Family History

Memory Documentation and Multimedia Display Techniques

By Virgil Banowetz

This site is under development. Some links may not work.

The Family History Techniques (FHT) project developed as a way to preserve memories using inexpensive multimedia technology. At this time, the product described here is typically delivered on customized media that displays narratives, full screen slide shows with captions and optional background sound, genealogies, sound and video clips, and other links on any computer with a web browser. The Family History Techniques are structured to easily keep up with the technology of the best way to do it.

This site is not about genealogical research. Instead, it focuses on the techniques for organizing, presenting and distributing family history information including genealogy, narratives, pictures, sound tracks and movies. Its purpose is to help the personal historian or editor of this information to assemble and distribute the information and to avoid the many pitfalls.

This site is not about writing a once-and-done family history. It's about how to create and maintain a living family history that is customized both for content and for the viewer's computer.

Objectives of this site:

(1) Share these techniques and tools with potential family history editors. (The persons who put it all together and deliver it.) Although this product builds a family history in HTML format, NO knowledge of HTML is needed. Most any word processor with web page pubishing capability will take care of the HTML generation.

(2) Introduce the viewer/user to this family history concept. Only a web browser and minimal computer literacy are needed as a viewer.  You do not need to have your own personal computer to display a CD-ROM built using these techniques. If you have a computer at work or are willing to make a trip to a library which has one with a CD-ROM for public use,  that's all you need. 

Feel free to email us at virgban@gmail.com or call 301 472 4779 if you have questions, comments, or just need help.

FHT Viewer links:

  • ORDER A CUSTOMIZED FAMILY HISTORY

  • Download a Microsoft Power Point presentation on family history techniques

  • FAQ about Family Histories and Genealogy

  • FHT User's guide (For the viewers of a Multimedia Family History)

  • FAQ for viewers


  • FHT Editor links:

  • Download the latest FHT version available (For pre-beta testing only)

  • Register FHT software

  • Download latest FHT Editor's guide in MS Word format for creating a family history

  • Install Perl for the FHT editor

  • Also see the following related memory preservation links:

    http://www.personalhistorians.org

    http://www.genwriters.com

     Other miscellaneous links

    Perl scripts to check links on a web page.
    Family web sites.
    If you have comments on this web site, contact the webmaster by email at virgban@gmail.com