. If the spelling Smythe is found in the work, the index card should simply read: Smythe—See Smith. The index card of the particular Smythe should be written Smythe, however, but filed under Smith. This should only apply to the index of Work Sheets. In the index made for the printed book, all forms of spelling should be placed in their proper order in the index.

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