What to do with all my genealogical research?

[linda51]

What are others planning to do with their research? My children aren't interested and I hate to think of it all being thrown out. There is a possibility of archiving in a small museum on one side of my family. The research I am most proud of is about my father - he was born in France of a French mother and an English father with the surname of Jones! He died in West Africa when I was 10 and I knew very little about his life. It's a voyage of discovery as I've found he was almost certainly recruited by MI6 according to the chief archivist of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
I heard of a repository at the War Office but it already has too many personal research documents. Any ideas?

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I think this a problem quite a few of us are having. My daughter is interested, but I doubt if she will ever want to plough through all my research. I keep trying to at least tidy and rationalise all the paperwork, but even so... The document you describe sounds more interesting and important than most of mine - perhaps have it bound so that others in the future may take care of it and someone may eventually read it?
   I have really come to the conclusion that I have done the work for my own satisfaction rather than for posterity.

[Stanwix England]

It is difficult.

I've started to write mine up into a report. It's harder than I thought it was going to be, and I'm not sure I've done the best job. 

I'm going to get it printed out and a few copies given to a few interested relatives. But what will become of it after that, I'm not sure. My own son is currently showing any interest.

Another possibility to leave it for future generations is to write up the history and publish it as a free ebook. Then it exists online, for as long as online exists in theory.

[Andrew Tarr]

I seem to recall someone asking this question here a few months ago.  Have a look through the back numbers, rather than repeat the whole thing ? 

[Ruskie]

Unless a relative is extremely keen it is unlikely they would sift through mounds of paperwork, however people do often develop an interest as they get older, so if you have a comprehensive tree online with copious notes, then presumably anyone interested in the future would be able to find supporting documentation for themselves if they want it. You could include images of documents if your family history programme allows it.

Any essentials like certificates and any original documents could be stored together in the hope that whoever inherits your stuff will keep it, but being realistic you probably need to face the possibility that it could all end up in the tip.

[Wiggy]

I have told my family that all the research is in 'that box'   -  just photos, certificates I have found, writings, momentoes  etc etc.  Two neices have expressed interest, so I have told them a little more . . .   
I don't expect them to become really interested until they are older - not enough time really -
but that is OK.  I won't be here to worry about it.        

Wiggy

P.S  - they may want to do all lthe interesting searching again for themselves - -  just think of the fun we've had doing it!

[phenolphthalein]

Just a suggestion a bit left of field.

In Australia and maybe elsewhere the law requires that a copy of every book published in Australia is submitted to the National Library.
The solution might be to  publish in print form, be thorough in what you include, do a small resonable quality print run (much as theses were done in the past) and send a copy to the National Library as required by law and any state library as they too have the same legal obligation.

Other genealogists might be interested in your research so a copy sent to a genealogical society may survive long enough to attract your grandchildren's interest in family history.

Regards
phenolphthalein
pH

[linda51]

Thank you for all your suggestions. You've given me a few suggestions I could follow up and you've tweaked my brain into remembering other avenues too............a precise of essential facts, keeping only a minimum of documents - maybe in book form. Also an investigative journalist I always meant to contact..........and the Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation in Lyon which covers the area my dad was in in 1943.
Thanks again to everyone.

[Ray T]

Unfortunately, most research is largely only of interest to the person undertaking it. How many times have you offered advice only to be ignored?

There was of course my friends late mother; president of the local FH Soc. who undertook extensive research over many decades and couldn’t understand why her son didn’t have any intrest in it. He contended that she had left nothing for anyone else to research.