Not interested you say? Well that is fine, not everybody will or should.  However, would you like to know how to be a responsible ancestor? Would you love your family and your descendents enough to get into a few new habits or take a few steps now to enable their research success? If so, then you will be doing a fine thing.

Let me suggest three simple ways to be helpful and responsible:

1 Do not throw your family “stuff” away and do not let your deceased relative’s “stuff” be tossed either. Stuff being: genealogy notes or collected family histories, old letters, old pictures, old bibles or old books, old diplomas, old maps etc. All the above and more are the stuff of history and a genealogist’s stock and trade. Give the stuff to a family member who is doing your family’s genealogy; if you have none, then donate it to a library that supports genealogy research. There are several here in San Antonio and two great regional ones in Houston and Austin.

2 Stop whatever you are doing right now and go to that shoebox you have that is stuffed with old photographs. Label them on the back or on a sleeve. Put everything you know about the photo: name, place, date, event, etc. If you do not know anything about the photo, then ask someone else older and wiser! Do not wait to do this, unfortunately time stops for no one. Then get into the habit of labeling photos as you have them developed or printed.

3 And last but not least, especially if you are over fifty, encourage your family genealogy nut to interview you. Tell them the stories of your youth and all that you can remember about what you were told concerning your family history as you grew up. If you do not have such a nut in your family, take a few minutes to put your stories on tape or write them on paper or on your computer. It actually might be fun! And believe me, your descendents will be overjoyed at having such a responsible ancestor.

We hope you enjoy our issue this month and learn lots of new things. Thanks to our product reviewers and to Sue Ives for her wonderful article on storage. And remember, the value of your family history endeavors is in direct proportion to the time and energy you invest in them. Happy hunting!