As family history researchers, organizing our military ancestors is vital for efficient and effective research. During Memorial Day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service, and many of us have multiple military ancestors in our family trees. By organizing them, we gain quick visibility into who those family members are, thus enabling us to enhance our research endeavors.
Efficient organization saves time and energy, allowing us to focus on uncovering the remarkable tales of our military ancestors. It provides a framework to comprehend their military careers, including enlistment, promotions, deployments, and the battles or campaigns they participated in. This comprehensive understanding deepens our connection to their experiences and sheds light on the challenges they faced.
Furthermore, organizing our military ancestors offers a broader context by exploring the historical backdrop they operated in. Categorizing them by military branches, units, or specific battles allows us to delve into the political climate, societal influences, and prevailing sentiments of their time. This contextual understanding enriches our research and reveals their contributions beyond the battlefield.
Here are 3 ways you can organize your own military ancestors:
1. Use “group” features in your desktop genealogy software
My preferred desktop genealogy software of choice is RootsMagic and the “group” feature is vastly helpful for organizing by specific theme or topic. I have created a few military groups and once I identify a person who served during a particular war, I can easily add them to the group. Then, I can review the list at any time and quickly see who is included. If you are not a RootsMagic user, check your software program and find out if grouping features are available.
I do have a caveat if you are using groups — a person’s designation into a group is not a detail that gets included in the GEDCOM file that gets exported. You’ll want to implement a strategy for ensuring you are able to replicate the “group” should you have a need to export your GEDCOM.
2. Do you have an Ancestry Member tree? Use the “MyTreeTagsTM” feature
My overall approach to family tree organization is one where I advocate for family history and genealogy researchers to always use a desktop genealogy software program, and then if you want to have an online tree, share your work via syncing technologies from the desktop program to the online tree. As I stated above, I use RootsMagic, but the “groups” feature also does not “sync” to my online Ancestry Member Tree.
MyTreeTagsTM are labels that can be applied to persons on your tree and you can filter your entire tree list by the MyTreeTagsTM also. Ancestry provides all online tree users with a tag called “Military Service,” but you can also create Custom Tags if you would like to get more granular.
Of note, there is a limit to the number of Custom tags you can create, and these too, do not transfer with your tree should you create a GEDCOM for sharing purposes.
3. Create military-specific tags and albums in your family history archive
In addition to organizing the specific names of people who served, it is also important to effectively organize the items you have the provide the sources for the knowledge you compile about their lives. Creating a centralized family history archive for your documentation, photos, and other media, is an important organizational strategy when it comes to our family history. Of course you can add these items to your desktop genealogy software program, but the organization and preservation of them will be much improved if you create a centralized family archive hub.
In my hub, which I am building using FOREVER online storage, one of the albums I’ve set up is specifically for military files and I have several subcategories. These are flexible, I can update and adapt them as needed and it helps me know exactly what items I have in my possession. My online family history archive is permanent, uses industry-standard approaches to photo and other media storage, and my family will have access to it for years to come.
They will easily be able to browse through the military “collections” once they open up the “Family History Archives” section I’ve created for them. Furthermore, I can add military specific tags too each item too!
Summary
Whether it be through using groups, Ancestry MyTreeTagsTM, or custom organization in a family history archive, organizing your military family members is a helpful research strategy. Organizing our military ancestors makes us more effective researchers. It streamlines our research process, uncovers gaps in information, and provides a holistic perspective on their lives and contributions. This Memorial Day, let’s honor their legacies by preserving and understanding their stories through efficient organization, ensuring that future generations can appreciate their service and sacrifice.
It is my hope that these tips are useful to you, and if you want one-on-one help implementing these in your own research, schedule a chat with me!