As genealogy folks, we're used to looking back toward the past. But to keep family history safe for the long term so descendants and researchers won't need to reinvent the wheel, we should look ahead to the future.
Think LOCKSS:
Lots
of
Copies
Keep
Stuff
Safe
Will one family tree be enough? Here are some of the steps I've taken to perpetuate my family history by sharing trees (and more) in different places:
- Posting my family tree on multiple sites (Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, WikiTree, FindMyPast). These serve as cousin bait too!
- Posting bite-sized ancestor bios on these and other sites (Fold3, FindaGrave).
- Sharing family history with relatives now (via booklets, videos, heirloom photos, my blog, and more).
- Sharing ancestor photos with relatives now (sometimes with a story, sometimes on a shared family tree, sometimes here on my blog).
- Sharing family stories now (on my blog and during family gatherings, plus in conversation, as "memories" on family tree sites, and more).
- Sharing ancestor bios with repositories where I've donated artifacts or materials. This keeps ancestors alive in their collections!
LOCKSS. Keep your family history safe for the future. Maybe "one and done" isn't enough?
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For more ideas, please see my book (print and ebook), Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, on Amazon (US, UK, Canada, beyond) and at the American Ancestors book store. If you're a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read the ebook for free!
One disadvantage of so many locations, is when there is an update, there are lots of places to make that change. But keeping a spreadsheet of those places would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting to look at how to pass my research on. As well as making multiple copies (online and in print), I'm making a genealogy will for my children.
ReplyDelete