It is 2020 and COVID-19 is in full swing. Most everyone around the world is in a self quarantine. That is the perfect time to catch up on some genealogy work. You can use this time of isolation and quarantine to do some of those genealogical tasks you've been putting off. Most everyone is guilty of letting some things go. We tell ourselves things like, “I will scan those pictures soon.” Anyone else guilty of this? Here is a short list of some things you can do while you stay at home.
Now is the perfect time to catch up on some genealogy work.
Scan
You have pictures … maybe lots of pictures in albums, in boxes, in your attic. We all have some pictures that need to be scanned. The best part of scanning is you can also be doing other things at the same time. Netflix marathon anyone!?
Upload Photos
Now that you have all those pictures scanned in, it is time to upload them to cloud storage. There are many great companies that you can use for storing. Do some research and use the one best for your needs. However, don’t forget you can always add them to your family tree, too. Start putting faces to those names
Photos on Your Phone
Maybe you are like me, I take pictures with the intention of putting them in the cloud, on Ancestry.com, etc… but instead they just add up on my phone taking space. Now is probably a good time to clean up your phone photos and get to storing and using them.
Create a Timeline
Please do yourself and your generations to come a favor and make a timeline of your life. Add milestones, historical events, inventions, and vital records. Heck even put in there that you decided to make a timeline in March 2020 because the world was quarantined due to the Coronavirus. There are some great timeline website resources.
Online genealogical records we use do not get there by magic. You can help.
Digitize
Do you remember when the best place to go for genealogy records was libraries and courthouses? Digitize all those records you have. Get them on your computer and toss your copies. Be sure to safely store away any originals that you have.
Index
All those great online genealogical records we use do not get there by magic. People work to convert the data from the documents to database records that we can search and find what we’re looking for. We can all help with that work.
Enjoy the Work
While there are so many other things you can do for your family history, this is a good starting point. This is all work you can do a little at a time, or if you’ve got a couple weeks of nothing extra going on, a great time to catch up or finish what you have started. Genealogy is not a one and done adventure. It is more of a long haul cross country trip. Enjoy the ride.
Questions? Guidance?
If you have any questions about any of this, or need help finding some of the resources, drop us a line. We can help.
