Issue 43.15
Part 2
October is designated in many places as Family History Month. It has been in the United States since 2001. Genealogists everywhere have adopted the month as their own. If you are new to family history or have devoted years to it, celebrate this Family History Month with your family this October by trying these ideas.
Take a trip back in time. That is the best part about the program Who Do You Think You Are? As they visit the old family homestead, or places where ancestors might have been. Grab a map, and hop in the car for a family adventure. You can take grandchildren to the house where you lived as a child, or even where you were born. You might visit the country from which your ancestors migrated, the hillside where you played as a child, or to the cemetery where great-grandpa is buried. If none of these locations are near your home, consider a trip to a historical museum, battlefield, or re-enactment even that relates to the history of your family.
Another way to celebrate family history month is to scrapbook your family heritage. This is a great place to showcase and protect your precious family photos, heirlooms, and memories. Heritage scrapbook albums are a wonderful way to document your family’s history and create a lasting gift for future generations. It may seem a daunting task when faced with boxes of old photos, but scrapbooking is actually both fun and easier than you think. Just scan the photos if you want and get them ready to upload to https://familysearch.org/photos/ for free photo storage that will be safeguarded for you.
If your extended family relies on email to stay in touch, or Facebook, then a family website may be a good idea for you. You can create a digital scrapbook and meeting spot and share the photos there. Others will chime in with stories and memories. If you have someone in your family who is a web designer, you can go to town with that idea. If not, there are plenty of free online services to make creating a family website easy.
Get the next generation involved. If you do not run a computer or a scanner, or even a mobile phone, chances are a grandchild does and will show you how. They can easily snap pictures with their phone and mobile apps and instantly upload your family pictures to the internet.
Continued next week
For more information, contact Shanna Jones at shannasjones@msn.com