Who’s going to value your family research?

Genealogists sometimes are not sure where their passion for family research comes from. Often, it seems it’s hard to find another relative who shares that interest.

But, in thinking about what sparked your affection, maybe you can come up with ways to foster that in another relative who might treasure your research and continue it.

Many of my friends are faced with what to do with their files. Even if you have descendants, there is no assurance that they are going to keep your research. You should be figuring out a way to preserve it, either by publishing a book, creating a genealogy CD, putting something in the cloud, or finding some other way to share what you have documented. FamilySearch.org in Utah does accept genealogy materials, but how is anyone going to know your research is there? If you’re interested, go to FamilySearch.org, then “search” and then “genealogies.” The main question is, can you pass your genealogy interest on to other kin? Taking younger family members to visit historic sites and cemeteries might light a spark. That was how my interest started. Although I don’t think anyone was trying to get me interested, the bug just bit me.

Coastal islands

Georgia’s coastal islands have been featured in a series of well-documented and wellphotographed books published over the last few years by the University of Georgia Press. Information about them can be found at ugapress.org or at major bookstores. The new series includes works by Jingle Davis on St. Simons (“Island Time”) and Jekyll Island (“Island Passages”), Philip Juras on Little St. Simons Island (“The Wild Treasury of Nature”), and Buddy Sullivan’s “Sapelo.” If you love Georgia’s coastal islands, these are a must. The press has previously published definitive histories of Jekyll Island by June Hall McCash and Cumberland Island by Mary R. Bullard. “Ossabaw Island: A Sense of Place,” by Evan Kutzler and Jill Stuckey, was published in 2017 by Mercer University Press; see mupress.org.

Upcoming events

April 7: The Georgia Archives hosts an all-day seminar to kick off its 100th anniversary celebration.

May 2-5: The National Genealogical Society will hold its annual Conference in the States in Grand Rapids, Michigan, see ngsgenealogy.org.

June 2-7: The IGHR will be held in Athens at the University of Georgia. See gagensociety.org and go to “IGHR.”

June 23: The Georgia Genealogical Society will hold its annual Genealogy Picnic seminar at the Georgia Archives. See gagensociety.org.