The genealogist as archivist

I think most of us who are into genealogy end up also becoming the family archivist. Genealogy is the practice of researching and constructing family relationships and lives into the past. Archiving means preserving and categorizing documents and other sources.

Clearly, the two go hand-in-hand.

Over the past few years, as I have developed my genealogy skills and practices, family members have continued to share photos, documents, and more with me. I started finding it all a bit overwhelming. I like to think that I am well-organized person, but now I have boxes and boxes of material, including family photos, newspaper clippings, and various books and artifacts.

So, my mission this year is cultivate my inner archivist. To that end, I have developed a method of organization, including both digital assets and physical ones. I will be making the digital catalog of these assets available on this website (under “Archive”) so that I can easily share with family, friends, and fellow researchers. I am very excited to have a plan to get all these boxes of material organized!