Create a genealogy will: protect your family history

You may have researched your ancestors for centuries, but do you have a plan for all that work after you leave? Who will look after all your work, and where will it be kept? You have a last will, hopefully, for your property, finances, and household items. You should have a genealogy last will or codicil too, as family treasures and genealogy research are often omitted in last wills. Like a will, a codicil should be witnessed by two people (not heirs), and a legally qualified person should check it to ensure its validity so that your last wishes are fulfilled as you intended.

That large GEDCOM file that took you hours to compile, or those boxes of old family photos and documents you’ve spent time cataloguing, could be dropped off at the nearest charity shop or even by the side of the road. It would be wise to make a plan now, as these items cannot accompany you. Decide who will have access to your digital assets – to your email, social media, online family tree, subscriptions, etc…

Your ancestors’ estates typically included land, houses, livestock, crops, money, and household goods. Modern estate planning usually focuses on real estate and financial assets. However, as a family historian or genealogist, it is also important to consider the preservation of your family history. These items are irreplaceable and hold significant sentimental and historical value. Family photos, documents, and artefacts fall under personal property and are usually excluded from estates. Digital assets are usually forgotten. You need to reference specific genealogical items in your will. These can include data, written reports, archive documents, family photos and papers, genealogy books, or technology.

Make a list—an asset inventory—and include physical materials (heirlooms, family trees, original documents, etc.) that you would like to pass on to others, as well as digital accounts that you would like to share or close when you pass away. Common genealogy assets include:

• Antiques
• Artwork
• Audio or video recordings
• Birth, marriage, and death certificates
• Business photos and artefacts
• Club memorabilia
• Computers and hard drives
• Family bibles
• Family diaries, letters and journals
• Family letters and postcards
• Family photos and albums
• Files, including family trees and archive records
• Furniture
• GEDCOM files
• Genealogical research
• Handmade items (quilts, baptism or wedding gowns, tablecloths, sculptures, etc.)
• Heirlooms
• Jewellery
• Military medals and uniforms
• Photographs (both printed and digital)
• Published genealogies
• Reference books
• Research notes
• Scanners, digital cameras and accessories

Your inventory list should include where each item is kept, a brief description of its significance, and any special bequests. At the same time, you can move items to storage containers and include a note to the recipient and label the box. List who should get which items. If you have a large book collection, consider a genealogy society or library or another family history researcher. Find out which library or society would like your materials. Don’t assume a library, museum, or society will be able to accept your materials; you need to check first. Include the contact information for those you designate as heirs of your materials.

Digital assets include email accounts, social media accounts, online family trees, subscriptions to online services, smartphone apps, and cloud storage. Decades of your research may be in your online genealogy accounts or locked in a password-protected program. To access most of these assets, you need to include usernames and passwords in your will or codicil.

Choose one or two persons you trust to have access. The process for gaining access to another person’s online account varies. It usually takes time and involves some paperwork without the username and password. Check the services you use to see if they offer options to set up a legacy contact or beneficiary. The trusted person will be able to download your data or delete your account; let them know which option you want. For each digital asset, include:

• Provide the cost of each digital asset and the payment method used for the transaction
• Instructions to delete: yes or no
• The URL for the account login, or the instructions for logging in, should be provided
• Username and password

Check and delete old email accounts that have become inactive.

If you have a website and blog, include the domain name registry, blog hosting platform, website access, blog email, and any other maintenance providers. If you would like your heirs to maintain your online presence for a certain amount of time, remember to leave a monetary bequest to pay for the cost. If you no longer use your blog, consider downloading a printable archive or a blog-to-book printed book.

List all your paid subscription services, such as Office 365, Adobe Cloud, Evernote, cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive, genealogy subscription websites, and others. Cloud storage accounts often hold backup copies of your work and documents. Please review the list to consider cancelling any services you no longer require.

If you use any Google service, you can set up the Inactive Account Manager, which allows users to share account features with others, as well as to notify a designated contact if the user has been inactive for a certain period of time. Google will send you emails and even text messages before it contacts your designated person after a period of inactivity.

Popular genealogy websites usually have an option to deal with a deceased account holder. These include ancestry.com, familysearch.org, Family Tree DNA, and MyHeritage. You can leave your username and password for these accounts, plus instructions for your beneficiary to delete or keep them.

Social media accounts contain a vast amount of personal information. Check them to see what their legacy practices are. Genealogists often make family connections using social media. These accounts can have photos, shared files, and saved posts that hold memories you’d like to preserve. By taking these proactive steps, you can shield your family from the heartache and inconvenience of an account hack after your death. Scammers target the accounts of deceased users to send phishing messages or targeted ads.

After completing your checklist and inventory, contemplate alternative methods of preservation. Organise what you have in files, digital folders, or storage boxes. Organise according to:

• Documents (research reports, legal papers, family trees, etc.)
• Photographs by date or family member
• Digital records (GEDCOM files, scanned images, photos, etc.)
• Memorabilia (medals, awards, heirlooms)

It is easier to handle organised materials. To ensure long-term preservation, make sure that your materials protect against environmental factors such as light, humidity, and acidity.

Start writing up your material in small chunks for a genealogy society or newsletter, or print it in book form. Donate a printed copy of that book to the Family History Library. Start a blog to share your information. Find people that will appreciate your work and share it with them. Digitise your photos and other unique materials that you have, scan them at the highest resolution possible (at least 600 DPI), and label them logically. Create a digital backup on an external hard drive and a cloud-based storage platform.

Creating a genealogical will or codicil and a genealogical asset inventory is a thoughtful legacy. Your family and heirs will be grateful that you planned ahead. Not every family historian has someone who can take over from them.