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"Along Those Lines"
9/13/2002 - Archive
October Is Family History Month
Celebrating family is what genealogy and family history research
is all about. It is researching the origins, ethnicity, culture, traditions
and customs, stories, individuality, and group dynamics of our families. If
you are like me, you are often surprised by the similarities between yourself
and your ancestors going back any number of generations.
Last year, Senator Orrin Hatch led the way with sponsorship in the U.S. Senate
of Senate Resolution 160 designating October 2001 as Family History Month. You
can view the text of that resolution at the Thomas website at the Library of
Congress. (Thomas is named for Thomas Jefferson, and the Thomas site is the
Web location to access information about the U.S. Congress.) Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/
and then conduct a search for Bill SR 160, and select the link labeled S.RES.160.ATS,
which is the final approved version of the resolution. Senator Hatch is a real
advocate of family and genealogy, as is evidenced by the webpage that is part
of his website, at: http://hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Services.Genealogy
While I was attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2002 Conference
last month in Ontario, California, several people spoke to me about the importance
of establishing and celebrating an annual Family History Month. Jonelle Ellis
Russell is an active advocate for Family History Month. She advised me that
California State Senator Wesley Chesbro (D. Arcata, Senate District 02) sponsored
a resolution (SCR 100) declaring October 2002 as Family History Month in California.
A roll call vote on the Assembly Floor on 19 August 2002 passed the resolution
77-0. You can read the text of the resolution by visiting Senator Chesbro's
website at: http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/chesbro
and following the link to SCR 100.
An Internet mailing list relating to Family History Month has been established
for those people interested in discussing the topic and sharing information
on the topic. Sponsored by RootsWeb.com, you can learn more about subscribing
to the list at: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Miscellaneous/FAMILY-HISTORY-MONTH.html
While it does take effort to draft, introduce, and enlist support to vote
for any legislative measure, it seems to me that support for a declaration of
October as Family History Month is a natural action. The values of family and
community are an integral part of American life, and this has been reinforced
throughout our history. However, each of our ancestors brought their own family's
values and ethics from wherever they originated. As a result, we are the amalgam--the
melting pot--of our ancestors and the values passed down through the generations.
You may want to become an advocate of the establishment of Family History Month
in your state or at a national level. Juliana Smith's article, "Planning
for Family History Month," at: www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=A406701
presents some strategies for making this happen.
In the meantime, start planning your own Family History Month celebration for
2002. In my column of 6 October 2000, I presented five ideas for celebrating
during the month (www.ancestry.com/rd/prodredir.asp?sourceid=831&key=A255206
). These suggestions for involving your family and celebrating Family History
Month are as relevant now as they were two years ago. Family and family values
are timeless, as every genealogist knows.
With a little advance work, we can start a groundswell, grass-roots effort to
celebrate family and all that is right with it. I hope you will join "the
family."
Happy hunting!
George
Author's Note:
In last week's column, I wrote about the importance of examining the documents
yourself. I goofed when I wrote:
In the will, the names Elizabeth and Mary had no comma between them. This led
her to suspect that there was one daughter named Elizabeth Mary, rather than
two daughters. Further investigation of marriage records in the county bore
this out as each daughter was married, one a year after her father's
death and the other two years later.
Actually, that last sentence should have read:
Further investigation of marriage records in the county refuted that hypothesis
as each daughter was married, one a year after her father's death and
the other two years later.
I apologize for the confusion and thank all who e-mailed me to ask for clarification.
George G. Morgan would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com
but, due to the volume of e-mail received, he is unable to answer every e-mail
message received. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual
research.
Visit George's website at http://ahaseminars.com/atl
for information about speaking engagements.
Copyright 2002, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.
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