I am finally ready to get you started on your workbook. It has been interesting to note that there hasnt been any comments on lesson 3, so I hope I have someone who is interested in these lessons.

Step #1
Take a set of the colored tabs out and one of the tab inserts out. You will tear them lengthwise across the page so when you fold it in half the fold will be at the top.
Then with a wide black marking pen you are going to write # 1 in big print, then #2 and so on until you have all five numbers done and inserted in the colored tabs.
(If you have more than 5 generations done in paper work then you can take a second set of colored tabs and mark 6-10 on the next set of colored tabs and so on.) If not then just start out with the first 5 generations.

Step #2
You are now ready to take the clear set of 8 tabs out of its package with a page of white inserts
and you are going to use a computer, pencil, or pen and write the names of your first 5 generation on these tabs.
This time you are going to write the names on the inserts lengthwise. Depending on how many letters are in your family names you can either write them: Lettuce B Good or Lettuce B.
Good
You will write only the male names as these will be for the family group sheets.
When you have completed these two steps, you will need to get your plastic sleeves out.

Step #3
I am going to have you cut your plastic sleeves down to match the size of the tabs so the tabs stick out over everything else in the book.
Take your scissors and cut right on the outside of the beveled line between the line & the 3 holes.
Your going to be cutting one for each Pedigree chart and Ancestry chart that I will show you how to print later in this lesson. I also have extra to put copies of census records or anything like that you might need while you are looking for info re: a family or person.

Step #4
So I think this is where I am going to show you how to print out your Ancestry Charts for each generation.
A. Go to your PAF program and open it up so you can see the print icon near the top of the page.
B. The Print icon will show your REPORTS AND CHARTS ICON.
C. Click where it says BOOKS and take every check mark out of the left side of the page except for a dot at AHNENTAFEL and a checkmark at ELIMINATE. On the right side take all checkmarks out except the one that says, EACH GENERATION ON A NEW PAGE.
D. Click on the extreme right side where it says PREVIEW. You will see a page that says FIRST GENERATION AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. The next page will say SECOND GENERATION and so forth that you have typed in your PAF program.
E. Press PRINT and you will have all the generations printed out that are in your PAF program.
Each one of these charts will be inserted in a plastic sleeve and put in after the # of the colored tab. For example: #1 tab, then the First Generation sheet , then #2 and the Second Generation sheet and so forth.

Step #5
Now is the fun part!
A. Take your pedigree sheet and insert into a plastic sleeve that has been trimmed and use a 3 hole punch to make holes so it can go into your binder.
Put the pedigree chart in the very front of the binder.
Next, put the colored tabs that are numbered from 1-5 in the book behind the pedigree chart, As you do this you are putting the Generation chart (Ancestry) behind the number like I described in Step #4.
Next are the names of each generation listed on the Generation chart. For example:
#1 is yourself, so your name will be on the first clear tab of 8 names, Next after @ 2 and the Generation chart will be your Father's name. #3 will be your Paternal Grandfather's name and then behind that clear tab, you will put in your Maternal Father's name. Each Generation will have twice as many names in each generation as the previous one.
You will use your first 8 clear tabs for your first 4 generations.
Your 5th generation will take another set of 8 clear tabs.

This is going to take you awhile to figure this out, sooooooooo I want to hear from you with any questions or comments. When you have completed this process then we will go to the next lesson.
Have a great day and I will get back with you soon.

"Workbook" vs "Pretty book"

Thank you for your comments. It is important for me to know if my lessons are being received in a way that is understandable to you.

This lesson is going to get you started with your workbook. It is important for you to know the difference between a workbook and a pretty book as I call them.

Your workbook is just that. A 2” 3 ring binder that holds your pedigree and group sheets that you will be doing all your work from. It will hold notes, copies of sources, and etc that has to do with each of the generations in your binder. Even though it is a workbook, it still is kept neat & clean and easy to follow for you or anyone else to work from.

A Pretty Book as I call it is the nice leather binder that will eventually hold your pictures, documents, family Histories and anything else of value to that Family Line. They are books that your family loves to pick up and look at. This one comes later in the lessons.

Now for a supply list of what you need for your working binder:

1- 2 inch, 3 ring binder
2- 1 pkg Clear Protector sheets
3- 4 sets Clear 8-tab dividers
4- 2 sets Colored 5-tab dividers
5- Black felt pen, fine point
6- Scissors
7- 3-hold punch

Supplies for working box:

Box that will hold hanging folders
Box of hanging file folders
Box of 3 or 5 cut (tab) file folders


Because I have seen such a variety of items that come to my class I would like to specify what I like to use best. It really doesn’t matter what you get, it just makes it easier for me to refer to each item the way I do it.

I purchase my binders in a set of (4 ) and my box of clear protector sheets at Costco. The binders are white and depending on how far you go with your genealogy/family history, you will definitely use them all in the future. The box of clear protector sheets will last a long time as well.

I get a label maker for names & numbers as you continue on with your work, but it is something you can get at a later-time.

I purchase my dividers at Staples and use their brand. They will come in a package of 4 sets of dividers. Remember to look for the 5 tabbed COLORED and the 8 tabbed CLEAR ones.

The rest of the supplies you can get anywhere and hopefully you will have most of them in your home already. The binder & supplies will usually be around $20.00 to purchase depending whether you get them on sale or not.

That’s it for now until you have all your supplies for your next lesson. I will be excited to get your comments as you prepare to put your workbook together. Let me know if you have any questions.

Talk with you soon.

What is an Ahnentafel Number?

What is an Ahnentafel Number?

The word Ahnentafel is a German word for Ancestry. It is the numbering system I have come up with that I have for each one of my ancestors. The number never changes.

When I start my students out with a pedigree chart I have them always start with their name first. You become #1.in the numbering system. Each male generation going up is 2 times the previous number.
For example:
#1 is myself
#2 is my father
#4 is my father’s father
#8 is my father’s father’s father
#16 is my father’s father’s father’s father

All males have even numbers and females have odd numbers
For example:
#3 is my mother
# 5 is my mother’s mother
# 9 is my mother’s mother’s mother
#17 is my mother’s mother’s mother

Note that the female numbers are one number more than their spouse and their father’s number is twice what their number is.

To make it easier to understand, please look on a pedigree chart and you can see what I am talking about. This numbering system has been around for a long time, but the interesting thing is that after this page of generations there is not another chart that starts with the number 16, or17 or 18 thru 31. This is where I have always had a hard time picturing in my mind what I do next to keep this numbering system going so I can visually see who the next person is on a pedigree chart.

If you are saying to me that there are large charts that show that numbering system, you are correct, but there is nothing that continues the numbering process on an 8 X 11 pedigree chart. Soooooooooooooooo this is how I do it that works great for me and hopefully you will see that is will work for you better than a lot of the other systems that are out there, only because it is easy to understand who belongs to whom and which generation a family belongs to by just looking at the numbering system.

Now to get back to what happens after your first 5 generation pedigree chart numbering system.

Your 5th generation numbers start with 16 thru 31.
The next step is to take a new pedigree chart and take # 16 on the first chart and put that # and the person’s name in the first position on the new chart.
You will write #16 over the #1 that is printed on the paper.

Then take # 17 and put it on another clean pedigree chart and put the person’s number & name in the # 1 position. Write over 1 and put # 17 and you continue to do this procedure until you have all the numbers from 16 to 31 done on new pedigree sheets.
You will end up with 16 pedigree charts plus the one with the first 5 generations you have already done.

I am going to let you work on this part of the system until you understand it and then I will give you your next lesson.

Please don’t get discouraged. If you don’t understand this lesson let me know. I am here to help not to discourage you. This is my first time at teaching on line so be patient with me.

If you don’t have 5 generations yet don’t worry, you will still need this numbering system for the workbook you will be putting together soon.

Until I put the next lesson together, good luck and I hope you will come back to visit my Blog.

Let's Get Started

Have you been as frustrated as I have been over the years wasting many hours of valuable time trying to remember where I left off the last time I worked on my Genealogy/Family History.

This is the very reason I decided many years ago to organize my papers, documents and photos in such a way that I could just leave it when I needed to and pick it up again when I had time and know where I left off and what I still needed to do.

I have decided to create this blog to share my many years of experience putting something together that works, in hopes it will help you to get back to finishing up what you may or may not have started.

I want to be able to work with those of you who have never tried to do genealogy and always wanted to, and those of you who have started but find it boring & frustrating, and also for those of you who have worked for years putting their genealogy together, but in such a way that if you were to die tomorrow someone could come in and finish up what you have started instead of throwing it all away, because it made no sense to them.

Watch for my next lesson assignment.