Preserving Family History

The best advice I think anyone can give you on preserving your family history, is to start with what you know. This may seem obvious, but starting with the here and now is the best starting point to delving back into your family history.
Who knows better than you, where you were born, where you married, when and where your children were born. Then go to your parents, grandparents, great aunts and get as much information as they can give you to take the next step back.
Census returns are a wonderful “snapshot” of your ancestors’ lives and are an invaluable to the family history researcher. When looking at census returns it is always worth noting any other people in the household at that time. Sometimes other family members were present but not always obviously( for example a cousin might be classed as a visitor or lodger, with no mention of a relationship) Stepchildren from a previous marriage may be classed as son or daughter in law. It is also not unheard of for future son’s or daughter’s in law to be lodging or boarding in the same household or even to be servants in the same household as your future wife or husband.
Family photographs of your ancestors and, of course, your present day photographs, should carry as much information with them as possible. You may  know that family wedding picture is your great Aunt Maude taken in 1930 but would your children or your grandchildren. How many times have you looked at old family photographs and asked “Who is that?” and no one has the answer.
Get your hands on a decent Family Tree Program, (there are lots out there). Make a back up copy of your Family tree database whenever you add new information.
Write down any family stories and facts as soon as you can. If you hear a story that has been passed down through the generations add it to the notes section of the person the story relates to in your family tree. As best as you can, try to “prove” the story. Did your ancestor meet Royalty ? Would this have been reported in the local paper?  Did your ancestor fight in WW1? Can you find his medal roll index? His service records? His pension records? Anything you can find helps to create a broader picture of who your ancestors were.