The Eternal Question

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What Will Happen To My Research?

 


What Can I Do Now?

Nearly every day I see a post on social media asking for advice on what to do with the results of many years of genealogical research. “No one in my family is interested. I am afraid that they will just throw it all in the dumpster.” The topic is of interest within SKCGS as well. Dorothy Pretare presented on the subject at a General Meeting and wrote a blog post on the topic. [1]

A great place to start is the FamilySearch Wiki article “What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected”.[2]

Often people who have not had to deal with a collection suggest a local historical society. Unless the collection deals with local pioneers or persons of historical importance to the community, it is doubtful that they will be able to accept Aunt Ida’s papers. I have heard stories of people dumping grocery bags full of loose papers at the local library. What do you think is going to happen to those papers? 

Enjoy Your Research and Spread The Joy

I propose a different solution. Enjoy your family research for the hobby it is. Being a detective and finding missing pieces of the puzzle is good for you. It keeps your brain active. However, if you want to leave something behind that your descendants will value, start writing your family stories. Right Now! 

Write Your Own Story

It is not necessary to write an entire family history. Write your own life story. Do your grandchildren know that you won a blue ribbon for a flower arrangement entered in a county fair when you were just five years old? (I may have that ribbon somewhere.) Start with one story or family group at a time. The FamilySearch Wiki also has an article entitled “Create a Family History”, that contains good ideas and things to consider.[3] 

Write Your Family's Stories

Many families enjoy stories of events recalled by older family members. My son recently asked me if I remembered any stories told by my parents about the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. My mother was probably too young to have been aware of it, but I remember my Dad telling how he and his father did not get the flu, but almost everyone in their small rural community was infected and many died. Since there were so few able-bodied men available, he and his father buried many of the victims. When the worst of the epidemic in their community was over, his father contracted the flu, but he survived.

Find Stories Others Have Written

Recently I have been looking for information about my fifth great-grandfather. I knew that he fought in the Revolutionary War and was wounded at the Battle of Guilford Court House but that was all I knew of his Revolutionary War service. Imagine my delight when I found that someone had written about his life and published it in an online tree on the internet. I did not know that the major battles in which he fought, Brandywine and Guilford Courthouse were won by the British, but the Americans won the war. Bonus: the facts and stories are well documented. There is also much information about his life after the war. This is the chair that he made to accommodate his disability from the wound. It is still in the family two hundred years later. I also have photos of his “Mansion House” taken in the 1930s. This story will be of interest to my descendants because it accounts for the Irish ancestry that shows up in our DNA tests.



Write a Bit Every Day

I hope you will start recording your family stories today. Work on it a little every day, and before you know it, the first one will be complete. Keep your stories in a digital file on your computer and periodically copy them to digital media. I also recommend printing them and putting them into a binder. Who knows what is going to happen to our digital media. I still have stories my father wrote on a typewriter sixty or more years ago and they are in great condition.

2020 Board of Directors Retreat

Saturday, August 8, the annual Board Retreat will be held virtually. The schedule is not complete, but we anticipate starting at 10:00 am, breaking for lunch about 11:30 and resuming at 1:00 pm. At this meeting we do a broad outline of programs, both general meetings and special interest groups for the upcoming year; consider the proposed budget; and discuss any projects we may wish to undertake to benefit our community. I hope all members will plan to attend. There are still several open positions to be filled. Perhaps you will learn enough to be willing to accept one of them. We need lots of new ideas!

Best Wishes for Happy Writing!



Barbara Mattoon

SKCGS President  

           
  


[1] Dorothy Pretare, “What Will Happen to Your Family History Stuff?,” South King County Genealogy Society Blog, 24 February 2019 (www.http://skcgs.blogspot.com/2019/02/what-will-happen-to-your-family-hi9story.html : accessed 21 July 2020.

[2] FamilySearch Wiki (www.http://familysearch.org/wiki), “What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected,” rev. 16:54, 3 June 2020.

[3] FamilySearch Wiki (www.http://familysearch.org/widi), “Create a Family History,” rev. 12:57, 26 February 2018.


Comments

  1. MarciaAugust 3, 2020 at 5:24 PM

    These links didn't work for me, but I'm definitely looking up the family search wiki. Thank you for addressing a much needed topic!

    ReplyDelete

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