Does there exist an archive to preserve documents that are free to researchers? (find, family tree)

[volosong]

Did a quick search here, and either didn't find anything directly applicable, or if it was, it was not encouraging.

I seem to have become the archivist of family genealogical documents, photographs, and whatnot. What I would like to know is if there is a well-respected on-line document archive that would be free for users to access. The ability exists to upload photographs and scanned documents to Ancestry.com, but it is quite expensive for those on a fixed income, and those docs/photos are not available to non-paying users. I'd like to make the documents freely available to whoever seeks them out.

Mostly what I have are death certificates, wills, personal letters, personal notes, and a whole slew of photographs.

Does such a place exist in cyberspace?

[brownbagg]

familysearch.org going be the closest to find

[SunGrins]

You might have a state archives that will accept family histories if the collection is organized in some way. The same with state or county historical societies. I was a volunteer at a state archives and there were volumes of family histories there. The Western History Manuscript Collection has personal papers of various people available for research. I had some Civil War letters digitized and put on-line through the state archives.

[PA2UK]

FamilySearch.org and Wikitree.com both provide free access to family trees and any media attached to them. However, they are also crowd sourced, universal trees, meaning anyone and everyone can edit, remove, or add to whatever you put on there.

[jghorton]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

FamilySearch.org and Wikitree.com both provide free access to family trees and any media attached to them. However, they are also crowd sourced, universal trees, meaning anyone and everyone can edit, remove, or add to whatever you put on there.

My Heritage.Com is another site.

--WikiTree (my son is a major contributor) is certainly NOT crowd-sourced with universal trees that are so open "everyone and anyone can edit, remove or add". Changes, or edits etc. require direct permission from the original contributor and approved, individual password access -- Even then, any/all changes automatically pass back through the original contributor for review. Further, a bibliography section on each tree establishes the source of the data.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by jghorton

My Heritage.Com is another site.

MyHeritage has a limit on how many people you can add to a tree for free. And just like at Ancestry.com, free accounts can't view other family trees, so uploading data and media there would not be freely available like volosong requested.

--WikiTree (my son is a major contributor) is certainly NOT crowd-sourced with universal trees that are so open "everyone and anyone can edit, remove or add". Changes, or edits etc. require direct permission from the original contributor and approved, individual password access -- Even then, any/all changes automatically pass back through the original contributor for review. Further, a bibliography section on each tree establishes the source of the data.

That's only true for certain entries. I am a contributor there and I regularly add and edit profiles other people manage where permission and approval isn't required. "Open" profiles (which are most) can be edited by pretty much any and every user who has signed the "honor code": https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Privacy#Open

[volosong]

Thank you all for your responses. It looks like what I'm seeking does not exist. Well, you know that is the way to get rich . . . find a need . . . then fill it. Thanks again.

[charlygal]

You can create your own website, upload all you want, and password protect it for family members. Cost under $20 to get started. Ask family members for a $20 donation to keep it running.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by volosong

I seem to have become the archivist of family genealogical documents, photographs, and whatnot. What I would like to know is if there is a well-respected on-line document archive that would be free for users to access.

I understand that you are looking for something "online."

I, too, had a ton of original documents, photos, and letters. I scanned them into a publishing program (I used an early version of MS Publisher) and created a short book (about 52 pages or so), along with several short family trees. Then I printed out about six-eight copies, had them bound at the copy shop, and sent then to: the main LDS library (in SLC), the Allen Co library in Ft. Wayne, IN (huge section of Midwest documents!), the two state archives where a ton of my family members had lived, and two city libraries where a lot of my relatives lived that had genealogy collections.

In all but one case, my free books were well received. One of the city libraries was only accepting digital media, so I gave them a digital copy.

At the time, I think this project cost around $50. I probably spent around 35 hours total putting it together. I worked on it over the course of a summer when I had a free afternoon.

Also, at the time, none of the younger relatives were interested in genealogy, so I didn't bother giving the families copies of the books. I did make sure everyone knew where to get copies, and since then I've heard it's been a valuable resource to several researchers of our allied families: I had included some photos that were thought destroyed in a fire.

That's what I did because I couldn't haul around five file drawers worth of "stuff" anymore!

I wish that I could tell you that I'm totally free of records, but I still have a drawer fill of new things. I'm contemplating a Volume 2 if I get a few more photos.

[AZgarden]

We just had a seminar on this and I learned many genealogists use evernote.com. It has a free trial too so maybe you want to look at it. You can do many different things with it.