Issue 2.11
Have you ever told your family how you got your name? Surnames come from our parents, generally our father’s last name unless you are more modern with both of your parent’s last names put together with a hyphen. If you came from a culture with a particular tradition for surnames, your moniker will reflect that also. Whenever I meet someone and hear their last name, being a genealogist at heart, I wonder about the nationality of their name. Most people know where their ancestors immigrated from or what ethnic group is part of their makeup.
First names traditionally were given to honor older family members and keep them in remembrance, but today’s modern families seem more concerned with having an unusual name or spelling that no one else has. Write down what you know about your own given name. How do you feel about your name? Did you have a nickname as a child or adult? In naming your own children did you honor any older family members?
Our surname represents only a hundredth part of the many last names of our ancestors that intermarried until we were born to one particular couple. Write down the various last names in your family on a pedigree chart to show your posterity where their ancestors came from originally. If you have any old family photos, it’s fun to add these to your family tree. Names, dates and places become more interesting when there is a face to put with them.
You are now compiling your genealogy or family history. Finding your roots can show where your family lived before immigrating, and the names that are part of your ancestry. Do you practice any of the traditions or customs from the nation/s of your ancestors? Have you ever visited any of the places they lived? What feelings did that stir bring to you?
What do you hope your family will remember about you after you are gone? Try writing a brief obituary to see what events are important enough in your life to summarize your life. It may seem morbid, but can be an outline for writing your own life story. Or read obituaries for your parents or grand parents to get ideas on events in their life that were important. It’s time to get busy with writing their histories or your own, if it’s not done. You can do it. Next time-we’ll discuss your earliest Childhood Memories. Sign up for Write Your Family History taught by Lin Floyd starts Tues, Jan 25th. Call Community Education 652-7675.