Hi Betty,
Genealogy is certainly a fascinating hobby! And it never ends. I
started working on my own lines, have gathered huge amounts on my
hubby's, and now I'm starting to work on my sons- and daughters-in-law's,
(I guess I could say I"m doing my grandchildren's ancestors.)
It certainly would be wise to organize your material in some way that
someone else could enjoy it. I recently had a 3rd cousin who didn't want
any of his material posted on a web-site because he was going to write a
book. He got cancer of the lining of the heart and died within a few
months. I don't know what's going to happen to all his work.
About 20 years ago I put together a book of my maternal grandmother's
line. It grew and expanded to include her cousins, etc., as well. As I
continued to do research, I found so much more material, and when the
last book finally sold, I knew I had to revise it and make it available
again. But I had been frustrated with how quickly a printed book became
out-dated. About that same time, Rootsweb made their Freepages
available. So I gathered all my data (not including living people) and
posted it on a web-site. I get email from distant kin from time to time,
and it's lots of fun. When I get new data, I can quickly revise my
webpage. I'm really happy with it this way. My mother has a computer,
but doesn't really go on-line, so I made a CD for her of my webpages, so
she can enjoy that. But what I made for her a year ago isn't as complete
as what I have now.
I would definitely encourage you to put together something, as much as
you can, so that others can use/enjoy it -- whether it's a book,
web-page, or at least a data base on something like WorldConnect at
rootsweb.com.
Have a great trip!
Mona