Whatever you decide to do with your information, you should treat it as a valuable possession. If you have used computer software to log all your relatives, back up the files regularly, or even put it on a CD to be kept in a safety deposit box or fire safe.

Also, whether or not you officially publish the data, you should consider at least printing it out and sharing it with interested family members. They might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of dates and names, but there’s bound to be an interesting story or two about your family’s history to intrigue even your most cynical kin. After all, the events, stories and memories are the reason why you began the search for your family’s history in the first place.