Genealogists put a great deal of effort into their genealogy research. Often it is a “labor of love”. Those two concepts, combined, make your all those notes, records, documents, photos, and family trees templates extremely precious. What will happen to it all after you pass away?
Genealogy research tend to make people very aware of death. Genealogists search for death records, obituaries, wills and gravestones. I cannot think of any other hobbies that include what could be thought of as a “morbid fascination”.
However, genealogists are only human. No matter how comfortable you might be visiting a cemetery, or reading an ancestor’s obituary, the thought of your own mortality is likely to make you at least a little bit uncomfortable. Even so, most people do want to take the necessary steps to make sure that their loved ones are taken care of, and their precious possessions are cherished, after they have passed away.
Where will your genealogy research go after you are gone? One good way to make certain that it all goes where you intended it to is to put instructions about it into your will. The more specific you can be about “who gets what”, the more likely it will be that your wishes can be carried out.
You might choose a relative who also has an interest in genealogy, and bestow your entire collection of documents, photos, notes, and research, upon that person. Or, you might want to state exactly which relative will inherit a specific family heirloom. Maybe you want some family photos to go to a relative on one side of your family tree, and the rest to go to a relative from the opposite side of the tree.
Another option is to select the relative who is the most responsible, and who tends to make the best choices. You could give your genealogy research to that person, and trust that he or she know what you want done with it. This could be a bit risky, though, if you don’t leave detailed instructions and specific suggestions. It would be a good idea to make that relative the executor of your will.
Some genealogists may want their research to go to a particular institution that collects that sort of data. If you have one in mind, then you should take the time to find out if they actually do accept donations of that type. There are some institutions that will only accept certain types of research, but not others. Many will not accept the notes that a genealogist took about her research. If you belong to a lineage based genealogical society, you could see if they will accept your genealogy research into their archives after you are gone.
Image by Charles Hutchins on Flickr