My plan is to start by scanning it all. It will give me a good idea of what's there, and will then make an accessible record for any other family members who in the years to come take an interested in family history. I need to get on while my Dad and Aunt are still around and lucid, so that they can answer any questions I come up with.
Having done extensive genealogy research on my own family I believe the first rule is that 99% of what family tell you will be wrong! The second is to be prepared for a few skeletons to come out of cupboards. Usually involving the most prim & proper great aunts that you were scared of when you were little.
For example my grandfather was one of 8 according to my mum but I can prove there were at least another 4 siblings that Ive traced that died in childhood all living in a 2 up 2 down.
The most important thing while people are still alive is to match names to faces in any photos you may have.
You might get lucky as we did on one branch of the wifes side of the family, I have photos of oil paintings of our children's 9x great grandparents & can get back to about 1300ad, but found the hardest bit was anything more recent than 1901 although the 1911 census will be released for public consumption next year which will assist.
