How to Start a Private Family Archive (In a Weekend)

You don’t need a museum to preserve a legacy — just a calm plan, the right labels, and a private hub your family actually uses.

Step 1 — Gather the starter set

• Pick 30–50 meaningful photos across years (not everything)
• Add 1–3 voice notes — a welcome message, a favorite story, a recipe
• Collect dates and names for each item where possible

Step 2 — Create a private home

• Tree first: Add yourself, parents, and grandparents for orientation
• Private workspace: Start with a small trusted group
• Permissions: Keep posts private by default inside the family workspace

Step 3 — Upload with structure

• Add people, place, and date
• Link the item to relatives in the Family Tree
• Use Memory Lane for a chronological view

Step 4 — Add context with short posts

Use Family Announcements for milestones. Write 3–5 lines explaining the moment, add location, then attach media.

Step 5 — Use AI for light assistance

• Summaries: Let Guru create 1–2 sentence recaps
• Notes and summaries: Improve clarity around each upload
• Reminders: Nudge contributors after uploads

Bonus — Bring genealogy data

Already researching on MyHeritage, Ancestry, or FamilySearch? Use verified notes to manually build the relatives and living stories you want in Kunbaa.

Weekly habit to keep it alive

• 10 minutes every Sunday: 3 photos + 1 note
• One new voice note per month from an elder or teen
• Quarterly: curate highlights into a shared recap