Genealogy is such a thrilling hobby…. or should I say obsession? It connects us with our roots, brings us closer to our Ancestors & allows us to unearth stories that shaped our family’s history.
While traditional repositories & websites are indispensable, there's an overlooked platform that can be a treasure trove for family historians…Pinterest! If you follow me already you will know that I provide a presentation on ‘Using Pinterest for Family History Research’, attendees to this are often surprised how Pinterest can be used in a variety of ways to not only assist us with our research but share our findings with family.
Often known for its stunning images & creative inspiration, it is also a useful website for us genealogists.
Here are a few ideas to get you started: -
Finding & Saving Pins
By searching Pinterest, you will find a wide range of resources…. it’s not all wedding ideas, home design tips & hairstyles!
Remember to use specific keywords that relate to your search such as locations, names, trades, genealogy templates, research tips etc. If you don’t find what you are looking for first time try another search term.
When you find a pin that is of interest save it to a board within your own profile. Note that Pinterest will start to get a feel for your interests & will start to show you pins that it thinks you might like.
Check to see if your usual website browser has a Pinterest extension, if it does then if you visit a website & want to bookmark it for later you can do so via the extension & save it to the relevant board. Google has a pretty good extension; it is something I use a lot.
Getting Organised & Creating Boards
Pinterest is a great way to organise your research.
You could have a board that has pins of websites you intend to access & search, boards for each line of your family, family history locations, boards of genealogy themed crafts, books you would like to buy…the list goes on!
Utilise Pinterest rather than trying to remember….it will take some of the pressure off of your brain & it is quick & easy to find or check something when using the app on your phone when out & about.
How to create a board: -
· Click onto your profile, then the boards tab & select create a board.
· Give your board a name, make this something that will be easy to find later down the line.
· Add a description & remember to include some keywords so that the board can be easily found
Create boards in a way that will make finding things easier, you might want to have this by location, surname, type of search.
Working with or sharing boards with family, friends or other users
It is really easy in Pinterest to create a board that can be shared with people you know or the wider genealogy community.
You might create a database of amazing Genealogy websites that you want to share with others in the who have the same interest.
You could add in old family photos, invite family members to collaborate by adding names to the images, uploading more photos themselves & discussing where they were taken. The best part of this is that you can make the board secret only allowing those you choose to access it.
If you find a board that has been created by another user & it interests you, then you could join the board yourself.
You could create a story board sharing more about a particular Ancestors life, share old family recipes or photographs of artefacts, images of old documents & much more.
Looking for Historical Content
Without Historical Content our research can often be little more than dates, places & facts.
Understanding what was going on during our Ancestors lives adds context to our research.
By looking at maps, historical articles, statistics or migration we can add in so much more.
Understanding too what day to day life was like for our Ancestors can also shed more light into their lives…. I always find Social History so interesting!
Our Own Pinterest Profile
We have had a Pinterest profile for some time now. Within this are a number of boards including Genealogy Articles, book reviews, military museums in the UK, eBook websites, famous Scots, genealogy guidance, genealogy journalling, genealogy printables, Scottish activities, Scottish Foods, Scottish family history, Scotch Whisky, Make do & mend, virtual museums & much more
You can check out the Treehouse Genealogy & Allied Air Force Research Profile via this link & whilst there why not follow us.
We would love to hear how you use Pinterest for you Genealogy Research!
Dont miss out on the amazing events and chat and sign up to the Kilted Ancestors Facebook Group now!
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