Correspondence and Enquiry Log

Who this is for

Every enquiry sent out, and whether it was answered. One row per letter, email, form or call, with who it went to, what it asked, any fee paid, the date you expect a reply and the date one came — so nothing is chased twice or forgotten.

Family historians who write to archives, registries, churches, societies, distant cousins and DNA matches, and who need to know at a glance what is still out there waiting for an answer.

What this helps you track

• What was sent, when, to whom and by what method
• What each enquiry asked, briefly enough to recognise the reply
• Fees paid, and their total
• When you expected a reply and whether one has arrived
• The outcome, so the answer is on the log and not only in a folder

How to use it

1. Write your name and the surname or project the log covers at the top.
2. Add a row when you send anything: the date, who it went to, what it was about and how it was sent.
3. Enter any fee you paid. Fees are whatever the office or person charged; none are suggested here.
4. Write the date by which you expect a reply, from what the recipient told you or your own estimate, so the sheet can be read for what is overdue.
5. When a reply arrives, tick replied, enter the date and summarise the outcome in a line. Note the next step, if there is one, in the same column.
6. The total fees and the counts of enquiries, replies and those still awaiting are worked out in the browser version and the workbook.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where does the reply due date come from?

From you. Some offices state a response time when you apply; otherwise write the date after which you would want to chase. The sheet does not assume how long anyone takes.

Should phone calls go on the log?

Yes, with phone as the method and the outcome written at the time. A call is the easiest enquiry to forget you made.

What about messages to DNA matches?

They can go here, or on the DNA match log, which has its own contacted and replied ticks. Use one or the other for a given message so the counts stay honest.

How does the awaiting figure work?

It is the number of rows on the sheet minus the number ticked replied. Anything you decide to give up on can be ticked replied with 'no answer' as the outcome, so it stops counting.