After the Tour - Sharing

While researching, we fill ourselves with excitement at the finds we are able to make. The missing pieces no longer missing. The parts of the story that had not yet been uncovered. Understanding the hardships. Celebrating the discoveries. 

Once we return to our daily lives we need to work at sharing our excitement with others. And not just a "Wow, join one of Christine's Tours" although I do love and appreciate when that happens. 

But let's think about how we can share our discoveries. The things we uncovered and the excitement that the discoveries created. 

During one trip, I used the opportunity to research more recent records than what are available online. I was able to fill in the information about my dad's aunts. My maternal granny was one of six girls. Granny was the second born so I had very little info on the four younger sisters. Because I can view records within the past 100 years while onsite at ScotlandsPeople, I concentrated my research on the Haddow aunties.

I was able to find their birth records, marriage records, death records. I found the records for their children as well and was able to really fill in the details of who those women were. But it wasn't enough for me to have that information. I needed to share with with my cousins. So I created a booklet about the discoveries and shared the stories. 

Several tour participants are so amazed at the wealth of records available in Scotland and so they have offered to give talks to their local genealogy societies or to write articles for their society's newsletters. 

A few participants have blogged their genealogical journey and have shared their excitement and discoveries that way. 

Others have used family gatherings or reunions to share the family stories. 

As I have stated before, the genealogy tour is just the beginning. After the tour is when the real work begins. Processing the documentation and then sharing the stories and discoveries are just two factors that need to be managed out in the after math of a tour. 

How have YOU shared your findings after returning from a genealogy research trip? Any kind of genealogy trip - a conference, a cemetery scour, a visit to a local or national archive? If you haven't shared, what is it that is holding you back?