The Genealogy Tip of the Day sheds some light on how

names are organized.

Posted: 26 Jul 2019 06:44 AM PDT

When using a record series, do you think about how the originals were recorded and organized? It’s usually worth a thought:

Vital records are usually recorded by file date, not necessarily the date of the event.
Land records are organized by the date the document was brought for recording, not the date the document was executed.
Baptism records are organized by date of baptism, not birth date.
Census records are organized geographically–with the amount of precision varying over time and from one place to another. Names may be organized in order of visit or roughly alphabetized.
Loose probate papers are organized by probate case and those case files are generally organized by a case number–which may have been assigned based upon when the probate process was begun.
And there are always exceptions and locations that seemingly invent their own system. Be flexible.