Putting a Diary On Line
In today's world of blogs and public information, many genealogists are putting diaries of relatives on line. A first person account of a time period - whether it's World War 2, the Civil War, or any other period of history - can be a fascinating look into the way people thought during those days.
While a diary about the 1600s may not cause living relatives much grief - the people mentioned are long faded into past memories - a diary of more recent times might be cause for concern, especially to those not comfortable with the web's tell-all attitude. Youngsters growing up today are used to putting their blogs on line and sharing intimate details with fans and friends. Older relatives might not be as keen to have their dirty laundry and petty gripes broadcast for all to read.
First, always transcribe the diary as accurately as possible, as fully as possible. It is very helpful to make one page per month, and to label each date with both the day number and the day of the week. This helps keep track of events that occurred on Sundays, or on a weekly basis. Keep this master copy somewhere safe.
Next, read through the document, keeping in mind the interests of those older relatives who are still living. Diaries are very personal documents and may often contain rants against relatives or nasty commentary. Those sorts of items - while perhaps interesting after 200 years to see how anger was expressed in 'olden days' - is more harmful than good in recent diaries. Remove those references from the web-copy of the diary, perhaps indicating if you wish that something was removed at that spot.
By balancing the concerns of those still alive, you can provide an incredibly valuable resource to other students and genealogists on the web who wish to learn more about a time period.
Finally, if you're a genealogist, consider keeping a diary of your own! Your own relatives and other web citizens may find your commentary on the current years fascinating when they read through your notes many years from now.
Main Listing Page
All Genealogy Articles
Note - Lisa Shea wrote this content for the genealogy site at BellaOnline.com - you might still find this content there as well. That's fine :) I gave permission!
| Follow @LisaSheaAuthor | Tweet |
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What's Online at Swagbucks.com