Family Historian
It's quite an honor to be known as the Family Historian, and whether you cherish this role for yourself or have somehow been designated by others to be the 'keeper of family memorabilia, old paperwork and dusty mementos' - it's an important role and one that has actually been vital to the preservation of history through the centuries.
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Being the historian of the family has little to do with age. It has
everything to do with understanding the importance of finding,
preserving and sharing the history
of the family so that your children (and their children) will have a
sense of who they are and the people that lived before them. Love - You've gotta love your family. Sounds trite and pretty obvious. But loving your family means all of your family. Love your ancestors so that you can search for them and find them, love your family members today so that you'll stay in touch with them, share what you've learned and pass it on. |
Share - Collecting family history is only of maximum value when you share it and make it interesting to others. Share the information you've gathered in ways that will be relevant to other people's lives. Yes, you can do the scrapbooks and photo albums. But sharing is more about bringing your family history alive - begin an email list of family members and do a broadcast newsletter periodically, start a family group on Facebook, scan photos or documents into your computer and send them
out to appropriate family members, frame vintage family photos and give them out as gifts, start a family blog and ask others to contribute to it.
Plan a family reunion and Twitter about it!
One last tip: as the Family Historian, you want to be less museum, and more living history. Love - learn - share.
Other related pages:
A Beginners Guide - A Beginners Guide to Searching Family History easy steps to follow to find your ancestors.
Newsletter - Sign up for my FREE Searching Family History Newsletter, it brings you the latest techniques on researching your family history.
Lafourche Heritage Society - This Saturday, I attended the Lafourche Heritage Society 36th Annual History and Genealogy Seminar.
Testimonies - Some of the testimonies of those I helped using my research methods.
Create a Family Tree - The first steps you take to create a family tree don't have to be giant leap; they can be small baby steps.
Family Tree Diagram - Creating a family tree diagram can bring your research to life and make your findings more interesting to your family and others that you share it with.
Last Name History - As part of your research into your family history, you are bound to get caught up in 'last name history' - finding the origins of your family name (surname).
Trace Ancestors - A Family History Unique and Priceless- What did your great-great grandparents look like? Where did they originally come from? Who are you related to that you might not even be aware of?
How do I find my family - If you are asking yourself "How Do I Find My Family?" There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Trace Your Ancestors - The best way to trace your ancestors is to start with a simple game plan.
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