Books – Page 2 – Family Locket

The Book Itch: researching our ancestors’ passions

Feb 1, 2017

“You are not necessarily a fool because you didn’t go to school.” – Lewis Michaux For February, our children’s book club is The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, for grades 4 and up. Nelson is the grand-niece of Lewis Henri Michaux (1895-1976), owner of the National Memorial African Bookstore. She created the story of her great-uncle and his passion for books by researching in...

Have You Heard of the New FamilySearch Partner, Geneanet?

Oct 12, 2016

Did you know that FamilySearch has a new partner, Geneanet? Along with Ancestry, FindMyPast, American Ancestors, and My Heritage, you can now sign up for Geneanet and access their vast genealogical library. Why would you want to add another partner? Hidden in the thousands of books and newspapers digitized by Geneanet might be just the clue you need. I’ll show you how to get started and give you an example of what I found. Because of FamilySearch’s...

Homeplace – How one young girl is like a young tree coming up from old roots

Aug 30, 2016

This month for our kid’s book club we are reading Homeplace, by Anne Shelby, with illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin. This out of print gem was published in 1995 and teaches about ancestors, generations, farm life, and the feeling of connectedness we receive by physically being in a place special to our family history. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change...

Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box

Aug 2, 2016

Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box is a poignant, true story about a boy named Michael who went with his granddaddy to vote in the civil-rights era segregated south. It’s the kind of family story that gets told and retold because it is filled with joy, excitement, pain, and inspiration. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change the...

The Olympics and The Boys in the Boat: August Book Club Selection

Aug 1, 2016

If you read just one book this year, read The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. Since we’ll be cheering on our favorite athletes in Brazil this month, this is the perfect book to get into the Olympic spirit. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t...

Thoughts on “The Dash”

Jul 25, 2016

When is the last time you looked at your family tree chart and thought about the dash? The dash as in: Edward Raymond Kelsey 1886-1972 or Rachel Cox 1827-1870. The dash represents everything between birth and death. You might know a lot about your ancestor’s life or you might know a little. Your family tree chart doesn’t know or care how much you know, all it provides is the dash. It’s up to us as family...

Creating a Family Yearbook

Jul 6, 2016

For the last several years, I have been keeping my digital photos organized on my hard drive by year and month. Although it’s nice being able to find my photos when I need them, I would like even more to to have hard copies of them to show off. My goal is to put the photos in an album or book so my kids can easily look back on our family’s memories – which is what my mother...

Me and My Family Tree – Kids Book Club

Apr 29, 2016

For May, the Family Locket Book Club for Kids is reading “Me and My Family Tree” by Joan Sweeney, illustrated by Annette Cable. We are sharing two family tree projects to do along with reading and discussing the book. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a small commission but it doesn’t change the price of the item. Kids love learning about their place in the world....

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

Apr 1, 2016

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...

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

Mar 28, 2016

Image courtesy of RootsTech 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...