Your family history — digital style

Use technology to bring your family tree to life

By Erin Bell

Michael Zavacky, an Ottawa-based graphic designer, has been researching his family tree for more than a decade. Family history is important to this father of two because he believes learning about ancestors helps explain more about who you are. Researching the family tree is also a way for Zavacky’s children to get to know their extended family.

But instead of putting their family history on paper, Zavacky and his family use a password-protected web site as a hub for collecting stories and multimedia content. The site is constantly being updated with news items and pictures, and now boasts about 100 members from Canada, the United States and Slovakia.

Getting started gathering information

Using audio, video, scanned photos, digital book templates and the web, modern genealogists can now create “living histories” for future generations.

“One hundred years from now, your descendants looking back are going to really get to know you as a human being,” says Megan Smolenyak, chief family historian at Ancestry.com. “You’re not just going to be a birth, marriage and death date. You’re going to be a well-rounded individual to them because they’re going to be able to hear your voice, hear what your laugh sounds like and see your quirky expressions. They’re going to know you.”

When putting together your family history, Fraser Dunford, executive director of the Ontario Genealogical Society, recommends limiting information to direct ancestors and a few others significant to the story. “If the story is ‘two brothers came to Canada,’ then you want those two brothers and their kids. If the story is ‘my mother left home at 17,’ then don’t bother with the siblings,” he explains.

Including details such as education, occupation, military service and hobbies fleshes people out and makes them more interesting. You can also enrich your book by placing ancestors in historical context.

Incorporating images

The digital age makes it possible to add many other components to your family history. When selecting photos, look for milestones such as family portraits and weddings. Choose lively pictures where the subject’s personality shines through: dad in his Maple Leafs jersey or the grandparents at the roller skating rink.

If no photos of people are available, consider substituting other images. For ancestors who came to Canada in the 1800s, for example, Dunford suggests including pictures of the village that they came from, a map showing the route that they took and photos of the farmstead that they settled. Use a scanner to add items such as maps and old photos.

Gathering audio and video

Using audio and video is a great way to capture family history “in progress.” Take an audio recorder or a camcorder along when visiting older relatives and record their stories. Ask them about what it was like growing up, what their home was like and what they did for fun. What better way to capture memories than with a person’s unique accent and character?

“It adds a whole other layer from seeing the sepia-toned faces to actually hearing voices,” says Smolenyak.

Creating a family history book — on video

Camcorders and editing software such as Windows Movie Maker make it possible to create a family history video in a few simple steps.

1. Import video footage and still photos onto your computer.
2. Edit the footage down to interesting clips that tell a story.
3. Create a video by dragging clips into Movie Maker’s storyboard.
4. Add background music and narration (such as excerpts from the audio interviews you’ve collected).
5. Add transitions, special effects and titles to make the video look more professional.
6. Save the finished movie in an appropriate format. (When selecting the format, consider how you plan to distribute the movie.)

Click (here) for more information and tips on using Windows Movie Maker.

Sharing your family history online

Zavacky’s family history web site is a place where relatives can log in and use a simple form to upload stories, images and audio and video clips.

If creating a web site seems too daunting, you can join online communities such as Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com. They let you add information to a family tree template page that can be shared among relatives. Family history videos can be uploaded to Roots Television.

You can also create a page for your family using a site such as Windows Live Spaces. A Windows Live Space lets you post up to 500 family photos a month, upload video, and update relatives about any family-related information on a blog. Any relative on your buddy list can access your space and comment on photos and blog posts.

To upload photos or video to your space, simply start a new blog entry, give it a title like “My Family Tree,” click on either Add Photos or Embed Videos, and follow the instructions. To create entire photo albums, click Photos on the main menu and then Add an album.

“It’s almost like an insurance policy to have the information online because it’s not dependent on one person,” explains Smolenyak. “If you put the information online and everyone has access to it, then you know it’s going to be there for your kids and the next generations.”