10 STEPS TO WRITING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

Eventually most of us want our research recorded in book form -- a big task. How is it done?

"Yes, the research is the fun part. Writing a family history book just seems too daunting to be fun. But when the relatives start nagging, try these 10 easy steps for making your family history book a reality."

Kimberley Powell tells more on ABOUT.COM: GENEALOGY.

Her proposed ten steps include:

1) Choose a Format for Your Family History

2) Define the Scope of Your Family History

3) Set Deadlines You Can Live With

4) Choose a Plot & Themes

5) Do Your Background Research

6) Organize Your Research

7) Choose a Starting Point

8) Don't be Afraid to Use Records and Documents

9) Make it Personal

10) Include an Index and Source Citations.

Kimberley also has the following tip to tackle your book:

“Tackling a full-blown family history is a huge project, one which many people find too overwhelming to even begin. Just finding the time to sit down and put your own stories on paper can be a near impossible feat. Just ask my grandmother who must be tired of hearing from me about those family stories she's been promising me for years.

“The trick to any large project is to break it down into manageable chunks. In the case of recording your family history, why not begin with a letter? Sit down once per month with a few pieces of paper or your computer and begin writing - to your children, grandchildren, or anyone who might be interested. Begin by selecting a topic for that month's letter - a particular ancestor, a certain time period, a special event... Then just let the words come. Make the letter an informal one, but be sure to record as much of your memories as possible, including names, dates, facts and feelings. Write just as if you were telling your children or grandchildren a bedtime story, because in a way you are. That monthly letter will soon be something that your descendants eagerly anticipate. Plus, before you know it, you will have finally written that family history - one letter at a time.”

LET'S TAKE NOTE

The recent tragic news from Germany and Italy points out just how fragile our world is. Documents, works of art, architecture, and more from throughout the centuries can be wiped out within seconds by earthquakes, fires, building collapses, wars, and other calamities. The loss to scholars, historians, genealogists, and others is incalculable. Luckily, we now have the technology and the ability to preserve multiple copies of all these priceless objects for future generations.

I would suggest that we digitize everything and make multiple copies of each copy, to be stored in widely dispersed locations.

The above are the introductory paragraphs of a report published on EASTMAN'S ONLINE GENEALOGY NEWSLETTER. It is worth reading.

• Voorgaande is veral van belang in die lig van die digitalisering van sterftekennisse in Suid-Afrika ... en natuurlik alle ander genealogiese werk, insluitend jou eie waaraan jy soveel tyd en energie bestee het.

• Dit laat 'n mens ook terugdink aan wat van jou genealogiese werk word ná jou afsterwe. KLIK HIER en KLIK HIER