# Organizing Media Files **URL:** \ **Category:** RootsMagic\ **Tags:** question\ **Created:** [July 14, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/organizing-media-files/15978 "2026-07-14T23:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 23
**Author:** ![KimberlyGreen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/kimberlygreen/32/1640_2.png) [@KimberlyGreen](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/KimberlyGreen)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/organizing-media-files/15978/23 "2026-08-15T17:59:03Z")
@MartyD The following is the output of the windows TREE command for my Sources directory. Names have been redacted for privacy and, in certain cases, sub-folder listings curtailed where the number of folders was very lengthy (denoted with ⁂) Some folders, such as “Death+Obituaries+Funeral” have both sub-folders and individual loose files. Others have only loose files, named with my specific file naming conventions. Note that “Death+Obituaries+Funeral” is undergoing re-org to move out obituaries into the appropriate Newspapers area. Eventually the folder will be renamed “Death+Funeral” and will contain only death certificates, funeral rememberance cards, etc. One folder, Maps, contains old maps found on various sites but also contains Shapefile collections for use with [Google Earth Pro](https://www.google.com/earth/about/versions/) and [ESRI ArcGIS Earth](https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-earth/overview). Those are all being used for ancestral geo-location evidence and correlation. You might notice that there’s not a “Photos” directory. I don’t treat personal photos as sources / evidence and so they have their own storage elsewhere. This should give you a pretty good sense of how I organize my digital evidence. I hope gives you some useful insights for your own strategy. 🫡 ```auto C:\My Stuff\Data\Genealogy\sources +---Birth | +---{surname redacted} - Children of {redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - Children of {redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - Children of {redacted} | \---{surname redacted} +---Burial | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | \---{surname redacted} - multiple individuals in family plot +---Census - US City | +---1953 City Census - Lewis Edwards County Kansas | +---1954 City Census - Lewis Edwards County Kansas | +---1956 City Census - Lewis Edwards County Kansas | \---1961 City Census - Protection Comanche County Kansas +---Census - US Federal | +---1790 Census | +---1800 Census | +---1810 Census | +---1820 Census | +---1830 Census | +---1840 Census | +---1850 Census | +---1860 Census | +---1870 Census | +---1880 Census | +---1890 Census | +---1900 Census | +---1910 Census | +---1920 Census | +---1930 Census | +---1940 Census | \---1950 Census +---Census - US State | +---1841 State Census - Mississippi | +---1845 State Census - Mississippi | +---1855 State Census - Wisconsin | +---1885 State Census - Iowa | +---1885 State Census - Kansas | +---1895 State Census - Kansas | +---1905 State Census - Kansas | +---1915 State Census - Kansas | | \---individual sub-pages | +---1925 State Census - Kansas | \---1950 State Census - Alabama +---City directories | +---City Dir - 1949 & 1951 Texas Houston | \---City Dir - 1956 Texas Amarillo +---Crime+Punishment | \---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} +---Death+Obituaries+Funeral | +---Find a Grave burial marker photos | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---⁂numerous additional per-individual sub-folders +---Divorce +---Education +---Employment + Appointments | \---NARA Pub M841 Record of Appointment of Postmasters 1832- Sep 30 1971 +---Family Bible records | \---Family Bible - {surname redacted} +---Immigration+Naturalization | \---{full name redacted} +---Maps | +---Google Earth Pro - Birth location labeling example | +---Map - Massachusetts 1822 - F Lucas + J Yeager Sculp | \---Shapefiles | +---Ireland | | +---geofabrik OpenStreetMap data extract - ireland-and-northern-ireland-latest-free.shp | | +---Ireland - OSi Administrative Areas Ungeneralised | | \---SimpleMaps Ireland counties | +---North American Rail Network Lines | +---SimpleMaps national borders extract from OpenStreetMap | +---Switzerland | +---US County boundary files | | +---cb_2021_us_county_500k | | \---cb_2021_us_cousub_500k | +---US Places | +---US Region boundary files | +---US State boundary files | \---USA_Rivers_and_Streams +---Marriage | +---Marriage evidence (secondary) - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage evidence - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage License - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage License - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage license and cert - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage license and cert - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---Marriage license and cert - {bride and groom names redacted} | +---⁂numerous additional bride+groom sub-folders +---Military Service | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | | \---NARA Publication M246 Revolutionary War Rolls 1775-1783 | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | | +---OMPF (Official Military Personnel File) original files | | | +---National Personnel Records Center original files | | | | \---Requested_Documents | | | \---National Personnel Records Center unlocked files | | \---The Winter of Discontent - The Battle of the Bulge by Akhil Kadidal | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | | \---Georgia 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---⁂numerous additional service record sub-folders | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} GA Confederate Widow's Pension Application | | +---Application | | \---Index card | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} (3ggf cousin) | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | | +---NARA {full name redacted} Compiled Civil War Records | | | \---watermarked | | | +---med_cards | | | +---pension | | | \---service_record | | +---US Records of Headstones of Deceased Union Veterans 1879-1903 | | \---VA Civil War Pension | \---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} +---Newspapers | \---US | +---AZ | +---CA | +---CO | +---DC | +---FL | +---GA | +---HI | +---ID | +---KS | +---KY | +---LA | +---MA | +---ME | +---MN | +---MO | +---NM | +---NY | +---OH | +---OK | +---OR | +---PA | +---SC | +---TN | +---TX | +---WA | \---WI +---Real Property | +---{full name redacted} | +---{full name redacted} | +---⁂numerous additional real property sub-folders | \---{full name redacted} +---Research notes +---Taxation +---Vital records (misc) | \---maine vital record extracts +---Voter Registration +---Webpage captures +---Wills + Testaments + Probate | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | | \---Loose Guardian Papers | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | +---{surname redacted} - {full name redacted} | \---Probate records \---Writtten Histories +---family history writeups +---KS +---MA +---ME +---NY +---OH \---TN ``` --- _[View the full topic](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/organizing-media-files/15978)._