It is time for families to get together to party and feast. This is also the time for you to get those mystery questions answered. When you are visiting with your aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc., don't forget to get some family history information. Take along your camera, tape recorder, video camera, pictures of ancestors, etc. Ask the important questions:
1. Get those names, date, places of anyone and everyone in your family tree.
2. Bring along pictures of your ancestors and talk with those that knew these people. Get as much information about the ancestors as possible. Find out what they did for a living, what are the names of their kids, how did they live, how did they die, etc. Think, "What is something I really want to know about this person's life". Those are the questions you want answered.
3. Take a few minutes and video those elderly in your family. Plan some questions to help them get to talking about their life.
4. If you are elderly, call your children and grandchildren around you and you tell them about life when you were a child. Bring your history to them first hand.
5. Write down EVERYTHING! Or record it somehow. You may never get another chance to do so.
6. Have members of your family share memories of times in their lives that made an impression on them.
Have fun at your holiday get-togethers! Take advantage of this time to fill in some information on your family tree. Most of all, teach your family about their ancestors by getting them involved. The opportunity to gather information may never be any better than this year - so make it a priority!
No comments:
Post a Comment