Lancaster County Family Ties

Last night after the DAR meeting several of us were discussing the large families of yesteryear, and we wondered how in the world they managed to feed and clothe so many children. My comments revolved around my Grandma Garner and a conversation she and I had when I was a mom with one toddler on this very subject.  She had a hernia plus my uncle's birth had been very difficult (and the doctor was drunk) and after 2 children (my mom and uncle) the doctor told her no more children.  She had 3 more.  I asked if they tried any form of contraception and she stated that she did not ask or expect Pappy to sleep on the couch the rest of their lives.  I asked why she didn't buy condoms, after all they had been available for many years prior to the 1940's.  Her answer after she stopped chuckling was, "I had plenty of food to feed more mouths, but I didn't have cash money to go to the drug store with." Several of the older women who were in on this conversation last n

     So I was recently contacted and ask how in the world I actually keep track of all this stuff??? My system is anything but perfect and generally pretty low tech.  However, keep in mind, that I am super over the top about stuff being where it belongs - and that means any item you care to name.  I work the paperwork side of medical (HIM) and a definite mind set to being successful in this is simply being super organized. Another common personality quirk in this field is liking mysteries and/or puzzles. I spend all day digging thru medical records and doing research, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I have no issues about coming home and spending time digging thru more records trying to solve genealogy mysteries.      That being said, as a teen when I started on this family history journey, I recycled a bunch of old manila file folders.  On each I put the name of a person, their birth and death years, parents names, and known spouses.  Inside I just stuck anything I found th