The Right Way to Share and Receive Genealogy Information

Have you finally tracked down that family bible that a distant cousin possesses but won't let anyone else take a look at it? Or you've discovered a possible connection on the Internet only that your new "cousin" won't divulge their sources. Like any good story, there is more than one point of view.

You may think this is selfish but there are any number of good reasons why an individual may be a bit wary of sharing there hard-earned genealogy research or there family heirlooms.

The trick is to encourage these people to share, is to understand their reservations and treating them in a polite and respectful manner.

You need to offer them something in return. This may seem like common sense, but you need to figure out what you can offer them that will be useful.

If you'd like to see your grandmother's bible, offer to come to their house and look at it there or offer to bring a computer and scanner and scan the bible in person. Your relative can do all the handling of the bible. Then you can create a CD with the digitized pages that your relative can share with any other relatives who ask. This technique is great for family photographs and records.

When requesting information from a fellow researcher, ask if there is anything on your family that they might be interested in, or offer to do any look-ups for records or resources you own or have access to.

Always give credit where credit is due. It is frustrating to find someone who won't just send you a copy of his or her family file; it's your family tree too! This is quite understandable when you stop to consider that many genealogists have graciously shared their research with a curious "cousin" only to find it plastered all over the Internet without credit or acknowledgement. This is your personal research that consist of hundred, may be thousand of hours, and the cost that went into producing it. This can make a person upset to see it used in such a useless manner. Anytime you receive information from someone else, be sure to note him or her as the source of the information.

Ask for help, but do your own research first. I have received emails from people researching the WARREN surname wanting to know if I have any information on their family. It is my last name but people need to realize how many WARRENS have lived in the world. You are not going to get very far on your family tree if you expect everyone else to do the work for you. Trace your own family line back as far as you can, and please make sure that any emails you send or posts are in some way related to your surname in the correct geographic area and time period. Include as many details as you possibly can so that others can tell at a glance how your line might fit in with theirs.

Email subject lines that offer a potential link to someone's own research are more likely to catch the eye of someone. Genealogist love everything that has to do with family history, but they are mostly interested in their own names or there clients, not yours. If you send out a general request for information on your great-grandmother, you're not likely to get much response. If you consider wording your inquiry in how your great-grandmother might be related to their family, your chances of a reply is great. It's not that genealogist won't provide you with information on families or research that doesn't relate to theirs but genealogists are busy people. Genealogists are a group that tends to be extremely nice and helpful.

One of the quickest ways to alienate your relative is to share or publish personal information they have entrusted to your care without their knowledge or consent. It's fine to include it in your working genealogy file, but do not publish it on the Internet or in a book. If you want your relatives to feel comfortable sharing their personal information with you, then you need to show they can trust you to keep it confidential when necessary.

All genealogists have wondered if someone has previously traced the steps they are now doing. Wondering if there is a relative who has already found and assembled the family history. One who placed their research in a drawer, where it has remained hidden for years?

Like any treasure, family history doesn't deserve to remain buried. Try these suggestions for sharing your discoveries so others will benefit from what you have found.

1. The easiest way to make sure other people know about your family history research is to give it to them. It doesn't have to be fancy, just make copies of your work in progress and send it to them.

The easiest way to send large amounts of information, including photos, documents, and even videos are to copy your family file on a CD. This is a great way to reach out to your relatives, include your name and contact information on your work. Relatives are more apt to give you some great stories after they read your information.

2. You can submit your family tree to databases. There are others that could possibly be interested in your family tree. This is one of the most public ways to get your information out there by submitting it to one or more online genealogy databases. Be sure you provide your contact information and keep it updated, so others can easily reach you when they find your data.

3. If you prefer not to publish your family tree to someone else's database, you can create your own family web page yourself. This way you can control who sees your information.

4.If you have the time you can share your family tree in several different manners. There are a number of family tree charts, which can be purchased or printed. If you have a big family, a genealogy wall chart is a great way to go. You can also create a family history scrapbook or even have a cookbook published.

5. Drawing family members into the family history can be hard. Many relatives won't be interested reading your printouts from your genealogy software, so you may have to try something different. How about writing a family history book. This may seen to daunting to be fun, but it really doesn't have to be. Keep it simple and short. Pick a family and write a few pages, including the facts as will as entertaining details. Include your name and contact number.

The point is to have fun and be creative when sharing your family's heritage.