How to organise your family history research online
Researcher
Mon Aug 18 2025
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< 5 minutes read
Keeping track of each thread of your family history research is no easy task, but gone are the days of paper files and bulky folders. Here’s how to use handy genealogy software to keep your research tidy, accessible and meaningful.
Structure your genealogy research in a family tree
As any family historian knows, a family tree is the most effective way to store and present your genealogical discoveries. It helps you visualise connections across generations and provides a home for the documents and photos you collect. While printed family tree charts may provide a solid starting point, it’s easiest to build your family tree online.
As you uncover them, attach birth, marriage and death records for each family member to keep all the details in one place and establish a clear chronology. Newspaper clippings, census returns, and military service documents can also be added to build up a richer picture of each person’s life.
Using a genealogy app such as the Findmypast app, you can further personalise your family tree with photographs of your ancestors, their lives and even their headstones. These help to bring your research to life.
Use online Workspaces as a research log
If you're not quite ready to add a record or name to your family tree, online workspaces can help you to keep track of your in-progress genealogy research. With these tools, you can collect and sort information while you're still investigating connections or confirming details.
How to keep your digital records organised
With Findmypast’s Workspaces, you can save record transcriptions and newspaper clippings alongside your own notes in dedicated folders and sub-folders. You can add standalone notes to keep track of your research goals or make notes for your next research session.
Whether you’re telling the story of your town or trying to solve an ancestral mystery, you can keep your thoughts and findings together as you go.
Keeping your newspaper clippings organised
Genealogists and academic historians alike know that it can be tricky to keep track of your research when exploring vast newspaper archives. You can save all your newspaper clippings into Workspaces, making notes as you go to further your enquiries.
Create Collections to showcase headlines that matter
Once you’ve found the gems you’re looking for, you can save and present your newspaper findings in a Collection on the Findmypast site. These folders – which you can make public if you’d like to show off your findings – may centre around a theme, a historical period or a person. Explore some examples for inspiration.
Preserve your genealogy discoveries offline
Although working online makes for the most efficient process, the fruits of your labour also deserve to be shared offline. If you’d like to preserve your family history research in a tangible format that future generations can enjoy, consider creating one of the following:
- A family tree book. Complete with photos, stories and historical context, these tell the story of your ancestors and make an ideal gift for family members.
- A printed one-name study - a detailed investigation of a single surname across multiple generations.
- A local history book or article, focusing on a particular place or community your ancestors were part of.
Whether you’re just starting out or are years into your family history journey, organising your research will help you get the most out of the digital records you find. It ensures your hard work is preserved, understood, and shared with others, turning names and dates into a story that lives on.
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