Blog – Page 124 – Family Locket

family history and temple work from april 2016 general conference

12 Things I Learned About Family History and Temple Work from LDS General Conference

In the recent LDS General Conference, church leaders spoke about a wide range of topics that comforted, taught, and inspired us. Many of the talks focused on personal conversion and our relationship with the Savior. Many other messages were about strengthening families and how we can improve our relationships with each other. As a family history consultant in my ward, the insights shared about why we should do family history research and proxy temple work for […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer April 8, 2016 General Conference, LDS Family History

Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive – from the Book Passed and Present – an Interview with Allison Gilbert

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Allison Gilbert’s new book, Passed and Present, about celebrating the lives of relatives we’ve lost. Enter our giveaway of the book here! Remembering loved ones who have passed away is a unique kind of challenge. We want to celebrate their lives, yet sometimes sharing memories can be difficult. We may wonder if our family members (children, teens, etc.) are even interested. As family historians, we have many stories […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer April 7, 2016 Crafts and Projects, Creating and Sharing Family History, Families and Children

The Wonderful World of Webinars

Do you need to reignite your genealogy spark? No time or money for a genealogy conference? Maybe what you need is to try out a free webinar and see how easy it is to build your knowledge one hour at a time, from the comfort of your home. I had been hearing about webinars for years, but just hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon . . .until last month. I got an email about joining the […]

By Diana Elder April 6, 2016 Research Tips

Family History is for Everyone Spotlight: DNA Cousin Don Royston

Family history is all about people and meeting new cousins is often a highlight in our genealogy ramblings. Ten years ago, long before Ancestry’s DNA became hugely popular, I participated in a YDNA test group that not only proved my connection to Thomas Royston, who arrived in Virginia in 1635, but led me to a new cousin. Today I’d like to introduce you to Don Royston, my DNA proven cousin and fellow Royston researcher. I met Don […]

By Diana Elder April 4, 2016 Creating and Sharing Family History, Family History is for Everyone Spotlights

each of us is a book waiting to be written quote

Favorite Reads of the Week: 2 April 2016 – writing our own stories, translation, and teaching kids history with ancestor stories

“Each of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, when written, results in a person explained.” -Thomas M. Cirignano This was quoted in an article at Write My Journey about the value of writing your own story. Rosemary Osborne writes, “You can never know the difference family information will make to people’s lives not only in appreciating their heritage but also understanding the DNA of their personality, character and relationships.” Many of the […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer April 2, 2016 Favorite Reads of the Month

“Dark Enough to see the Stars in a Jamestown Sky” – April Book Club Selection

Have you ever researched an ancestor so extensively that you felt like you knew them? Have you wished you could tell their story in a way that would do justice to their life experiences? Connie LaPallo did just that with our April book selection: “Dark Enough to see the Stars in a Jamestown Sky.” Her journey in writing the story of her ancestor, Joan Peirce, one of the few women who survived the Jamestown […]

By Diana Elder April 1, 2016 Book Club, Creating and Sharing Family History

“Who’s Who in My Family?” by Loreen Leedy – Lesson Plan Ideas, Family Tree Diagram Activity, and Discussion Questions

For this month’s Kids’ Book Club we’re reading Loreen Leedy’s book, Who’s Who in My Family Tree? It’s perfect for teaching kids about family tree diagrams, second cousins, great uncles, and great grandparents, and you can even create a fun family tree when you’re done reading. Who’s Who in My Family? By Loreen Leedy (This is an affiliate link. If you click the link and purchase the item, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change the price of […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer April 1, 2016 Families and Children, Kids Book Club

3 Tips to Focus Your Research With An Objective

Have you ever been sucked into the whirlpool of internet record searches and an hour or two surfaced wondering where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished? It is so easy to get distracted by all the goodies that are available online: census records, birth certificates, cemetery records, and so much more. How can you put some order into your research? Try formulating an objective and watch your efforts come into focus. I recently started my […]

By Diana Elder March 30, 2016 Accreditation, Organizing, Research Tips

Strengthening Children Through Family History: Bruce Feiler’s Tips from RootsTech 2016

At the end of Bruce Feiler’s inspirational keynote talk at RootsTech in February, he encouraged listeners to do four things: 1 – “Find a way to connect your family story with the oldest stories ever told.” 2 – “Find a way to not just talk about the green and bountiful moments, but about the moments in exile, in desert, in pain.” 3 – “Find a way to take your passion for family history, and pass […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer March 28, 2016 Creating and Sharing Family History, Families and Children, Sharing Stories

Favorite Reads of the Week: 26 March 2016

My favorite article this week is from Deseret News about starting with hearts, not charts, and the implications for involving the next generation in family history. CEO Steve Rockwood shares why this is FamilySearch’s new mantra for recruiting beginners. He said, “Starting with a story … would ultimately lead to the important data. … “Let’s start with something that everyone can participate in, everyone can get excited about.” ‘Start with the heart vs. the chart’ and share family stories […]

By Nicole Elder Dyer March 26, 2016 Favorite Reads of the Month