Protecting and Preserving Your Genealogical Research After You Are Gone

A too familiar story:

Sue’s mother’s house was so hard to clean out after her passing. She was a genealogy buff, and her house was full of all kinds of paper. She had even converted one of her bedrooms into a genealogy room just to hold her genealogy junk.

Some of her books were ripped apart and the pages sold on eBay. Her collection of old bibles sold well on eBay too. Most of the paper items Sue put into the recycle bin. Her photos of gloomy old people were tossed out in the trash bin. Sue didn’t know why she kept so much clutter. Her house looks so much better now and Sue should be able to get top dollar when she sold it.

Is this your future? It could be if steps are not taken now to protect and preserve your research. You need to organize and label your important materials, so your family members know that they are important.

Step 1: Take an inventory of ALL your genealogy items.

Step 2: Label each item and attach a note on why that item is so important. It is very important that your photos are labeled. You may know who is who is the photo, but will your family member know? You will have research binders, stacks of paper, books, magazines, flash drives with your back-ups, audio recordings, just to name a few that will need labeling and information attached.

Step 3: You may have online profiles and belong to several genealogy websites. Do you have your passwords and login information written down so that your family members may have access to these accounts?

Step 4: It is important that you scan your photos and histories you have collected and put them on FamilySearch. The FamilySearch Center has scanners and helpers available for you to do this.

Step 6: Identify a family successor to your work. Passing your work on before your death will allow you to assist them in what to do with all your information.

Don’t leave your descendants in the dark about what to do with your stuff, because a random pile of papers to them may be a treasure trove of research and information. Having a plan will help them, help you keep things organized now, and give you a sense of peace of what needs to be done.