|
The Family History Compass
10/1/2001 - Archive
Family History Month: It's Official!
As most of you have probably heard by now, on 26 September Senator
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) passed legislation that officially commemorates October 2001
as Family History Month. The legislation had 84 co- sponsors and was approved
by unanimous consent. It is thrilling to see our representatives recognizing
the importance of preserving our heritage and connecting with our roots. So
now that we have official recognition for Family History Month, what can we
do to commemorate it?
Spread the Bug
One of the greatest joys of family history for me is being able to share information
with my family. I'm a second-generation genealogist and since the environment
I grew up in was "family history oriented," it is not surprising that my sisters
and I all carry this interest. (In my case, maybe "obsessive compulsion" is
a more appropriate word for it!) My mother had a microfilm reader in the basement
when I was young, and I can remember us taking turns double-checking the rolls
of census microfilm, looking for our surnames. It was like a game to us and
we often fought over our time on the reader. It's possible the 25 cents that
Mom offered for every relative located was also part of the incentive, but regardless
of what drew us in, it worked!
My dad has also now joined the ranks and has been working with a charting program
to create ancestral and descendancy charts for his brother and sister. We're
also doing a bit of work on his lines and were excited to find his grandfather's
name on a ship manifest on the Ellis Island Records site.
In our house, I have also been hard at work. I show my daughter pictures of
ancestors and tell her stories about the people in them. Now when she goes to
visit my mother, "Nana," she can pick out many of the people in the photographs
on her walls. (Talk about your proud Nana!) My hubby has also taken an interest
and when his grandfather passed away, he came home from the funeral with a package
of charts and forms on his family lines that his brother-in-law had copied for
him. He may not realize it yet, but he is about to be enlisted in that search
too.
What I'm getting at with all this, is that the "genealogy bug" can be very contagious,
and the more family members you can "infect," the more people you will have
to collaborate and share with. But it's not always easy to get them interested.
Nothing will send some people running for the door faster than a genealogist
with arms full of forms with names and dates. I've been known to clear a room
in seconds by just bringing out a notebook. Let's look at some more effective
ways to spread the genealogy bug.
Stories.
Every person in the family tree has a story to tell and who better to tell that
story than you, the family historian. Don't have any stories? You may have more
than you think. Take a look at the dates you have and put them in a historical
context. A marriage date of May 1865, may seem insignificant, but when you note
that this is at the close of the Civil War it is a little more interesting.
My great-grandmother, Margaret Dooner, was born in 1841 in Ireland. Her family
left Ireland in 1847 to come to the U.S. Just some boring names and dates. But
put into context, Margaret Dooner was four years old when the Great Potato Famine
hit Ireland. Her family left their home in Ireland in 1847, the peak year of
the famine.
Photos and Images.
As I mentioned, my daughter is interested in who the people are in all the photographs
I have around the house. With a picture, the stories can now be connected to
real people, and not just an imagined character.
Images of real documents like the handwritten Census Images Online can also
add another dimension. To me, there is still a thrill to see my family represented
in the census, and to be able to examine the state of the family in these snapshots
from the past. What were their occupations? Were the children attending school?
Were there other family members living with them? Was the family provider steadily
employed?
Maps.
Long-time readers know that I'm a bit of a map freak and I won't delve into
this too far except to say that they also provide an image of the places ancestors
lived, traveled, and were laid to rest. As I was browsing Disney.com with my
daughter the other day, I wanted to see what kind of family activities they
had and tried a search for genealogy. (Sorry, force of habit!) They had a rather
impressive selection of articles, including one that talked about creating a
kind of three-dimensional map where you could place little figurines representing
your ancestors in the places where they lived. Migration routes were tracked
on the map as well.
Other Ideas for Kids.
There are now a number of publications aimed at getting children interested
in genealogy. The National Genealogical Society, with funds from Ancestry.com,
has created a comic book called Hunting for your Heritage. In an easy
to read format, it is filled with information on how to get started and contains
great ideas like a "Heritage Party," where kids dress up like their ancestors.
The comic book can be ordered by calling the National Genealogical Society at
1-800-473-0060, ext. 116. A single book costs $1.25 but the price per copy drops
for larger orders.
In the Community
If your family is just not ready to be bitten by the genealogy bug, there
are still many more of us rabid genealogists around. Getting involved with a
local society, or helping with a transcription project online are great ways
to commemorate Family History Month.
There are any number of ways to commemorate Family History Month—from getting
started on publishing your family history to getting others involved, and from
joining a society to volunteering to help with a society or other related project.
Getting involved is a wonderful way to connect with your heritage. Below are
some links that you may find helpful as you decide how you want to celebrate.
Society Hall
www.familyhistory.com/societyhall/main.asp
RootsWeb.com http://www.rootsweb.com RootsWeb is home to number of volunteer
genealogy projects.
"Adding Interest to Your Family History," by Juliana Smith (Family History Compass,
04 June 2001) www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/compass/3982.asp
About.com Family History Month Page
genealogy.about.com/library/blfamilyhistorymonth.htm
Check here for Family History Month events listed by location!
"Family History Map Project," by Maggie Megaw (Family.com at Disney Online)
family.go.com/raisingkids/learn/activities/feature/famf010302_hist/famf010302_hist2.html
Juliana Smith is the editor of the Ancestry Daily News and author of
The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book. She has written for Ancestry
Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail
at: mailto:editor@ancestry-inc.com,
but regrets that she is unable to assist with personal research.
|
|
 |
|
