Have you wanted to write a family member's history but run into challenges? Perhaps they don't want to talk about the past or you don't know how to broach a difficult subject. We know that learning how our ancestors worked through the challenges of their lives can benefit the next generation, but how exactly do we discover the stories and then write them. Finding True Connections: How to Learn and Write about a Family Member's History by Gareth St John Thomas can help. The introduction explains: You are about to embark on a very privileged journey. Discovering a person's life...
FamilySearch recently announced a new partnership with The Permanent Legacy Foundation. The announcement described the foundation as providing “a service that allows people to upload document, photo, audio, and video files in a secure, permanent place for current and future generations to enjoy and cherish.” My initial question on reading about this partnership was “Why would I choose to upload and store materials in a Permanent Archive at Permanent.org when I am already uploading memories to FamilySearch?” Immediately on the heels of that question came the question, “Why store my digital items at Permanent.org as opposed to other cloud-based storage...
Is 2020 the year that you attend RootsTech in person? Maybe you've been watching the live stream or recorded videos and thinking it would be exciting to take in the RootsTech experience. 2020 is the perfect year to attend. It marks the 10 year anniversary of this unique conference and if I know the RootsTech team, they will have some very special events planned. As a RootsTech Ambassador, I'm giving away a free pass. Why shouldn't you be the lucky winner? Contest details below. If you'd like to try out RootsTech in a small dose, I have a special promo...
I used to work in the quilting industry. It was always fun to be a part of the heightened flurry of activity that began about this time of year as our customers hurried to complete quilts and other handmade gifts for loved ones in time for the holidays. As a genealogist, I have that same desire to share what I am passionate about with those around me in meaningful ways. The upcoming holiday season provides the opportunity to do just that. What family history related gifts will you be giving this year? Here are a few quick and easy gift...
Do you ever feel like you're the only genealogist in your circle of family and friends? If so, a dose of Buzzy Jackson and her book, Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist might be what you need. Reading about her adventures in the genealogy world will have you chuckling and commiserating at the same time. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Thank you for your support! Shaking the Family Tree is our fall selection for the Family Locket Book Club on...
Have you heard of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and their annual conference? The mission statement of FGS is "The Federation of Genealogical Societies empowers the genealogical and family history community, especially its societies and organizations, by advocating for the preservation and access of records, and providing resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions." Like other family history conferences, FGS holds classes on a wide array of topics taught by professional genealogists. This year the conference is being held in Washington, D.C. I received a grant to attend the conference from the Center for Family History and Genealogy...
As family historians we recognize the need to gather our family stories, but what happens when we uncover stories that were never discussed? What if we found our family was part of one of the most dramatic and disturbing eras of the 20th century - the Holocaust of World War II? In Georgia Hunter's We Were the Lucky Ones we learn the remarkable story of her family's survival as Polish Jews. Georgia made the discovery of her family's past when she was 14 years old. Like many of us, she was fulfilling a school assignment to research more about her family...
Last month, I wrote a post for Family Locket all about how much I enjoyed using EPSON FastFoto Scanner to digitize all our wonderful family photos. Unfortunately, right after I sent the scanner back, I found a few pictures that I missed and wasn’t sure what to do! Nicole told me about another option for scanning, so I thought I’d try it out too. Photomyne is an app available for iOS and android. It ‘scans’ photos right from your phone or other digital device (it felt like I was just taking pictures of the pictures with my phone). The app...
My sister-in-law, Camille Ridd Elder, is sharing today about the wonderful Epson FastFoto Scanner. At RootsTech 2019, I met Jack Rieger, product manager at Epson, who told me all about the Epson FastFoto Scanner. Watch the Facebook live video here: RootsTech 2019 FastFoto Scanner Interview. Epson gave us a loaner unit of the FastFoto to try out and share on our blog! Camille scanned all our Elder (and Ridd) family photos and shares her experience here. In the last few decades our media uses have changed enormously. I’m only 22, and I still remember VHS and cassettes! Now I grab...
With DNA testing turning up skeletons in the closet left and right, I was interested to read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. This fictional account of a family describes the horrific Tennessee Children's Home Society operated by Georgia Tann in Memphis, Tennessee, from the 1920s to 1950. (The above is an affiliate link). Wingate created her story based on recollections of children who were kidnapped from their families and put into Tann's "orphanage." It is estimated that Tann stole over 5,000 children. Many of them were adopted out to wealthy families, mostly in New York or California. The adoptive...
