Write it up now: So you've taken your notes and/or filmed or recorded
your interviews. Now comes the hard part. If you have taped or videotaped
interviews, transcribe them, as soon as possible. If its audiotape and you're
planning to do more than one of these histories, it may be worthwhile to invest
in a transcribing machine. If you're REALLY getting into it in a serious way, a
machine with a foot pedal will save you time and sore fingers. Force yourself to
sit down while the information is fresh in your mind and turn your notes into a
written history.
Label and date everything: No material will be any good to anyone, now
or later, if there are no names, dates or descriptions of who and what they
depict.
Keep it safe: It will also be no good to anyone if it disintegrates,
so store all materials in acid-free environments. Fortunately, there is lots of
acid-free paper and photo-storage available at reasonable prices. Digitalize as
much as you can and back up what you put on the hard drive.
Pass it on.: If what you're doing is a family history, then package it
attractively and leave extra paper and space for those who come after you to add
to it. This is a fantastic gift to leave your descendants!
Guess what??!! Just as you (finally!) became curious about your ancestors and
family history, so will your children and grandchildren. I work in a museum and
almost every day, someone laments that "Grandfather knew our family's real
name", or "Grandma told all these great stories…" but they died before anyone
thought to record these memories. To your grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
YOU are the family history. Make it easy on your descendants. Write down and/or
record your own memories, insights, stories, etc. and include it in your
History. Leave it to posterity in your will.