As many of us are self-isolating at home, you may be looking for something to do to help pass the time. Although we may all be at home in isolation, we can still continue to work together as a community on our shared family history. Below we’ve made a list of suggestions to help focus your work and perhaps help provide you with a welcomed distraction to pass the time productively.
Review your family tree
With some extra time on your hands, you may want to take a moment to review what you have already contributed to the family tree and fill in any missing details. Did you add marriage dates? What about all known birth or death dates and locations? You may even want to fill in empty About sections with a brief biography or helpful notes.
The Consistency Checker is also a great tool to help flag common problems. Review your inconsistencies to see if there are any errors that may need your attention. Keeping the tree accurate not only benefits you, but the millions of others also connected to the tree.
Take a second look at your documents
While we’re unable to visit libraries or archives to search for new records, you can take a second look at the documents you already have in your possession. Many times we may overlook clues or details in our first pass of a record and you may not realize that you missed a valuable clue to further your research. This is also a great way to make sure you have uploaded your sources to Geni. Sometimes adding sources can be a bit time consuming, so it’s understandable that not all of the sources may make it onto the tree as you are building it. Use this time to make sure the information you have added to the tree has its corresponding source attached. Everyone will be greatly appreciative of your contributions.
Geni Tips: How to Add Sources to Profiles
Scan and share family photos
It’s wonderful to be able to put a face to the names and dates in the tree. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to start scanning your old family photos. Be sure to upload them to your family’s profiles on Geni to easily share them with your relatives.
You may also want to take some time to check out MyHeritage In Color
to automatically colorize your black and white photos. MyHeritage is offering free and unlimited access until April 22, so now is the perfect time to have some fun seeing your old family photos from an entirely new perspective.
Start or join a new genealogy project
Have you been itching to start a new genealogy project? Projects on Geni are a fantastic way to organize research about any particular topic and work with other interested researchers. If you have an idea for a new genealogy project, you can start one yourself and invite others to join. Or you can take a look at the thousands of existing projects on Geni and see if one sparks your interest. Work together with other collaborators and see the project take off!
Quick Genealogy Tip: Projects on Geni
Add more details to Timelines
Are you getting the most out of a profile’s Timeline? Basic life events such as births, deaths, and marriages are automatically created based on information entered on a profile. However, you can take these Timelines even further by adding other important life events to gain a fuller picture of each person’s life. Add new events or fill in the details to existing events and don’t forget to include relevant photos and documents.
Geni Tips: Add Events to Timelines
Geni Tips: Add Custom Event Details
Reach out to the community
Remember you do not have to work on your family history alone. Geni has a vast community of users eager to work together to expand and preserve the World Family Tree. If you have a question or a new discovery, you can start a public discussion to interact directly with other members of the community.
Geni Tips: Use Discussions to Connect with the Community
Write about your experience
We are all living through a significant time in history. You may want to take the time to keep a journal of your own experiences. Much like our own curiosity about those who lived through the 1918 flu pandemic, someday our descendants will want to understand what we were thinking and feeling during the current pandemic. Write down your experiences now so future generations will be able to understand what life was like today.
What genealogy projects are you working on at home?
Source: Geni.com
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