Last week my mailing list was given first access to Part One of Saving Your Genealogy FOREVER. I have to say it was a huge success because there were so many downloads of the program.
This is a program I’ve written, and it’s how I save my personal genealogy at FOREVER (Full disclosure… I’m also a FOREVER Senior Ambassador and believe in the values of FOREVER).
The fact that I can preserve all my photos, video, audio, and even my genealogy for my lifetime plus 100 years appeals to me. I know what you’re thinking … how can that be possible? But it is possible with the FOREVER Guarantee because you are guaranteed because the service is backed up by a fund similar to an insurance policy.
But let’s get back to the program. I’ve written two steps for the program, and a third one will come soon. The program is currently free on Shop the Hound, but to preserve your genealogy FOREVER, you’ll need a paid FOREVER Storage account. Storage can be purchased as one payment or over 24 months, but once you’ve paid, you will never have to pay again unless you need more storage space. This is not a subscription service. You own your FOREVER Storage.
Step One
Step one is all about the setup. This is how I’ve set up my account, and I think it could work for you.
The numbering system is by generation. You are 00.. Your parent’s generation is 01, your grandparents 02, your great grandparents 03 … etc. The number is then followed by the couple’s surnames. The female surname is always the maiden name. I’ve decided to always put genealogy at the end of my title as I find it helpful when doing a general search.
So in my parent’s case, the main folder would look like this, and then I’ve added nested albums within each surname couple.
01 Thompson/Middlebrough Genealogy. This represents the couple then nested below are the following folders ( put a photo here)
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Census
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Certificates
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough DNA
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Family Group Sheets
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Directories and Newspapers
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Military Documents
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Misc. Genealogy Documents
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Stories
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Pictures (Genealogy)
- 01 Thompson/Middlebrough Research Log
- You may choose to have a FAN Club folder within a couples folder for other family members who have married, are descendants of the direct line couple, or are related to the family or even just friends. It’s really your call .. Whatever makes sense to you.
Below is what the main album and nested albums look like
Step Two
This step is about tracking your progress. If you’ve been doing genealogy for a while, then putting your genealogy in FOREVER will not take place overnight.
My suggestion is a checklist and a few other suggestions so that you know what has been done and what you still need to do.
I’ve also explained how you can upload directly to your albums to make the upload more efficient, but you can also upload directly to your library and then add what you’d like to each of the albums. Don’t worry about putting items in more than one album. You only use space when you initially upload, so putting items in more than one album doesn’t use any more of your storage.
Using the lightbox for each item, you can transcribe or just give some background for that item. You can also tag and add to albums. Tagging and albums are not shown in this screengrab.
Step Three – Coming Soon
The third step is The Story of You – The Star, which will be published in the next week or so. Your story is important and should be documented as well. After all, as much as we might not want to think about it, we will be someone’s ancestor someday.
If you think my program might be right for your genealogy, I encourage you to download my guides, and if you’d like further help with the program, you can sign up for a free 30-minute session to go over this one-on-one. You can access my calendar HERE.
Please accept my invitation if you don’t have a FOREVER account. You’ll receive 2GB of FOREVER Storage to start and $20 to spend in the next 60 Days. With my invitation, you’ll be linked to me, and I’ll be there to help you preserve your photo, digital and Genealogical Legacy.
Download Step One HERE.
Download Step Two HERE.