I found a quilt top that tells its own story. The names of the women who made its pieces are stitched on each square in a variety of colors and lovingly prepared. The names are my maternal grandfather’s family. When I started closely examining it, I realized…
If you’re an avid family historian, chances are you’ve wandered around a graveyard more than once searching for ancestors. Regardless of whether you are an old pro, or a beginner, you’ll find there are several handy tools to have with you when visiting a graveyard to archive history. Be sure to include…
In November 2008, I was recovering from rotator cuff surgery, and trying to come up with Christmas gifts for family members. At the time, I was hearing a lot about MyCanvas in various press releases on genealogy blogs. MyCanvas is an online program in which you can create personalized items like family history books, recipe books…
“Mommy, where did you get that?”
Hmmm… where did I get that? Did it belong to my grandmother? Or was it my mother’s? Wait… if it was my mother’s, where did she get it? And how did I end up with it? With the everyday busy-ness of life, work, and family, I have found it increasingly difficult to remember my own name some days, much less where I got that antique candy dish.
Discovering your family’s history is a thrilling endeavor. Learning family stories, finding heirlooms, and discovering where you came from can link a person to their past and help them establish a brighter future. But as exciting as that journey can be, it can also be overwhelming when just getting started. Where do you begin? Where do you find information about your family, especially if many of your ancestors are already deceased? Here are some tips to help you begin family history.
A family history book seems an impossible feat at times.
How does one convert years of research into some semblance of stories and organize those stories along with pictures and documents into a book?
Family Friday is something that I like to promote to help strengthen family bonds and get families involved in genealogy & family history. From one family historian to another, I’m sure you can relate to sometimes feeling like you’re on a genealogy island alone when relatives don’t always seem to share the same enthusiasm as you do. Sometimes they don’t know they’re enthused until you get them enthused (smile)! That’s where these Family Friday activities come in!
Genealogy has been a passion of mind since childhood. It is hard to believe it has been four decades since I first asked my grandmother about a tintype photo of her father. From her stories I was hooked into the exciting world of family history. I became the nosey nephew at family gatherings, always asking questions and seeking old photographs or documents. Many relatives would get bored with my questions, however a handful of my older cousins encouraged my research. By the time I was twelve years old I had already typed my first thirteen page genealogy book (on file at NEHGS).
Getting started on family history work is a thrilling prospect. As you begin to find and build your family’s legacy, be sure to avoid these basic family history mistakes!
There are many methods of searching for and finding the records of ancestors, but having a creative way to share those results can be difficult. However, MyCanvas by Alexander’s provides a way for family history enthusiasts to create a multitude of completely customized genealogy projects…