5 Reasons to Use FOREVER® for Family Research and Photo Storage

Researching your family’s history and photo storage are related. The task can begin with simple questions.

Who are those people in the photos you found buried in a box in your closet or your attic?

Are they cousins of your parents or grandparents … and if you learn something about them, then will that fill in some missing pieces you have in your family history?

How can you research your family’s history?

Black and white photo of women in early 20th century dress, small girl in white dress, husband in military uniform

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood, Pexels

Interviewing relatives

This is the easiest way to get started, but families grow apart over the years and a cousin may have information on specific birth dates and other family milestones.

Do you know the birthdays of your grandparents and where they were born or life lessons they learned?

You might be surprised at what you don’t know.

Family photos have clues

Black and white family portrait from 1935

My grandfather , 1st row, right, with his siblings and parents.

Old family photos are a great way to begin researching your family’s history. Here’s a helpful article from the Columbus Dispatch—and I focus on the last sentence:

“Not only do photos provide a visual element to your family tree, but they also might contain valuable clues. Some might have writing on the back (or even the front) or other details that provide more information about the people in the image, where they were or what they were doing.

“If you’re not sure who the people are, ask others in your family. Even if they don’t know, there probably was a reason the image was saved. Don’t just throw it away because you don’t know at the moment who they are. Further research could end up showing they’re someone quite important to your research.

“Consider keeping a written inventory of your family photos, including who’s in each of them. This list can later be used as a source. If you have access to an image scanner, use it. Photos don’t last forever, and the less you interact with them, the better.”

Let’s look more closely at that last sentence: Photos don’t last forever, and the less you interact with them, the better.

It’s true that physical photos will fade and can easily get damaged or destroyed.

So what’s the best way to protect them?

The writer of this article gives this answer:

Use digital scans for your everyday research and save originals in a fireproof and waterproof box. The same goes for any other important original documents, such as birth or death certificates and marriage licenses.

I certainly believe old media files should be digitized but I use the platform FOREVER®. It’s permanent and safer than any container that’s fireproof and waterproof.

Take a virtual tour and see it in action.

I’ll show you why I believe FOREVER® is the best solution for true, permanent storage.

Scroll down to contact me and take the tour.

5 Reasons I use FOREVER®

Why is FOREVER® better than the most durable safe or vault? Or better than an external hard drive?

Reason 1 It’s cloud-based and is built for safe, permanent storage.

FOREVER® is guaranteed to last for a lifetime, plus 100 years and beyond. The company invests in staying up to date with changes in files and technology as founder Glen Meachem said recently.

Reason 2 You can own your account and control the settings

FOREVER® is designed for users who own their accounts, like digital real estate.

Try FOREVER® for free with 2 GB of storage. Get a feel for how to upload older files and newer photos and videos from your smartphone or other electronic device.

Owners have peace of mind and freedom since FOREVER® will never use their content for data mining and marketing purposes.

You set controls on who sees your files. In FORERVER® you upload files into a central place called the Library. You can then Tag the files and organize them into individual Albums.

Each album has its own setting. You can make them:

private so you’re the only one who sees them
allow only family and friends
let the general public view files

You have control.

Reason 3 All your older media files go in one place with all of your newest files

Digitizing older media files is easy and convenient. This includes everything from handwritten notes and 8mm home movies to photos in traditional scrapbook albums and VHS tapes.

It’s possible to store all of your old memories from 100 years ago alongside the memories your family will capture 100 years from now.

FOREVER® is the most complete memory-keeping system available.

The photo, above, of my grandfather with his family is in my FOREVER®, just like the photos of my grandchildren.

Shot of Digital Photo Album from Melody Whitehead's Parents

My parents’ digital album with their photos from childhood to senior years in one place

Reason 4 FOREVER® supports family stories and family research

There’s a real concern that people are lonely and becoming disconnected from each other. That’s the downside of our hyper-paced world filled with social media.

Family research is important.

FOREVER® offers family research services for a consultation to get you started or as an in-depth solution if you get stuck, especially searching for information from decades ago and in other parts of the world.

Reason 5 Turn your digital prints into photo books

Print still has a place in our hearts and lives.

You can easily turn your digital files into gifts and hard copy keepsakes like photo books.