Genealogy Today: How to preserve your genealogy

A family genealogy grows in spurts. Research may run along smoothly for a time and then you’re stuck on a difficult ancestor whom you just can’t get past.

Most of us began searching only for our own ancestors, but we soon learned the importance of finding their siblings, as well. Many times, switching to sibling research will help solve a problem. The more siblings you research, the bigger your genealogy file grows and the more interesting your family story becomes.

If you plan to publish your work, you need to research all the siblings in order to have a complete picture of the family. Traditionally, all of an immigrant ancestor’s male descendants were included in a surname genealogy, but female descendants were dropped. Perhaps a woman’s spouse and their children’s names were provided, but once the surname changed, the line ended.

The trend today is to trace all descendants, male and female. Despite the surname being different, a daughter’s descendants are still part of the family line.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary supports this modern view defining genealogy as, “an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor.” Certainly daughters are part of the family group.

When I traced my ancestry back to Dr. Gaius Smith, a Colonial physician who lived in Connecticut, Vermont, and New York, I discovered none of his sons survived to adulthood. While his five daughters all married and had families, he had no Smith descendants. I plan to publish a genealogy of his descendants, now over 300 pages long, but none are named Smith.

If, however, I never publish, what can I do to preserve my efforts?

The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind. will accept an unbound “master copy” of a family history. In exchange for the privilege of allowing them to make a copy for their collection, they will make an additional copy for the submitter free of charge.

To take advantage of this offer, just mail your unbound “master copy” to Steve Myers, Assistant Manager, Historical Genealogy Dept., PO Box 2270, Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270, with a note designating the work is for the “Photocopy Exchange Program.”

Another option is available through the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). Written works in clear, readable format, preferably an unbound, double sided copy, are solicited for the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City. The genealogy is then microfilmed, added to the library catalog and made available to other researchers at the FHL.

A donor to GSU irrevocably transfers and assigns all right, title, and interest in and to his work, as well as any and all rights under copyright, and all other ownership or intangible rights, to GSU. Further details are at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/, Gifts and Donations link.

When making your will, it’s important to designate what you want done with your genealogical research. Often, our children are not interested in Mom or Dad’s addiction to finding family members, and have no appreciation for the effort, time and money that has gone into the project. Don’t let you work become trash—provide for it’s preservation before it’s too late.

Betty Lou Malesky, Certified Genealogist, is past president of Green Valley Genealogical Society. Contact her at bettymalesky@cox.net or visit the society’s website at www.rootsweb.com/~azgvgs/.