Imagine receiving over 20,000 photographic slides and an additional 30,000 or more prints or negatives documenting your family history? That is exactly what happened to Jim Greene, Senior Product Manager for FamilySearch, the world’s largest genealogical organization. He described his feelings at receiving the enormous collection and the task of identifying, labeling and storing it as “overwhelming” and “monumental.”
Jim’s father, Gordon William Greene, passed away in February 2013. Speaking of his father, he recalls, “For the sixty years I was with him he always had a camera.” Upon receiving his father's extensive photographic collection he said, “I decided that I had to share them digitally with my seven brothers and sisters and their families, and not keep them to myself.” Inevitably questions arose: “How do I share all of that? Do I need to share it all? How do I capture the essence of my father [and mother who passed away only 15 months later (emphasis added)]?”
Living in a social media and digital age, Greene found two ways: Facebook and, of course, FamilySearch. Great things happened. “As I shared information I started getting more information back,” exclaims Greene, “information that I never knew before. My sister told me of dad wiping her tears when she failed her driving test.”
Greene learned new life perspectives. “I thought he was a grumpy old grandpa that was always irritated with the noise and confusion of multiple grandchildren. I thought they were afraid of him. I found out quite the contrary, as they shared stories and expressed their great love for my father.
“I received pictures,” Greene continued, “but I had pictures. Mostly I received stories I never knew, and expressions of love I never realized were so deep. When I shared pictures and stories, I unlocked the box and opened the lid, and the box overflowed with memories and love.”
With so much information to share and so many people potentially affected by, and wanting copies of, the collection Greene realized that sharing was a task he “could not see happening in my lifetime unless I figured out a way to do it once for everyone.” He turned to Facebook and FamilySearch. “Facebook to motivate and get the feeling started. FamilySearch to seed the raw data and get help with the identification.”
What was the single most positive result of sharing the information? Greene’s response is simple: “I felt uplifted. I had helped my family and myself to know my parents better. My family felt love and inspiration toward my parents. I helped my parents leave a legacy - the most important thing any of us would ask for as we leave this earth.”
Facebook responses from family and friends included, “He was a brilliant scientist, a husband of 70 years and my Daddy;” “Love that guy and I will always remember that camera that was attached to his hand;” and “Grandpa was a geologist/seismologist, a genealogist, a photographer, family historian, a missionary, a bishop, an amateur radio operator, a war veteran....He lived a full life. Miss you grandpa.”
What to Do
Visit FamilySearch.org, and use the Search feature to explore indexed records. Use the Browse All Published Collections feature to search digital images of historical records for your ancestors. If you want, attach your discoveries to the corresponding ancestors in your free FamilySearch Family Tree online.
