First, Save Family History, Then Share It
Although Dr. Bill and I have never met, I feel like we are old friends. How could that be? We don’t email, share Tweets or FaceBook “Likes,” or post on each other’s Pinterest boards. I feel a connection to Bill because of the stories he spins on this blog. Whether he’s remembering a favorite relative or recalling an interesting time or place, Dr. Bill reminds me that ancestor stories are what family history is really all about.
Today’s Guest Post for the Blog Book Tour features an excerpt from my new book How to Archive Family Keepsakes on the role of the Creator who inherits an ancestor’s stories, photos, and artifacts. Before you get started organizing all your genealogy heirlooms and records, it’s a good idea to know your overall goal. I hope you enjoy reading about the many opportunities for creating ancestor stories from your own family archive.
Guest Post by Denise May Levenick, The Family Curator, author of How to Archive Family Keepsakes (Family Tree Books, 2012).
Family History Curators, Creators, and Caretakers
People who inherit family archives often fall into one of three categories: the Curator, the Creator or the Caretaker. The Curator can’t wait to open those boxes and get everything sorted and organized.
The Creator sees possibility, too. Writers, photographers, filmmakers, scrapbookers, and family historians are all creators who see potential projects in the depths of a family archive. In their excitement to create something from what they’ve found, creator-types can find it difficult to pause and organize, and then to pause again to preserve the materials they have used.
The Caretaker, on the other hand, might be just as happy to push the cartons to the back of the garage and forget about them, but in good conscience, he can’t. It just wouldn’t be responsible. (continue reading at Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories). . .
And, for a chance to win a Family History Photo Archive Kit, remember to leave a comment at the Blog Tour post on Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories.
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