Published June 18, 2023
| 1 Comment | Leave A ReplyGenealogy is first and foremost a lot of names and dates. But if you start taking your immediate family history to the next level, right behind those names and dates are a lot of “stuff.”
Stuff like family Bibles.
Stuff like furniture.
Stuff like heirloom antiques.
Stuff like baptismal certificates.
Stuff like ancestral clothing.
Stuff like the many photos just about everyone seems to have.
Stuff like collections of everything from stamps to buttons.
Preserving and documenting such stuff—as well as creating a plan for the distribution of it—has been somewhat of a missing link for genealogists.
Into this breach has stepped Artifcts.com (no second “a”!), which has already made enough of a mark to get on Family Tree Magazine list of “101 Best Genealogy Websites of 2023.”
Heather Nickerson, Artifcts.com’s co-founder and CEO explained that the company developed from the reality that all the “stuff” is best catalogued for inheritance purposes, but has morphed into a great spot for genealogists to keep track of family history’s material culture.
Nickerson bills Artifcts as a solution to unite the objects in peoples’ lives with their stories, “connecting people, helping to declutter without guilt, and ensuring our stories—not just objects—live on for generations.”
She hopes that Artifcts can help provide “a fresh perspective on trends in managing legacy, reducing the burden ‘stuff’ can become in our lives, and improving preparedness for downsizing and end-of-life.”
As with many websites, Artifcts offers a “try for free” opportunity that’s limited to five sample Artifcts that can be maintained without cost forever, according to the company.
The two paid plans are the following:
- Arti Lite, which costs $36 a year, and allows the subscriber to: create up to 30 Artifcts; receive free valuations; invite other paid members to add details to your Artifcts; attach documentation; and access Arti Concierge services.
- Arti Unlimited costs $89 a year, which includes all of the Arti Lite features plus: ability to create an unlimited number of Artifcts; receive three extra Arti Unlimited memberships to give to friends and family; and join exclusive Arti events.
In the Artifcts blog, Nickerson laments that she never interviewed her mother before her death the get the stories behind her recipes, jewelry and books, and that this has helped inspire her to help others not have the same regrets.
Looking at the Artifcts site gave me a real wave of nostalgia. I thought of the fraktur baptismal certificates I have for five generations of my ancestors. And the four-generation photo of my mother through her great-grandmother. And even the books in my genealogy library.
In an age when we all seem to have unlimited “stuff,” Artifcts may be the best answer.
To give Artifcts a look, go to the URL https://artifcts.com/
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For Sale
The Best of "Roots & Branches", Fifth Edition published July 2017, edited by Terri J. Bridgwater.
It contains a selection of columns from Beidler’s award-winning newspaper column (currently published in the Altoona Mirror), which is the only syndicated newspaper column on genealogy in Pennsylvania.
The book can be ordered online, or purchased directly from Jim when he speaks at a conference.
Nancy L McCurdy
11 months ago
Artifcts is a wonderful idea. Just imagine what we could all learn from contributions to this website. Thank you sharing the information with us.