Finding a record for an ancestor is exciting. You click “Save to Tree,” attach it to the right person, and move on to the next discovery.
But did you actually download the record?
If the answer is no, you may not have your own copy at all.
Attaching a record to an online family tree is not the same as keeping it. Access can depend on the website, collection, subscription, account permissions, or agreements with the organization that owns the records.
If a record matters to your research, download it and keep a copy you control.
Why Download Genealogy Records?
Websites change.
Collections move from one provider to another. Licensing agreements expire. Links stop working. Websites reorganize their collections. Subscription access changes.
And occasionally a record you could view yesterday becomes considerably harder to find tomorrow.
Downloading the record protects your research from those changes.
It also makes your family tree more portable. If you eventually move your research to another genealogy program or website, you aren’t dependent upon links pointing back to your old tree.
A GEDCOM Isn’t a Complete Backup
This one catches a lot of people.
A GEDCOM file is designed to transfer genealogical data between programs. It can preserve information about people, relationships, dates, places, notes, and source information.
But don’t assume that exporting a GEDCOM means you’ve backed up all of your photographs and record images.
Your actual media files may need to be backed up separately.
Before changing programs or closing an account, check what your particular software exports and make sure you have copies of the original documents and images.
1. Download the Original Record
When a genealogy website allows it, download the actual record image or document.
Don’t settle for a screenshot of an index if an image of the original record is available.
An index is a finding aid. The original image may contain information that wasn’t indexed at all, and indexes can contain transcription errors.
Whenever possible, I want the record my ancestor actually appeared in.
2. Give the File a Useful Name
We’ve all downloaded something called:
image_27493857.jpg
Very informative.
Six months later, you’ll stare at it and wonder whether it’s Great-Grandpa’s marriage certificate or a picture of a chair you considered buying.
Rename the file while you still know what it is.
You can develop whatever naming system works for you. The important thing is to be consistent.
For example:
1920-US-Census-John-Smith-Cleveland-Ohio.jpg
or
Smith_John_1920_Census_Cleveland_OH.jpg
A useful filename might include the person’s name, year, record type, and location.
You don’t need my system. You need a system that Future You will understand.
3. Save the Source Information Too
Downloading the image isn’t enough.
You also need to remember where it came from.
Save the citation or enough source information to find the record again. Depending on the source, that might include:
- website or archive
- collection title
- record type
- jurisdiction
- volume, page, certificate, or image number
- original repository
- URL or record identifier
- date you accessed it
A link by itself is not a citation, and links can change.
The goal is for you, or another researcher, to understand where the record originated and have a reasonable chance of locating it again.
4. Organize Your Files
There is no single correct genealogy filing system.
Some researchers organize files by surname. Others use couples, family groups, geographic locations, or record types.
Use whatever makes sense to your brain.
What matters is that you can find something again.
If you’ve ever downloaded a death certificate and then spent forty-five minutes trying to figure out where you put it, your filing system has just submitted its resignation.
Folders and consistent filenames make an enormous difference once your collection begins to grow.
5. Back It Up
A copy on your computer is better than relying entirely on a genealogy website.
But one copy still isn’t a backup.
A useful approach for important digital files is the 3-2-1 rule:
3 copies of your files
2 different types of storage
1 copy stored off-site
For example, you might have your working genealogy files on your computer, a backup on an external drive, and another encrypted or appropriately secured copy in cloud storage.
You don’t have to use those exact methods. The point is not to let one hard-drive failure, lost laptop, house disaster, or corrupted file take your family history with it.
And don’t forget to check your backups occasionally. A backup that stopped running two years ago is mostly decorative.
6. Don’t Forget Your Photographs
The same rules apply to family photographs.
Keep high-quality copies. Give them useful filenames. Record who is pictured, when and where the photograph was taken if known, and who owns or provided the original.
That last part can become surprisingly important.
A folder containing Grandma.jpg, Grandma2.jpg, OldGrandma.jpg, and MaybeGrandma.jpg is not an archival system.
It’s a cry for help.
Your Research Deserves Better Than a Bookmark
We spend hours, months, and even years finding these records.
Preserving them should be part of the research process.
So the next time you find a census page, marriage record, death certificate, passenger list, military record, or another important piece of your family’s history, don’t just click Save to Tree.
Download it.
Name it.
Cite it.
Organize it.
Back it up.
Because finding the record is only half the job.
Keeping it is the other half.
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