How stories from the presidents’ childhoods inspired me to share family history in a way that kids can laugh at and connect with. President elect Trump is taking office in a week and a half. My six-year-old son was extremely curious about the election and asked his teacher and all our neighbors who they voted for. He is fascinated by the office of President of the United States, so when I stumbled across the book “Kid Presidents:...
Scientists Say January is the Worst Month for Genea-Injuries by Kerry Scott at Clue Wagon – finger yoga!! haha. FamilySearch 2016 Year in Review by Diane Sagers at the FamilySearch Blog – How FamilySearch worked toward its objective to help people of every age, locale, and background learn where they come from. Time-Saving Family History Mobile Apps for Beginners by Leslie Albrecht Huber at the FamilySearch Blog – “All you really need is a few minutes to make headway uncovering...
What would you do if you promised your grandfather at age 15 to write his story? If you were Jackie Dougan Jackson, you’d eventually gather up all 70 years worth of letters, documents, and assorted papers stored in the attic; interview hundreds of people, and publish the story of The Round Barn, one hundred years after it was built. It would include not only the building of the unique round barn W.J. Dougan designed to...
My mom has been writing a series of short stories to share with our family about her dad. I decided to illustrate one of the scenes using StoryBoard That. Eventually I’d like to illustrate each of the scenes and short stories she is writing so I can read them to my kids at bedtime. The scene I did was about picking cotton in Texas when my grandpa was a boy, in the 1930s. The software...
It has been fascinating to read the “top ten” lists of other geneabloggers this week, like Judy Russell’s list and Amy Johnson Crow’s list. We thought it would be fun to join the conversation, so here are the top ten most viewed articles from our blog for 2016, starting with number 10: 10. Source Citations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 9. What Do I Do Next? 5 Tips for Using FamilySearch Partners 8. How to Improve the FamilySearch...
“I Wonder Who Is Santa Claus” is a traditional children’s Christmas song that has been sung in my grandfather’s family since he was a boy. His mother, Irma Henrie Elder, sang it every year to her grandchildren at her annual Christmas gathering. Irma’s mother taught her this rare song when she was a girl. When she was older, Irma wrote down the lyrics to the song (right). I haven’t been able to find the author of...
The RootsTech 2017 Innovator Showdown received 41 submissions. Innovators from all industries were encouraged to submit their family history related ideas for unique hardware, software apps, or services in the contest. I eagerly looked at all of the submissions. Here are the ones that stood out: Fun/Games Cuzins – see how you’re related to friends and celebrities and how celebrities are related to each other Little Family Tree Little Family Tree – This app was submitted last year but...
How do you write a family history that your family might actually read? Turning your pedigree chart into a sentence is a sure way to turn them off. Instead, think about writing a scene to enliven your story. I had heard my dad talk about “pickin’ cotton” as a boy. He didn’t leave a written record, but I created this scene from my memories of his stories. My dad passed away six and a half years...
It’s O-Fischel–You Should Index! by Lara Diamond at Lara’s Jewnealogy About Those Christmas Letters . . . by Jacqi Stevens at A Family Tapestry Dutch: Oliebolen and Windmills by Jane Eppinga at Ancestors in Aprons FamilySearch Gives Historic Freedmen’s Bureau Database to National Museum of African American History and Culture at the FamilySearch Newsroom Popular Genetic Genealogist, CeCe Moore, to Speak at RootsTech 2017 at the FamilySearch Newsroom How to Avoid Awkward Family Photos by Denise Levenick at the Family Curator Family...
What do you do when you have a great family history story and have just learned how to use a new set of historical records? If you’re my friend, Karen, you share the story with your extended family then help your interested niece find some land patents. Today we have a guest post from Karen telling how she helped her teenage niece connect with her ancestors. By Karen Walters A few months ago, we were...
