Using Google Drive
Creating a “new” document (or, a slideshow)
A post about creating a new document in Google may seem unnecessary, but for those not particularly tech-savvy, it may come in handy. Or, maybe you are tech-savvy but don’t want to start a blog.
Back to preserving your family history for a moment, I thought of a particular scenario that may not be uncommon. Maybe you have few (if any) photos of a particular ancestor and no heirlooms, but you do have memories or stories and aren’t sure how to gift your knowledge to your children. A slideshow may be the perfect way to start your family history collection.
I used THIS LINK as a guide to create, edit, and share a document in Google. Google Slides (more about this below), in this same link, is what I followed to create a short slideshow profiling my favorite aunt, Hazel. It is very easy!
Beginning with your gmail email page, look in the upper right corner:
To the right of the Search bar you’ll see an icon with nine, tiny boxes. Click it and you will find your google Menu. Scroll down to the blue/green/yellow triangular shaped Drive icon. Click on Drive and this page will come up:
Click on the blue “New” tab in the upper left corner. Your menu drops down offering many choices. I clicked on Google Slides, and then From a template.
Want to create a simple story? Just need a blank page? Note: for creating NEW documents, Google Docs is listed two spaces above Google Slides in the menu above.
The next page shows the Template Gallery of themes to create your slideshow.
You’ll see that several categories are offered. Are you thinking what I’m thinking about some of grandma’s recipes? How about that double wedding in the 1860s?
In the Personal category (the page above), I chose Lookbook. Individual slides appear along the left column, in which I can add photos, text, and more. Note the working tools in the top menu.
Various layouts are offered from the menu along the right side column. Note the Share button in the upper right corner (below).
Finally, you may download your slideshow using various formats:
I chose the PDF Document to save to my computer.
Here is the completed slideshow:
Slideshow or New document? Use both to preserve your history
When information is scant
At times it may seem impossible to profile an ancestor. When there is very little information, how do we include them when profiling the family? What do we use?
In my example profiling Hazel, I used photos but I also drew from personal memories. Stories, perhaps told to you by your parents, may also be used. The point is to use what you know and transfer your knowledge onto paper or to a web document.
Your contribution (for an ancestor for whom there is little information) could be a simple story. An easy way to begin is with a blank page in a New document.
If all you leave your children is bits of information, it’s better than leaving nothing.
For a second example using a simple slideshow to profile an ancestor, check the article I wrote about grandma and Hazel’s youngest sister, Bertha and recipes she gave me in 1980. That article can be found here: GRANDAUNT BERTHA.
Happy profiling! ❤
The Malevolent Matriarch 