DOCUMENTING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

ORAL HISTORY  

Research through living history - Interview older relatives and record the process. Write down multiple questions, and listen carefully when they answer. Take notes and jot down follow up questions. Don’t ask too many questions that result in “yes” or “no” - make sure your questions will result in a story or explanation. Once you are finished, transcribe the oral history so it can be read. Save backups of everything, as well as physical copies.

PHOTOS 

Preserve your kodak moments - Overtime, photos tend to get lost or ruined. With the digital age changing the way we document moments, many of our photos are on our phones. For actual photographs, first is to figure out who is in the photo. If you don’t know, ask around. Scan the photos with your smartphone. There are many great Apps on your phone if you don’t have a scanner at home - Photoscan by Google Photos, Cam Scan, TurboScan, etc. Label the photos with the date and subject, and put photos in collections to help with your organization (i.e. “Italy Trip” or “Colleen’s Wedding”) For digital Photos: Upload them to an online drive platform (iCloud, Google Photos is a great source too) and back them up on external hard drives.

OLD DOCUMENTS

Preserve your documentation - You might have old papers - such as flyers, newspapers, documents, etc. - that you might not know what to do with. Consider going through these and organizing them into storage boxes (acid-free boxes if you have the money) and filling them in a way that you will be able to locate them. Store documents UNFOLDED as creases can harm the paper. If it’s a really important document, like an old marriage certificate, scan it and store it along with your photos.

FILM AND VIDEO

Preserve old footage - This can be tricky, especially if you don’t have the correct technology to preserve your footage. Transferring that footage over to a digital format is the way to go. These following local businesses can assist you with transferring old footage to digital products:

• Larsen Digital Service - www.larsendigital.com 

• Digital Memorys - http://www.digitalmemorys.biz/
  
  

WRITE A BOOK

Create a treasure that can be passed down through generations - Why not turn your long hours of research, preservation, and hard work into a book? Genealogy books and life accounts are precious gifts to your family. They can be enjoyed for generations, and allow your family to have all of their history in one easy spot. There are many websites that can help you format, publish, and print books online.

RESOURCES

www.familysearch.org
https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/free-resources/charts/ https://www.ancestry.com (paid subscription required)
https://www.myheritage.com/
https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy (great resource from the National Archives)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_societies#County_and_local_societies