What do you when you’re put in charge of the family history part of your family reunion? How do you engage 150 people ages 0 – 87? If you’re my friend, Rischelle, you go to work and come up with some amazing activities. I asked her to share her ideas and photos, so enjoy. Yadon Family Reunion 2016 By Rischelle Mikkelson In June we held a large family reunion inviting all of the descendants of...
Do you have family heirlooms hiding away in a trunk or cupboard? Do you know the stories behind each keepsake and have you recorded those stories? One small artifact might be an important key to understanding an ancestor’s life. Here are some simple steps you can take now to preserve the memories behind each heirloom. I am the daughter of a keeper of heirlooms. My mother has kept jewelry, clothes, dishes, books, pillows, quilts, and...
Last month, my 11 year old nephew asked me for help with family history. As you can imagine, I was pretty excited to help! He wanted to find a name for his first temple trip in the fall. I used one of the ideas that Diana wrote about – teaching youth to research by “Adopting a Family” and following several checklists. The first two checklists help youth find a family to “adopt” and research. I used her Pandora’s...
Summer is coming to a close. Among the vacations, picnics, and other fun did you get a chance to do any family history? You may have done more than you thought. Did you reunite with extended family at a reunion? Maybe visit some ancestor graves or historic sites? How about attend a family history or genealogy conference? If you’re ready to get back on track with your research, then I have just the thing for...
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...
Utah’s Pioneer Day is tomorrow! If you’re wondering how to find the Mormon pioneers in your family tree, you’ve come to the right place. I recently made a list of all fifty-one of my ancestors who were early settlers of Utah – otherwise known as Mormon pioneers. Here are the steps I took to find them all: If you are using FamilySearch.org: 1. Build your family tree in FamilySearch.org. If you are just starting your...
Have you been wracking your brain trying to figure out a way to teach your teens how to do family history? Maybe you need a fun way to involve your youth consultants in teaching others how to do family history? After I had completed the Mission Possible activity with all of my ward youth, I wanted to help them take the next step and learn how to do some research. I came up with a...
by Nancy Kirkpatrick I’ve been thinking about a few things that I believe have helped people get started in family history. I have done these things at different times through the many years I have served as a consultant (or friend) to try and help people feel inspired to do family history work. First is bearing testimony. When I last served as a consultant a couple of years ago for our ward family history...
Have you ever wondered why you are asked to type a reason statement every time you change information or add a source to the FamilySearch (FS) Family Tree? Are you a genealogist frustrated with the collaborative aspect of FS Family Tree because others can change your information? If so, read on. I teach a beginner’s class during Sunday School in my LDS ward with people from all parts of the genealogy world: teens and adults...
Today’s post is by Devon from A Patient Genealogist. If you have an idea to share in a guest post, please contact nicole@familylocket.com. We’d love to hear what you’re doing to share, teach, and encourage others in family history! When we focus on stories of the heart, we turn people willingly to family history. Ask someone to tell you a story about a father, grandmother, or aunt and many will have no problem thinking of something. A...