{"id":106362,"date":"2026-01-26T09:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/?p=106362"},"modified":"2026-01-26T09:30:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:30:06","slug":"genealogy-tips-a-random-act-of-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-tips-a-random-act-of-kindness.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Tips: A Random Act of Kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega suggests a way genealogists can help other genealogists, even ones they don\u2019t know and never will. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Previously, I wrote an article on the GenealogyBank Blog about the importance of labeling photographs lest they be thrown away (see: Genealogy Tips: Your Photographs Will Be Thrown Away<\/a>). I\u2019m a big believer in labeling photographs so that those who come after us know who is depicted in them. Labeled photographs are more likely to be shared and passed down.<\/p>\n

In this article I want to address another photograph issue: photos we own, or even took, that depict other people including our family\u2019s FAN Club (Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors).<\/p>\n

These are photos of people you or your family have known in the past who are now deceased. (It\u2019s best not to post photographs online of living people for privacy reasons). These items can also be photographs or records you have picked up at thrift stores or antique stores. What are your plans for these items when you downsize your life or pass on?<\/p>\n

\"Photo:
Photo: the author\u2019s friend, Aaron Race (1968-2011), in 1987. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently I was going through photographs I took as a high school student and stumbled upon some of a high school friend who died of cancer in 2011. He left no descendants to gift these photographs to. Since my present family didn\u2019t know him and would likely throw the photos away when I pass, is there something I can do to help his related family find these pictures of him?<\/p>\n

The World\u2019s Family Tree on FamilySearch<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I consider items I purchase and those that I own, I am considering how to get those items out in the world where they can be found and saved by family. One action I\u2019ve been taking with identified photographs and documents is scanning them and adding them to the FamilySearch Family Tree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why am I suggesting scanning and attaching these items to the FamilySearch Family Tree? One of the biggest reasons is because it is a worldwide FREE collaborative effort. This means that it\u2019s a great place to leave a \u201ctrail\u201d for family and other researchers to find. The information is not behind a pay wall (you do, however, need a free sign-in). Information is populated into the tree by users and FamilySearch staff and volunteers via personal knowledge and FamilySearch databases.<\/p>\n

Not familiar with the FamilySearch Family Tree? FamilySearch provides these reasons for using their online family tree:*<\/p>\n