I have drafted a six step method that virtually guarantees that your genealogical research will be available to and remembered by succeeding generations. Here are the steps:
1. Prepare For Stewardship
2. Create a Prioritized List of Stewardship Candidates
3. Ask Each Stewardship Candidate (in Priority Order) Until One Accepts
4. Provide the Stewardship Materials
5. Review the Stewardship Materials with Them
6. Schedule Ongoing Stewardship Material Refreshes
I need some people to volunteer to go through the process and give me feedback. This first pass through the method will be limited to a small number of people so that I can keep it manageable. The instructions will be emailed to you each week, one step at a time. This will give you time to review the material, ask any questions, take action, and give feedback. If you’re interested, sign up for the list here.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this action – I seem to have entered this realm of not knowing what to do with the data I have collected for the past 50+ years and woudl appreciate some guidance. I tentatively had planned to donate it to a genealogical society in an ancestors hometown of Erwin, TN, but perhaps there is another outcome.
Ben,
Thanks for addressing this issue. I want to help in any manner I can since I too fear that my passion will not be my daughters. With today’s connected world, there are many opportunities to share our family histories, but we need to be sensitive to privacy issues.
Cheers,
Dave
Bob, I’m practically a next door neighbor to Erwin, TN as I’m in Johnson City. May I offer a couple of suggestions for archiving your material since it seems to focus on Northeast Tennessee.
If it is high quality work (well documented), the ideal place would be the Archives of Appalachia on the East TN State University campus or the Archives at Milligan College. Both are experienced in the preservation of archival materials.
Another possibility is the Elmer Cox Genealogical Library in Greeneville. They are building an excellent collection. Still another possibility is the East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville.
Unfortunately most of our smaller libraries do not have the space, staff or knowledge of dealing with genealogical materials.
Good Luck