Do you love a good story? Ever wondered what it was like for your ancestors as they homesteaded in the western United States? Reading the original letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart, you get both – the stories from the viewpoint of a homesteader. The Atlantic Monthly first published Elinore’s letters in 1914, then Houghton Mifflin published them as the book titled Letters of a Woman Homesteader. The complete book has been digitized and is available on Internet...
I’m excited to share a new book with you today – Turning Little Hearts-Over 90 Activities to Connect Children with their Ancestors by Charlotte & Jonah Barnes. (This is an affiliate link). Charlotte reached out and asked if we would like to feature the book on our website. I love helping children connect to their roots, so I jumped at the chance! Charlotte wrote this guest blog post to introduce the book and share what you...
![Win a Pass to RootsTech 2020 Salt Lake City – Nicole’s Giveaway [CLOSED]](https://familylocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Win-a-Free-pass-to-Rootstech-2020-Nicole-80x80.png)
Diana’s giveaway is over and now it’s my turn to give away a free pass to RootsTech! The RootsTech 2020 conference in Salt Lake City is themed “Discover the Story of You.” Many of the classes are focused around this theme. It is a great conference to bring your non-genealogist friends and family members to, with many beginner classes and fun keynotes. It’s also a great way to gain intermediate to advanced knowledge of family...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
