The UnWritten - Treasures -Genealogical Documents.

Treasures Introduction.

Journals, Diaries, & Letters.

Genealogical Documents.

* Saving Your Work.

Saving Your Work:

You have worked hard and it has brought you here.

Be sure all of your original photographs and documents have been safely stored. They should be stored in boxes or albums which are labeled as being photo safe or archival-quality. By using these you will be keeping your photos from having contact with acids that can harm your photos. Not all albums or photo boxes for sale are acid free so be careful in selecting. Do not use vinyl sheet coverings, magic albums, or laminate your photos. Photographs can last for hundreds of years if they are cared for correctly. You need to protect your original photos from fingerprints, moisture of any kind, extreme hot or cold, dust , direct sunlight and acids which are in some paper, plastics, and vinyl. Do not store old newspaper clippings touching your old photographs. Newspaper has acid in it that can damage photographs.

Genealogy.com:
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They refer to themselves as the leading resource for family history. From the main page index select Learn about Genealogy. From there select How-to Articles. Don't panic at the size of the list, just scroll down until you see Photographs listed on the right side. Under photographs select Protecting Family Memories from Time.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film:
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This site covers the life of George Eastman and the Kodak Company. They have some great advice on how to preserve your old family albums. From the main page select Education & Research. From there select Preserving Family Albums.

Guidelines For Preserving Your Photographic Heritage:
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From the main page click on the bottom banner to continue. It takes a few clicks to get to the content but the information is good.

The tapes and videos you have created are now originals and they also need to be fully labeled and carefully saved. Audio tapes have a longer shelf life than videos, but with both duplicates should be made about every ten years so they are not destroyed by time. Technology also changes. Make sure you convert discs or tapes to an updated format so that it is possible to retrieve your information at a later date. Tapes should be stored in a cool dark place and set on their side. They need to be protected from direct sunlight, dust, moisture, and kept at a moderate temperature.

Your work should now be a collection consisting of: the copy of a photograph or photographs, the copies of genealogical documents, and your edited transcribed written story which includes all the clues and answers you have found. You should have this saved on a computer plus a printed copy. Your final printed copy should be printed on high quality archival paper. This then can be added to a purchased album or you can create your own.

SIL Home Page:
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This site offers a great section titled Book Binding:, with these topic areas: binding books, side-bound books, center-bound books, book binding materials, stapling a book together, how to center-staple a book with a regular stapler, sewing a book together, how to sew a book together by hand, and taping a book.

The University of Iowa:
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Offers a great section titled Bookbinding, A Tutorial which is a step by step guide by Douglas. W. Jones.

From here you have several choices. You can use a number of software programs to start a never ending collection. Any application that will allow you to include text and graphics on the same page will work. We prefer to put our work into html format, making it compatible with all internet capable computers. Look below for references about building html pages. You do not need to have a place to put your work on the web in order to save your web pages. Make a backup! You can store your work on disk or CD.

HTML Guide: A World of Communication:
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A complete HTML guide.
1997 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge.

Creation: The Teaching of HTML:
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Learn the basics of HTML.
1999 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge.

Amazing HTML:
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Tutorials for beginners and all the tools you need.
1998 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge.

The Net: Insert Webpage HERE:
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A guide to html and web design.
2000 ThinkQuest Junior.

Webmonkey for Kids:
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Not just for kids. An easy to understand guide.

There are a number of internet sites which allow you to start a free family site with little or no knowledge of HTML. These are password protected and only those who you invite to enter can access your information. These sites are a great place to keep yet another copy of your work. They are a way to get family members thousands of miles away to add their photo-stories to yours. They offer uploading of photos and text by all those you invite to join your group. Remember these are places to share your work and should not be considered as a safe storage place. Your printed work and computer back ups are your safest storage.

My History is America's History:
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This is an excellent site. Here you can tell your favorite family story, read America's stories, create a family tree, or find your family online. There is a great section just for the classroom with teaching ideas for all ages.

eCircles:
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You can share your photos, plan an event, start a discussion, use a group e-mail address, share music, and have access to voice/text chat.

Family Buzz.com:
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A free online meeting place for family and friends. They have a group calendar, family phone book, message board, free e-mail, family photo album, and chat.

Family Point:
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Your family's meeting place online. Share photos, messages, chat, calendar and more.

GatherRound.com:
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Share life's experiences with family and friends. They offer free photo software and other ways to get creative.

Genealogy.com:
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Create Your Own Free Family Home Page. Share family trees, photos, files, & more.

MyFamily.com:
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Stay in touch with your family and friends, build a private online community, report family news, share photos, build a family tree, and chat.

Your printed photo-story is now a true treasure and it too must be stored in a safe place along with your original photographs and documents. Make another copy to share, or share your work through your digital copy.

The story linked below is about my grandpa getting stranded in the great Alaskan wilderness. The only way you can get good details about a story like this is from somebody who was there. Click on the title below to open the story window. When you close the story window you will still be here.