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...
Alexis Maurer who writes the blog The Adventures of the Baby Genealogist is sharing a guest blog post about family history for children. I'm excited for you to hear her great ideas! She does a lot of fun things to teach her small children about family history. -Nicole There is a power in connecting with another person. When we create that special bond in our families, our children and grandchildren are affected for the better. Letter writing can be a powerful way to connect. I feel it is slowly becoming a lost art to actually take the time to write something...
The recording of "Families Discovering Family History Together," my RootsTech 2019 presentation with Olivia Jewell and Jana Greenhalgh was just released on the RootsTech Video Archive page. I loved preparing for this class and presenting it with two other moms who are just as passionate about sharing family history with our children and families as I am. Check out Olivia's blog here: Liv's Treehouse and Jana's blog here: The Genealogy Kids. I talked about my five-year-old daughter's experience finding strength from her brave female ancestors during an ER visit, our farmer ancestor role play experience, and making felt family trees...
Can you imagine losing your way as a five-year-old child? Not being able to find your way home? Living on the streets for a few months and then being adopted by a family who spoke a different language and looked different from you? Would you look for the home you remembered? The mother and siblings lost to you? How would you find them in a country of a billion people? Is you interest piqued yet? I hope so, because all of the above happened to Saroo Brierley, author of A Long Way Home: A Memoir. Saroo's incredible journey was made...
