Once I find new information on an ancestor, I want to share it with my family!  Some of my family will find it online (see numbers one to three).  Other family members prefer offline methods of being updated (see numbers four and five).   Over the years, my husband and I have figured out which way to use with which family members.

Here are 5 Ways I Share Family History Information

A good portion of my family history research is done online.  There are three ways I share online with family.  Two of the ways we share information are not done via computer.  Use the best way to share with your family.

Three Ways I Share Family History Research Online

1.  For my extended family members who have a FamilySearch.org account, as I add new sources or edit information, it automatically updates ancestor’s profile page for anyone who looks at it. Need a free account?  Sign up for one at FamilySearch.org.
2. Some of our extended family uses Ancestry.com. Ancestry is a little different.  Everyone has their own tree and you can invite others to view, contribute, or as an editor (where they can make changes).  Whenever I add to my Ancestry tree, it is visible to everyone who has been given access to my tree.  You can create a free Ancestry.com account and view others’ trees without a paid subscription.  (When you sign up, you will get a free trial of Ancestry.  After your trial is over, you can continue to access your family tree, share with others, and search the free databases.)
3. I created Finding My Twisted Roots to have a place where my family, as well as my husband’s, can go to see what we have been finding.  This blog helps us document our findings, the resources used (websites, libraries, or cemeteries).  It can also connect us with potential family members like what happened for DianeK, one of our contributors.  A potential extended family member commented on her Meet a Fellow Researcher post.  (The two of them are now communicating privately about their family.)
   Two Ways I Share Family History Information Offline
4. Some of our extended family are not into the above online ways of sharing.  For these family members, we call them or make copies of our findings and send it via snail mail.  Several years ago, one of my cousins used to mail what she found to my grandmother. This helped my grandmother stay up on the research without the stress of the computer.
5. My husband and I talk about family history with our four sons weekly – sometimes daily.  Our oldest two, K.H. Milligan and GFTeenChef, help us do research.  Both of them are contributors on here, too.  Even our youngest (age five) can name many of his ancestors when he sees their photographs.  How can he do this at age five?  We have shown him the pictures and told him their names.  He sees some photos more than others as he will ask to see some by name.

What is your favorite way to share family history information with your family?

~Adrienne