October is Family History Month: Host a Family Tree Party
October 9, 2011 by ramona
Filed under Getting Started
In October, genealogy is the buzzword. Why, because October is Family History Month and it seems that everyone is on a mission to honor their ancestors. Genealogy internet sites are holding contests, sweepstakes and giveaways, genealogy bloggers are busily posting, Twitter is a-tweet with the news and Facebook is getting frantic. There is no better time to get together with your relatives and shake the branches of your family tree. So what is all of the fuss about? It is about the natural human curiosity we all share in wanting to know everything we can about our heritage.
Perhaps, it is mostly about family pride and honoring the ancestors who made great sacrifices, so that we may enjoy the lives we have today.
Family History Month is the perfect time to connect with your family members and host a Family Tree party. To throw a Family Tree Party all you need to do is, ask family members to bring a special family heirloom; it could be a photograph, newspaper clipping, recipe or simply a favorite memory about a family member. Sharing the stories from your common past can help bring present and future generations closer together, while at the same time preserving your heritage. For relatives that are more geographically distant try to arrange for them to attend through a group Skype call.
While you have everyone together, you have the opportunity to:
With everyone together, this is the ideal time to update your family tree. Have there been any births, marriages or deaths since the last update? What about occupation changes, education news or recent research that needs to be added?
Does your family have any traditional dishes, what about grandma’s homemade bread or Uncle Joe’s Horseradish sauce? Hosting a Family Tree Party may be the opportunity you have been waiting for to gather up these delectable family treats and finally start that family cookbook project.
Profile a family member
Profiling a family member is an excellent way to enrich your family history one forebear at a time. Is there someone in your family tree who is famous or infamous? Is there a mystery to be solved? Every ancestor has a story to tell, by profiling an individual, you give yourselves the ability to fully flesh out those stories that define family history.
With everyone together, it is a good time to discuss creating a family Facebook page. Family Facebook pages are a wonderful way to stay in touch, share information and work together on your family history projects. You can use them to share photographs, documents and the latest news. Family Facebook pages are free; they are also easy to set up. Another bonus is that they are a great way for others researching your family name to find you.
Do not forget to check out some of the leading genealogy websites and take advantage of their Family History Month celebrations. Here are a few of the special offers and activities available throughout Family History Month.
- Honor Family History Month with “The Amazing History of You“: ProQuest and Ancestry.com
- Great genealogy supplies giveaway and free Webinars: Family Tree Magazine and Family Tree University
- A one-month Geni Plus account giveaway: Geni
Family History Month is the perfect occasion to renew your genealogy research, or get it started at genealogybeginner.com. It is most certainly a time to remember your family, past and present.
“We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies”. ~Shirley Abbott
