Sorting boxes and fixing old photos

 I am adjusting to life without my wonderful wife, who passed into Paradise on December 5, 2025.

I have been sorting boxes of old photos and documents, deciding what to do with the contents. These are things that we have kept, because they are attached to precious memories. Judy has sometimes joked about me being a "packrat" who keeps things that are no longer needed. But I suspect that she has said the same thing to her reflection in the mirror many times. 😀

Judy said that her career was to be a fulltime wife and mother. But Judy's family was more than her "career ", it has been her "purpose" and her "mission". I feel that way too. Our children's experiences have also been our experiences. As the children have grown up and left home, we have kept their ribbons and certificates and other awards and honors. And we have boxes of old photos. What will become of these when I move to the spirit world? 

My family history research can be found on various websites, but by far the most complete is at FamilySearch.org.

I will upload the best photos and documents to FamilySearch Memories where they can be enjoyed by future generations of our family.

I am somewhat of a photo fanatic. And I have been amazed at how easy it is to fix photos at MyHeritage.

Church members can get a free account with myheritage.com by using this link 
https://www.familysearch.org/en/access/myheritage (if they don't already have one), and use the link https://www.myheritage.com/incolor to quickly colorize black and white photos or restore the color of faded or discolored photos. And after doing this hundreds of times, I just discovered that the Enhance feature can often sharpen blurry photos to make them better. 

Maybe give it a try.

What are your plans for the special photos and documents that you have?

(NOTE: I am not sponsored by MyHeritage or any other commercial site.)

My wife Judy passed away on December 5th

 This is copied from the 8 December posting on my other blog: Bill's Genealogy Blog.

My wife Judy passed away on December 5th

My wife, Judy passed away on Friday December 5th. It is hard to lose someone who has been your sweetheart and best friend for 57 years. But I feel that my loving Father in Heaven has been preparing me for this time.

On April 21, Judy suffered a stroke and could no longer live at home. I have been able to ask for her suggestions to prepare meals, do cleaning, laundry, dishes, and so forth.

Every day I have tried to visit her for an hour or two. The amazing thing is that we have drawn closer during these visits than spending the whole day living in the same apartment doing our separate activities. Our marriage for time and eternity has become increasingly precious to us.

In recent weeks her health has declined, and on Monday December 1, she was transferred from continuing care to the Misericordia Hospital.

When I visited her on Wednesday December 3, she said "Let's go over my funeral program." So I took notes as she told me what hymns she wanted, and who should offer the talks and prayers. 

As I was driving home from visiting her on Friday December 5, I had a phone call from the hospital saying that Judy might not survive, and to notify the family.

I did this, and Laurel and Chris invited me to ride to the hospital with them.

Blaine was the first to visit Judy; followed by Andrew's family; then our granddaughter and her children; then James; Laurel, Chris and me; then Evelyn and her children; and Rob and his daughter.

James asked Judy if she was in pain and she said "No. I am at peace." I asked if she would like a priesthood blessing and she said "Yes" I asked who she would like to anoint and she said "James", I asked who should seal the anointing, and she said "You." In the blessing I asked Heavenly Father to help her in her transition to the spirit world, whether now or at a later time.

Her eyes flickered open occasionally but, usually she seemed to be asleep.

We visited among ourselves for a while and then left.

Before we reached home, I had a phone call from the hospital saying that Judy had passed away peacefully about 8 pm.

Each of us will die sooner or later, I am glad that in Judy's case it happened peacefully in her sleep. And in her final minutes here, she was surrounded by her family expressing their love for her. And I am grateful for the tender mercies of God that I have personally experienced over my lifetime.

Through the grace of Jesus Christ, I look forward to spending eternity with this amazing woman who has been my friend and companion through most of my life.

 If you are using Get Involved > Opportunities, it is fun to check the results of your contributions.
(I am retired, so I probably have a lot more time to spend on FamilySearch than you do.)
To view the latest: https://www.familysearch.org/en/getinvolved/your-impact/ 

What is "The Seven Mile Rule"?

The basic idea is that prior to rapid transportation, a young man usually had to find a wife somewhere close to his own home. In rural areas, the common means of transportation was walking. A young man might be allowed to take off a little time for courting, so long as he was back in time for evening chores. If he walked at a speed of 3 miles per hour, he usually had to find a wife within about 7 miles from his home. Is this a hard and fast rule? No, of course not, but it is a powerful guideline. (7 miles are about 11 km.) 

If your Samuel Smith and his wife Mary had a large family in Cirencester, Gloucestershire in the 1770s and 1780s, Samuel and Mary were probably both born in that area and married there. And if you find that a "Samuel Smith" married a "Mary" 20 miles or more from Cirencester, they are probably a totally different couple. Check the map.

To borrow a real estate slogan "It's about location, location, and location." 

(Caution: These men were walking from where they lived and not necessarily where they were born, they sometimes travelled longer distances to find employment.

My own grandfather Richard belonged to a later generation. He courted a girl who lived in London, England by mail, and she travelled over 4000 miles to Saskatchewan in 1913 to marry him, a man she had never met. They had 5 children and a wonderful marriage, despite the Great Depression and two world wars.)

Alberta Local History Books
https://www.abgenealogy.ca/uploads/files/Resources/AlbertaHistories.pdf

Use CTRL+F to search. My family lived at Breton, Millet, and Kirriemuir. Lets see what books these places are in.

Now try to find books about places that your family lived. Try to arrange to view them at the provincial archives and copy the stories of any families you are interested in.

Succession Planning: What will happen to your family history research after you die?

When I served in FamilySearch Support we sometimes received a question like this "My mother passed away leaving me with filing cabinets of family history. What do I do with it? I hate to toss my mother's endless hours of research into a dumpster, but I don't know what else to do with it. Can I simply drop it off at the nearest FamilySearch Center?"

Generally, the FamilySearch Center will not have any use for it. Books and original documents might be accepted by government archives if they are relevant to local history. Computer printouts will usually not be of interest.

You can personally scan original documents to PDF format that you can upload to Memories and tag them to the appropriate people in Family Tree. Also upload your family tree to multiple websites as added protection.

If you inherit someone's research, please check the Family Tree and add any missing people.

In my own case the answer is simple. I put it all on the FamilySearch website. I have told my family they can throw out all my papers because our family history is preserved for future generations at FamilySearch.

Don't leave your loved ones a family history mess to worry about. Give them any books and official documents you want them to have. Put everything on www.familysearch.org 

Masculine and feminine versions of surnames

Particularly in some Slavic languages this is common. Why would the daughter's surname be Kowalska when her father's surname is Kowalski? Because they are the feminine and masculine forms of the same surname. Similarly Ivanova and Ivanov / Ivanoff, etc. It is good to be aware of this as you help people with their research. 

Name variations in translation

Even in languages that share the Roman alphabet, the letters do not necessarily represent the same sound. In German, for example, J is pronounced like an English Y, and W is pronounced like an English V. And some sounds may not have an exact equivalent. When the languages are written in a different alphabet, such as Cyrillic, the ways of spelling the name in English are greatly increased. So when doing research on immigrant families in particular, allow for spelling variations. 

And sometimes names get literally translated into another language. A friend told me of his frustration when his Acadian "Le Blanc" family totally disappeared from New Brunswick and the surrounding area. Eventually he found a "White" family that had suddenly appeared in an English speaking area at that same time. The names, ages and other information were a perfect match for the "Le Blanc" family. They had simply translated their surname into English to fit their new location. Later, one of their children moved into a French speaking area and changed their name back to "Le Blanc". (You can search without a surname if the surname is uncertain.)

"Search, ponder and pray" is good counsel when doing research.

The power of FamilySearch IDs

Each person is identified in Family Tree by a unique person identifier (often called an ID or PID).

There may be hundreds or even thousands of people with that same name and place, but each will have a different PID. 

So the best way to make sure you are looking at the right person may be to check the PID. Clicking on a PID will copy it to your computer's clipboard so that you can easily paste it, to add that specific person to a family or merge them with a duplicate, or whatever you need to do.

FamilySearch AI Research Assistant Secrets REVEALED by Lisa Cooke | Aug 28, 2025 | 01 What's New, Artificial Intelligence, FamilySearch Video presentation by a popular professional genealogy speaker and Youtuber. https://lisalouisecooke.com/2025/08/28/familysearch-ai-research-assistant/

(It contains a short advertisement by her sponsor, but I still found it worthwhile. 

TIP: Resolving “Needs More Information” Errors Before Reserving Names

If you encounter a “Needs More Information” error while attempting to reserve a family name, it means key details are missing or incomplete. These issues must be resolved before the reservation can proceed.

Common Causes of the Error:

The name does not meet system requirements (e.g non-alphabetic characters or labels such as "boy" or "wife")

Dates and places are not standardized

No event information is recorded—at least one of the following is required:

Birth, Christening, Marriage, Death, Burial

The sex of the individual is not indicated

Additional Checks for Ordinances:

Sealing to Parents

The child has only one parent listed

The child or either parent is missing required information

Sealing to Spouse

The individuals must be linked as spouses before sealing

One of the spouses is missing required information

By reviewing and correcting these details, you’ll ensure smoother processing and avoid delays in reserving names for temple work.

-  from September 2025 Ancestral Quest Newsletter

[Note that estimates can be used for dates and places if these cannot be found. If a sibling has this information you can use it with "about" and "of". A place can be as general as the country, but more precision is better.]

Pass-Along Cards for the Edmonton Family History Fair

I live a rather solitary life, so I wasn't sure why I wanted pass-along cards, but I made some anyway by putting 4 copies of the final poster on a page in my word processor. As I was leaving for a medical appointment in Edmonton, I put 4 pass-along cards in my shirt pocket. I gave one to the friendly Uber driver who told me about his family's struggles back home in Iran. I gave another to the kindly nurse at the Royal Alex, who guided me through the series of tests and interviews there. I missed the opportunity to give one to my helpful Uber driver on the way home, but the next day I gave one to the nurse that helped me in Stony Plain, and I left the 4th card in my wife's room in the nursing home, in a place where visitors and staff can see it. Now I need to print some more pass-along cards and see what opportunities the Lord provides. You might try this too. - Bill

Some Research Basics as of 2025

 Some Research Basics

1. “Start with the end in mind.” Decide what you wish to accomplish, and work towards your goals. Your paper documents and information stored only on your own computer may eventually be lost. Save your family history on FamilySearch,org to keep it safe. We have been saving genealogy for 120 years,

2. Start with yourself, and ask your older relatives for family history information. Information on people born in the recent 100 years may be protected by privacy legislation, so it is hard to find online.

3. To find out what records exist for a particular place, check www.familysearch.org/wiki

4. Printed charts can help to organize relationship information. There are two basic types:

Family Group Records will list the parents and their children with dates and places,
Pedigree Charts will list a person and their direct ancestors with dates and places.

5. Work backward in time, adding sources as you go, to document your family tree.

6. Remember that the same name will have different spellings, depending on the clerk who wrote it. And names can change over time. Immigrant names are especially likely to change. And be aware of nicknames. Often people born before 1850 could not read or write, even in industrialized countries.

7. The most important information besides the name is usually the birth, as it follows a person throughout their life, Marriage and death information is important for those specific events, but birth information may be used in all the records of that person. "Birth dates" are often estimated from age.

8. You can estimate dates and places, if you are careful. Parents are typically 30 years older than their middle child. Look for records in places that they lived. Replace estimates with facts as they are found.

9. You can search the billions of FamilySearch historical records from any Person Details page in Family Tree or by clicking Search > Records.

10. The map is your friend. In rural areas of Europe, families often remained in place for multiple generations. A young man in a rural area usually found a wife within 7 miles of where he lived, if he had to travel by foot. If they lived by a county boundary, search on both sides of the boundary.

11. People were generally born at home. The “birthplace” may be listed as a nearby town or city.

12. Think of census records as a series of Family Group Records. Coordinate data across multiple censuses. (Remember that ages are usually approximate.) Often they help you find vital records.

13. The further back in time, the fewer records exist. Records of common people seldom exist before 1600 and almost never before 1500 in Europe. Aristocrats owned all of the land, so they can sometimes be found further back in time through deeds and titles. Noble lines may connect to royalty.

14. You will occasionally make mistakes in your research. Family Tree will point out some errors, but not all of them. If you make a mistake at one point, you can correct it later. Avoid merging records unless you are sure they identify the same person. As Sister Wendy Watson Nelson said at RootsTech, “I do my very best and then I move on.”

Some FamilySearch Basics

1. www.familysearch.org is part of the Genealogical Society of Utah, created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1894, and well known for microfilming parish records, censuses and other old documents to protect them from loss or destruction. The world’s largest family history library is operated by FamilySearch, along with over 6000 FamilySearch Centers scattered throughout the world. These facilities and the website are 100% free for church members and the general public.

2. It is a safe place for your family history records. Your ancestors want to be there.

3. The Family Tree is part of FamilySearch, along with billions of historical records, and thousands of old user-submitted genealogies, books, and a Research Wiki that tells what records were created in various countries. There is also a place where you can help make old records computer-searchable.

4. The ability to add photos, stories, etc, is wonderful. As you add them, connect them to the people.

5. The FamilySearch Family Tree is not your private family tree, it is a shared tree, so share nicely.

6. Only you can see the information you add for living people, Records of the deceased are public.

Some DNA Basics

Nearly every cell of your body contains genetic coding in DNA, which you inherited from your parents and they inherited from their parents and so forth. The three common types of DNA tests are:

1. Y-DNA is passed from father to son. Y-DNA tests are available to males only, looking for other males with matching Y-DNA, indicating a common male ancestor. (In our culture it usually corresponds to the surname line.) It is useful for distinguishing between unrelated families with the same surname, and finding matches with documentation that goes back further in time than yours.

2. MT-DNA or Mitochondrial DNA is passed by a mother to her children. MT-DNA tests follow the direct maternal line, just as Y-DNA follows the direct paternal line. Recent developments (in the Million Mito Project) have made MT-DNA more useful for genealogy than it used to be.

3. Autosomal DNA, sometimes called a “Family Finder” DNA Test. This is the cheapest and perhaps the most interesting. It tests all of your ancestral lines, not just one line as in the case of the two other tests. But it gets unreliable beyond the 4th cousin level, because the amount of shared DNA decreases by half with each generation. It is especially popular with adoptees looking for biological family.

Which test is best depends on what you are trying to do. The slogan “The science does not lie.” ignores the fact that biological evidence is subject to interpretation. In particular, “ethnicity estimates” as given in Autosomal DNA tests depend on assumptions made by that testing service at that particular time. A DNA test might be a useful tool once you have gone as far as conventional research allows. FamilySearch makes no recommendation of any particular DNA test or testing service.

(The testing service FamilyTreeDNA.com has no connection to the FamilySearch Family Tree.)

Compiled by Bill Buchanan, Stake Consultant, Edmonton Alberta North Stake. (revised June 2025)

New Projects Available on Familysearch.org

 Indexing, for the Modern Era

Help us make more names searchable even faster by indexing with an AI companion, from the Get Involved > Opportunities page. https://www.familysearch.org/en/getinvolved/opportunities
Verify Places in the Family Tree to make it more accurate and searchable.
Quick Name Review
Full Name Review
Family Review
Review Record Hints

(I see that some of these opportunities are not yet fully implemented. Some patience may be needed.)

Tips for Reviewing AI-indexed Historical Records 
If you are doing the Review of AI-indexed historical records, note that the names in the green background have been attached by AI. Sometimes they are different people than those shown on the right side of the screen in Family Tree. I have investigated many of these instances and usually the AI was right, but not always. 
An automatic solution I have found to often work, is to click "Change Person" on the right side, and paste in the ID chosen by the AI. Suddenly the green areas may line up perfectly, and that record is done. 
Sometimes missing step or adoptive parent relationships need to be added. (e.g. Family Tree assumes that parent-child relationships are biological. In a marriage record, the child may name a step or adoptive parent.)
If the spouse shown in the record does not match the one shown in Family Tree, you can click Change Spouse to Choose the correct spouse or Add them to the Family Tree.
I hope these tips are useful. I find this more challenging than traditional indexing, but I love being able to see immediate results in the Family Tree. - Bill

A Tip for Verify Places
I have reviewed place names often over the past few years. It has changed somewhat recently. Currently, the system often confuses place names in the UK with those of my chosen country (Canada) with similar names. 
I expect this to improve, but for now, I often find myself using right-click > Open new Tab to check where this person and their family lived. 
But if the Residence is shown on the left side of the screen use that as the place name. (copy and paste)
Or I can click on Skip, and move on to the next record. (- Bill)

The End of the FamilySearch Indexing Program

 The big news is that the traditional indexing process has come to an end.

On www.familysearch.org. if you click Get Involved > Indexing, you will currently see this message:
"This activity has been retired. You can still access your messages and groups until 30 April 2025."

"Technology is changing how we index

The old indexing tool is being replaced with new technology that makes it easier and faster for people to discover their ancestors. As AI accelerates the work of indexing, your volunteer efforts are still needed to help review vital records." 

"Why is the indexing tool being retired?

"The current indexing tool relies on outdated technology. Meanwhile, FamilySearch now uses a variety of methods to transcribe records, including artificial intelligence (AI), significantly speeding up the process of making names searchable. In 2024 alone, AI indexed 1.5 billion images containing nearly 10 billion names.

"That being said, volunteers are still essential! Instead of transcribing, they now review and correct AI-generated indexes—a crucial step that makes it easier to find historical records."

Indexing, for the Modern Era

Help us make more names searchable even faster by indexing with an AI companion, from the Get Involved > Opportunities page.

Standardize places in the Family Tree to make it more accurate and searchable.

Quick Name Review

Full Name Review

Family Review

Review Record Hints

Our special thanks to those of you have been part of the Indexing program over the years.

Note: To me, this represents a timely change. I have been involved in Indexing (off and on) since it was called "The Controlled Extraction Program" and was based on stacks of paper data to be extracted to floppy disks. We have come a long way, and this is another big step. I welcome the changes and I encourage your support for the Review processes. 

Let's move this work forward. - Bill

Some of Bill's Picks from RootsTech

As a retiree, I have been able to watch nearly 40 sessions of RootsTech over the past 2 weeks.
Each person's picks will depend on their own needs and interests, 

Some of Bill's picks from RootsTech 2025:

You’ve Got This! Tried and Tested Ideas for Ward Temple and Family History Success (21 minutes)
This class centers on encouragement and help for those with ward temple and family history callings.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/youve-got-this-tried-and-tested-ideas-for-ward-temple-and-family-history-success

Family History Consultants - Changing the Paradigm (Start with Christ.)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/family-history-consultants-changing-the-paradigm

Family Discovery Day Live Session | RootsTech 2025 Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Kathy Andersen and President Jeffrey R Holland tell some of their own family stories.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/rootstech-2025-family-discovery-day-live-session

Combine Multiple DNA Test Types (How atDNA+YDNA+mtDNA+atDNA=More Answers!)
(I found this highly entertaining and probably the clearest explanation ever of the different types of DNA tests.)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/combine-multiple-dna-test-types-how-atdna-ydna-mtdna-atdna-more-answers

The Getting Started series by BYU seemed aimed at professional research, but good overall. (There are 7 parts.)

Mining the Census, Are You Finding Every Clue? Part 2 (Part 2 has lots of good general tips.)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/mining-the-census-are-you-finding-every-clue-part-2

What's New at FamilySearch for Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/whats-new-at-familysearch-for-members-of-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints

FamilySearch Global and Tech Forum 2025 (All the latest tech for geeks)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/familysearch-global-and-tech-forum-2025

Family History Department Leadership Roundtable with Elder Kevin S. Hamilton (This was a live Q&A session.)
The panel explained why temple ordinances can only be reserved now for our own relatives.
It was mentioned that during the past year, 8.7 million people have registered to use FamilySearch, of whom 98% are NOT members of the Church. So don't be afraid to invite non-member friends and relatives.
Temple appointments are preferred. Many temples reserve some of their seating capacity for those who come without an appointment. Temples in areas with small populations of members can only operate by appointment.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/family-history-department-leadership-roundtable-with-elder-kevin-s-hamilton

And of course ... Tree Integrity: Protecting Your Research in Family Tree
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/tree-integrity-protecting-your-research-in-familytree

Which sessions were your favorites? And what did you learn from them?

New Improved Merge Experience (courtesy of RootsTech)

I have done a lot of merging. It is often needed, but I appreciate the need for caution. A bad merge can make a big mess. Sometimes the very best answer is "Not a match." But not always. 

Deciding When to Merge
To what extent do the following things match?
Names, places (are they less than 10 miles apart?), dates, relationships (do they have the same children?)
Note that information on the children is normally more detailed than information on the parents. Are the children of the possible duplicates born in the same place in the same time period?

If they fail these tests, I would mark them as "not a match". If they pass these tests I would merge them.
If it is unclear, I would seek guidance through prayer, which tends to result in "not a match".

A BIG UPDATE:
I tried out the new Improved Merge Experience, announced in RootsTech.
See the explanation and the buttons at www.familysearch.org/labs
And take a look at this 10-minute video of me learning to use the new process.
Maybe try it with some of your "possible duplicates".
https://youtu.be/F9tRBHqbfiY

Correcting a Bad Merge
Recently I discovered that my 2xGGPs were incorrectly merged with a different couple with the same names living 30 miles away, in the next county. As I studied the Sources and the Changes log, I could see what had happened, and how I could separate the records of the two families. The Undo Merge option was unavailable, but I could RESTORE the people deleted by the merge, and then move children to the correct parents, and detach sources that referred to the wrong people. 
I made a 26-minute video demonstrating the main parts of the process. If you suspect relationship errors in your part of the family tree, start with an analysis of the Sources and Changes. Include prayer in your decision. More research may be needed. If you decide to proceed, this video may help. https://youtu.be/kWB6aAbBZbw

Correcting Data Errors in Family Tree
Correcting factual errors is usually super easy. (Click the pencil icon, replace the incorrect data, and Save.)
Correcting relationship errors is more complex but this video may help.

This video by Aimee Cross may also be helpful. To Merge or UnMerge, that is the question (FamilySearch Tutorial)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V99HfzeBts

Removing other users' tags in Memories

 In the "Tree Integrity: Protecting Your Research in Family Tree" session in RootsTech, I saw the following posts in the chat:

"I found that a person with ill intentions posted records in Memories and the records were totally incorrect, but I found that only the person who posts in Memories can delete them. So here I am stuck with records posted that are not correct and I can not have them removed. All that I can do is make a comment that it is not correct information." ...

"Incorrect Memories has that glitch... only person who entered info can delete the info... I too have that problem... but why? If anyone can edit and merge why not have that ability go in all categories? Hmmm."

I suggested this solution in the chat:

"In the tagging/edit screen, you should see a paperclip icon that will allow you to detach the tag from someone in a memory uploaded by someone else."

Today I received a thank you message.

"Thanks, the directions on how to delete an unwanted Memory post by someone else on your account worked .  Thanks so much to Bill Buchanan's post."

Please use this in only extreme cases. We do not want vigilantes wildly un-tagging memories they consider "unneeded", "unflattering" or whatever. But if you are 100% sure that the memory is not for that person, FamilySearch does provide a way to un-tag it. And please provide a clear reason statement.

T&FH Training for my stake: RootsTech and Memories

 

As leaders and consultants, our job for the next 3 weeks is to invite everyone to RootTech.

Opportunities include Coordinating meetings, Relief Society, Priesthood, Sunday School, Young Women, Primary, and personal conversations with friends and family. Something at RootsTech may totally change someone's life for the better.

Get ready for RootsTech 2025 (30 seconds) Super!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BReMltTKLVc

Welcome to RootsTech 2025 (visuals without sound. cycles thru 4 screens in about a minute)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/?start=0&id=K2&video=2245338986001

I especially enjoy Relatives at RootsTech and tonight I discovered that a long-time friend is my 6th cousin twice removed, 😃

RootsTech will have something for everyone.

Consider the final words of the Old Testament, in Malachi 4:5-6

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
"And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

We are part of the Lord's work.

FamilySearch Memories can help us to know and love our ancestors and their families.

Let's view this 2-minute video.
Your memories can live forever on FamilySearch (about 2 minutes)
https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-familysearch-memories-to-preserve-my-ancestors-life-stories

Memories Choices include:
      Add Photo or Document (upload files)
     Write a Story (write in plain text - maybe 10 minutes worth, for longer items save as PDF and use the choice above)
     Add an Audio (create or upload)

Once items have been uploaded they are safely stored for future enjoyment.

Some Limits:
Maximum of 1000 Memories per profile
Public or Private? Public Memories should not identify living people.
Maximum size of any one Memories item is 15 MB.
Only certain popular file formats are supported, but your computer can save images and/or text as PDF files. If you have trouble uploading photos try one of these file formats PNG, PDF/A, JPG/JPEG or JPEG 2000.
PDF is the best format for multi-page items. e,g, books and other word processor documents,
If scanning images, use a minimum of 300 dpi (600 is better) to preserve good image quality.
The easiest way to create and upload audio files is from your phone using the Memories mobile app.
Audio files are usually limited to about 5 minutes in length to fit in the 15 MB limit without extensive tinkering. (The free Audacity software is great for tinkering with sampling rates, etc, I have a 22 minute audio clip that is 15MB in size.)

You cannot upload videos to FamilySearch Memories, But videos can be saved to Youtube etc, and then linked to FamilySearch Memories. This works so long as the link is live.)
e.g. https://www.familysearch.org/photos/gallery/album/1464865 has live and dead links.
Albums can be accessed by anyone who has the album's link even without a FamilySearch account, so an easy way to share Memories.

You can instantly colorize black and white photos or repair faded color photos by using your free account at https://www.myheritage.com/incolor.

This is not an exhaustive list, but is based on my experience uploading thousands of Memories and supporting Memories in FamilySearch Support.

Remember that items in your home and on your home computer are at risk of being lost over time. FamilySearch Memories can keep copies of them safe for future generations,

I hope you find this helpful.

Bill