First Half 2026: Genealogy Look-Back and Look Ahead

 
So far in 2026, my family history research and projects have been moving along nicely! Top priority has been sharing what I know with family and online. Progress to date:

• From my maternal side, I've digitally shared the 30 years of scanned Farkas Family Tree minutes (600+ pages) and 42 minutes of Farkas home videos with at least one cousin in every line descending from our journey-taking immigrant ancestors, Moritz Farkas and Lena Kunstler Farkas. This project began in 2014 when I scanned the tree association's written minutes and printed spiral-bound copies. Now my cousins have the minutes in digital,  searchable form. Happily, this has prompted more questions about our genealogical background.
• Sis and I printed the first of a series of photo books about our parents (Harold Burk and Daisy Schwartz Burk) and ourselves. This initial chapter focuses on our family's first decade. We are going to plan our next photo book during the summer, after getting feedback from the younger generation.
• I've added more ancestors and information to my family trees on Ancestry, MyHeritage, and WikiTree, as well as linking ancestors and posting bite-sized bios on Find a Grave. I also participated in two WikiTree Connect-a-Thons, putting dozens of ancestors on that free worldwide collaborative tree. In the process, I solved a handful of small family history mysteries.
• I completed the trans-Atlantic donation of family artifacts to an important repository! The Imperial War Museum now has possession of letters written from a family in England to my maternal grandparents (Hermina Farkas Schwartz and Theodore Schwartz) and to my Mom (Daisy Schwartz), in the Bronx, New York, during World War II. 
• My hubby and I had his peacetime US Army memorabilia framed in a custom shadowbox and wrote notes to explain the significance and timing of each item in the frame. This was at the request of the family, a future heirloom.

Looking ahead, my plans for July through December are:

• We will record (audio or video) my husband's peacetime military memories and submit to the US Library of Congress for its Veteran's Oral History Project. My senior community has a small recording studio where we will conduct a 30-45 minute interview together. The studio volunteers have kindly agreed to put this into the required format. Just think, my husband will be in the Library of Congress!
• Continue curating my genealogy materials with an eye toward physically or digitally donating to appropriate institutions. This downsizes my collection or at least shares selected items beyond the family. I want info about my ancestors or artifacts from their past to be in different museums, libraries, archives, and other repositories. 
• Maybe, just maybe, I'll finally move those old family photos into archival albums. I have everything on hand, and the photos are sitting safely in archival envelopes inside archival boxes. I just have to make the time to concentrate on this project, including captioning.
• LOCKSS. After 28 years of genealogy fun, it's most important to me to perpetuate my family's past by sharing it appropriately and widely. Remember, lots of copies keep stuff safe. Family history is less likely to be forgotten if it's available in many places and in many hands.

Donate Your Family History Materials in 2023?

Will 2023 be the year you share your family history with the wider world? 

My good friend Mary just finished indexing the genealogy book her husband wrote about his Brown ancestors. Once it's printed, it will be sent to family members and donated to selected repositories, enabling researchers and relatives to learn more about this family's background. 

The index and sources are important elements, showing at a glance who's mentioned in the book and citing specific resources as evidence. The original materials remain with Mary's family, to be passed down to future generations.

Who wants your family's history or artifacts? 

If you're thinking about donating some or all of your family history materials or artifacts, consider repositories in geographic locations where your ancestors were born, died, married, lived, worked, or frequently vacationed/visited. Also consider major genealogical institutions that have a broader scope.

Check each institution's specific requirements and ask permission  to donate before sending or bringing anything to any repository!

Above, the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne, Indiana) emphasizes that donated family histories, including family record pages from family Bibles, will be preserved and available for other researchers. It welcomes both print and digital materials.

Below, FamilySearch.org actively invites donation of genealogies and genealogical materials, if they meet criteria as shown here. Donated family histories will be digitized and available for viewing online.

Don't overlook local repositories

Many local libraries and historical groups want donated family histories and artifacts, as well. Browse their websites or call to ask.

Above, the Henderson public library (Henderson, Nevada) outlines what it accepts, and provides both email and phone contacts for the library. Maybe your local library or historical museum or genealogical society would be interested in your family's materials, but you'll never know until you ask.

LOCKSS

Remember, LOCKSS (lots of copies keep stuff safe).

Especially if you have no heirs for your genealogy collection, donating copies and/or originals is a practical way to preserve your materials. Keep family history out of the recycle bin in 2023 and beyond!

For more ideas, please see my popular guide, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, available from AmericanAncestors.org and from Amazon (US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia).

Digitally Donate Your Genealogy?

 

Although not everything is online, I really appreciate being able to access digitized photos, letters, postcards, and documents when researching my family tree.

In fact, some museums, libraries, historical societies, and other institutions welcome the digital donation of old photos and printed items. This is a great way to share family history without physically letting go of the actual items.

Above, a screen grab from the online Case Western Reserve Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. The photo is one of several digitally donated by my husband's family, along with names, dates, and places. 

These digital images now accompany the online history of the Cleveland Heights Youth Theater. Pictured here is a rehearsal of a 1950s children's TV show that was broadcast from downtown Cleveland. 

By donating these digital images, the family is helping others learn more about the youth theater and the key role it played in the lives of participants.

Do you have photos, documents, postcards, printed genealogies, or other items from the past that might be of interest to an institution if digitally donated? Think of this as another way to share your family's history!

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For more about preserving family history for the future, please see my concise guide, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past.