Genealogy Blog Family History

Family History BlitzPosted by Administrator on November 20th, 2009

 As I mentioned in my last post, our family just came into a huge list of names and dates. And it seems like the subject of compiling everything in one place has been in the air every time my cousins and I get together. People have records here and records there, stuff shoved into shoe boxes or old photo albums. Because we can’t shake the nagging feeling that we need to make an inventory of all the records we have, we are getting together this Saturday for a family history blitz.

This means we’re going to go online and see what we have already. Then we’re going to take all the loose bits of paper and notes on the backs of photos and make sure everything is accounted for. At the end, we’ll know where we’re missing information, where our efforts should placed. 

Has anyone out there ever done this? Did it work? Let me know.

5 Ways to Make Your Own Great Family HistoryPosted by Administrator on September 12th, 2009

No doubt, family history is a great way to build your family’s sense of togetherness. With a shared sense of where you come from and what your ancestors accomplished, parents and children tend to share stronger bonds as a united tribe instead of as a group of strangers living under one roof.

Still, some genealogists dig into their family’s past only to find a collection of scoundrels or criminals. In these cases, family history can be an embarrassing exercise, digging up secrets many would rather keep buried.

In either case, your family’s present is as important as its past. After all, what good is investing so much time in researching your ancestry if you are squandering your time with your own immediate family. What good is searching out the great stories of the past if you are only creating bad stories your descendants will want to forget about. In short, as you are learning more about your roots, don’t forget to nurture your branches.

To help you create some great stories for your descendants to cherish, here are five suggestions:

1. Eat dinner together. Study after study has proven that families who eat dinner together at the table have fewer interpersonal problems. In fact, children of these families do better in school, careers, and future relationships. Most importantly, parents and children establish a time when they can communicate and enjoy each other’s company. So, no matter how busy your family gets, set time aside to partake of a warm meal around your dinner table every night with everyone present. A little scheduling will build relationships you and your descendants will treasure.
2. Take family vacations. With all of the money we pour into large purchases like electronics, vehicles, or clothes, few things have been found to promote personal and family happiness like family vacations. Studies have shown that, while stress actually increases with the purchase of new automobiles or big-screen TVs, family vacations reduce stress greatly and increase the lifetime achievement of family members. So plan and take that trip to the Grand Canyon or even a weekend camping trip. Children don’t forget these experiences and neither will parents. When the car has gone to dump and the TV is obsolete, you will still have golden memories to pass onto your progeny.
3. Show up at big events. There are some events that have special meaning. We remember what happens at these events more than we normally would. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, big sporting events, recitals, school plays, holidays, weddings, and funerals are some of these big events. When these events happen, be there. Don’t let cares of the everyday exclude you from the events that everyone will always remember and that will never come again.
4. Make time for one on one. You probably know that each member of your family is a unique individual with his or her own talents, worries, and accomplishments. Studies show that children and spouses who receive one on one attention report much higher levels of satisfaction with their families and higher achievement in other areas of life.If you have children, spend time with each one individually. Take them to the store or to a restaurant, and ask them what is happening their life. If you are married, go out on dates regularly and make it special, even if it is just a candlelight dinner in your basement.
5. Tame the tongue. Few things can uplift and strengthen people like words can. On the other hand, few things can cause lasting harm like words. Countless families have been broken up by careless words often said in anger or haste. Sadly, these words can be remembered for generations, overshadowing whatever good memories there may have been. Don’t let careless words ruin your family bonds or turn your family history into a tragedy. Learn today to give more praise than criticism. Start today to avoid negative comments and find positive things to say. Learn to be patient and humble. Your words will build a family legacy of healthy, bond-building communication and love.

Ancestors Who RockPosted by Administrator on August 22nd, 2009

Last time, I blogged about the kind of ancestors you don’t like to bring up- "bad apples in the family tree" I called them. The coolest thing I’m finding about genealogy- or family history, if you prefer- is that every now and then you find someone in your ancestry who gives you an automatic boost in confidence. Every now and then, you find an ancestor who rocks.

Take my great-grandfather. When I met my great-grandfather, he was a frail 98-year-old, not more than five feet five inches, wiry with skin leathered from years of work in the sun. It was the one and only time I would see him because he passed soon after.

Ten years later, I found out that he had come West in the 1920s and found himself on a chain gang under an abusive boss. Day after day, the boss would lose his temper and beat the men. Finally, one day the boss went too far and beat one of the men within an inch of his life. My great-grandfather got his hands on a pistol and shot the boss dead. He fled to California and struck oil in Orange County, making his own small fortune.

It’s not just the Clint Eastwood vibe I got from this man that I found admirable and even empowering. It was his no-nonsense way of standing up to injustice. He was the guy who said enough is enough. Suddenly, I was proud to be the great-grandson of the short, wiry, old, sun-leathered man. I hoped his gumption had somehow passed on to me, that, when the time came for me to stand up against wrong, I would have the guts to do the right thing.

I’ve also found out I may be related to William Wallace of Braveheart fame, the last king of Hawaii, and even Charlemagne himself.

What rocking ancestors do you have? How does it change the way you view yourself?