As I painstakingly trace my way back through the generations of my family, I can't help but wonder if someone has previously traced these steps before me. Is there a relative who has already found and assembled some of my family history? One who placed their research in a drawer, where it remains hidden and unavailable?
Like any treasure, family history doesn't deserve to remain buried. Try these simple suggestions for sharing your discoveries so others can benefit from what you have found.
1. Reach Out to Others
The easiest way to make sure other people know about your family history research is to give it to them. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - just make copies of your research in progress and send it to them via email or postal mail.
Copying your family files to CD is an easy and inexpensive way to send large amounts of data, including photos, document images and even videos. Reach out to parents, grandparents, even distant cousins, and include your name and contact information on your work!
2. Submit Your Family Tree to Databases
Even if you send out copies of your family history research to every relative you know, there are probably others who would also be interested in it. One of the most public ways to distribute your information is by submitting it to one or more
online genealogy databases. This guarantees that the information will be easily accessible to anyone who may be searching for the same family. Be sure that your contact information is up-to-date, so others can easily reach you when they find your data.
3. Create a Family Web Page
If you'd prefer not to submit your family history to someone else's database, then you can still make it available online by
creating a genealogy Web page. Alternatively, you can write about your family history research experience in a
genealogy blog. If you want to restrict access to your genealogy data to family members only, then you can publish your information online at a
password-protected genealogy site.
5. Publish Short Family Histories
Many of your relatives really aren't going to be interested in family tree printouts from your genealogy software program. Instead, you may want to try something that will draw them into the story. While
writing a family history may seem too daunting to be fun, it really doesn't have to be. Keep it simple, with short family histories. Pick a family and write a few pages, including the facts as well as entertaining details. Include your name and contact information, of course!
