Spreadsheets and Genealogy

In our last episode of The Genealogy Guys Podcast (#356), Laura wanted to know how people use Excel in genealogy. She is looking for a book on the subject as well. Drew directed Laura to Cyndi's List at https://www.cyndislist.com/ where he did a search for “spreadsheet template” where there are many resources listed, including some genealogy templates. We invited listeners to email us their ideas and uses to share with Laura. Longtime listener and Patreon supporter Mike Scozzari rose to the occasion as a researcher in New Jersey. He shared two examples of interest. The New Jersey State Archives Not Found list is a good example of a research log. He uses color coding. "Being from NJ with every single one of my genealogical brands having connections to NJ, I’ve spent a lot of times at the State Archives in Trenton. My log started as a list of records that I wanted to find when I went there, then turned into a running list of what I had found and also records that I searched for, but could not locate. Over the last 10+ years, it’s grown from one sheet to 6 sheets that include the 3 categories I mentioned above, as well as a log for two major cemeteries where I have hundreds of relatives buried. I’m including some screenshots of my file which hopefully show you how helpful this file as become. I keep a running list of things I need from Trenton in my “TO BE SEARCHED” sheet, then after my visit, I move the line to either my “FOUND” or “NOT FOUND” sheet and record relevant data. If I find it, I record the date that I found it and the microfilm reel number and if it’s not found, I add any notes, usually showing what I searched, so I know for future visits.

Provided by Mike Scozzari. (Click on image to enlarge.)

The second example represents his Long Term Searches which works a follows:

• The years across the top go from “04” to “55”, meaning 1904 to 1955, which is the years that the NJ State Archives have.
• Years that are grayed out are years that are irrelevant for the person. For example, Annie Barlow was still alive through 1930, so I grayed out everything from 1904-1929, since I will not find a death certificate in those years. When I get to the archives, I’ll then use the other years like a checklist and keep searching until I find her.  It’s a way to keep track of what years I’ve searched and what years I have not, in case my research takes me more than one trip.  Say I get there and search 1930 and don’t find anything, I’d then fill that box in with red so I know that I searched it but did not find anything.
• For the lines that are “Last Name, All”, those are names that I search for anyone with that last name.  For the Hendrix line, some boxes are green because those are years I’ve already searched.  

Provided by Mike Scozzari. (Click on image to enlarge.)

• The years across the top go from “04” to “55”, meaning 1904 to 1955, which is the years that the NJ State Archives have.
• Years that are grayed out are years that are irrelevant for the person… For example, Annie Barlow was still alive through 1930, so I grayed out everything from 1904-1929, since I will not find a death certificate in those years.  When I get to the Archives, I’ll use the other years like a checklist and keep searching until I find her. It’s a way to keep track of what years I’ve searched and what years I have not, in case my research takes me more than one trip.  Say I get there and search 1930 and don’t find anything, I’d then fill that box in with red so I know that I searched it but did not find anything.
• For the lines that are “Last Name, All”, those are names that I search for anyone with that last name.  For the Hendrix line, some boxes are green because those are years I’ve already searched.  

Spreadsheets provide a great deal of customizable flexibility for your research, as Laura and Mike know. Each geographical location and time period can be unique for your family. As Mike knows, too, the State of New Jersey has laws that limit what years documents are accessible to the public and others restricting certain fields. What that means to us is that the spreadsheets we develop for each state/location, time period, and record type may be unique. When we understand the rules and restraints, we can develop these customizable spreadsheet tools that will help us hit the road running better each time. It also helps to maintain specific notes with each spreadsheet to remind us of laws and regulations that may apply to the same documents in specific areas within the same state or county.

Thanks for a great inquiry, Laura, and for two excellent examples, Mike!