Do you remember climbing into your grandparents’ attic as a child? There were trunks and boxes piled everywhere. Old furniture was scattered around, everything was covered in dust and grime and there were spider webs hanging from the rafters. But you remember this place with fond memories; you could escape into this hidden land of forgotten items. If someone came up with you they would get a far away look into their eyes when gazing at some of the items.
This could be your treasure trove of information. You could walk through this old attic and find the clothing your grandmother wore when she was in the roarin’ 20’s and she would go out and dance the Charleston with your grandfather. Or maybe when he went away to war, he sent her love letters as often as he could and you find them tied up with a string in the bottom of one of the trunks. This is the kind of stuff that will help bring your family history to life. It will open up pathways and give you so much information it will bring your history to life.
So if you have a relative who lives in the old family home, go explore her attic. See what you can find. You can even offer to help her organize it and you will be amazed at how you will make her day. You will find that going through old historical items will make you feel even more connected with your family than you thought possible. You will also be amazed at some of the items you will find. A sales receipt for their first car, or an elaborate hat pin that was born at your grandmother’s wedding. These are just a sample of some of the items you could find. So go explore and immerse yourself into your family history. You will be glad you did.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
The pros and cons of being the youngest child
The dynamics that make up family is varied and strange. It will change from family to family and person to person. Depending on what position you are born into in the family can affect not only how you are raised but the personality that you develop. To understand the pros and cons of being the youngest child then you have to look at the family as a whole. If there are only two children then the youngest child and oldest child might not be as strongly affected as a child born into a family of six.
The pros of being the youngest child are great. You are normally coddled or babied, which can allow you to get your way more often. By the time you are born the parents are more likely to be tired especially if you are born into a large family, which means the rules will be less strict and your life will be easier. You have older siblings that will look out for you. They will be able to help you with your school work and something they are even willing to do this. If you have older brothers, they will beat up or intimidate the boy in your class that is picking on you. These are just a few of the things that will work in your favor as the youngest child.
But being the youngest child isn’t all fun and games. Your parents aren’t as likely to have the time and energy to devote to you that they did to the oldest child. You will have older siblings that will try to annoy and intimidate you and boss you around. You will be eternally known as the baby in the family and your siblings and parents will have a hard time believing that you can ever be anything but the baby. If you have older brothers they will scare off boys so it will be harder for you to find a date if you are a girl. You will be compared to your older siblings on a regular basis, well such and such did this, why don’t you. These are just a few of the items you will have to overcome as the youngest child.
As with everything in life, it is up to you to decide how you are going to be treated and how you are going to react to any given situation. You can’t let others dictate how you are going to be or what your personality is going to develop into. Being the youngest child has its advantages and disadvantages; it is up to you how you let them shape your life.
The pros of being the youngest child are great. You are normally coddled or babied, which can allow you to get your way more often. By the time you are born the parents are more likely to be tired especially if you are born into a large family, which means the rules will be less strict and your life will be easier. You have older siblings that will look out for you. They will be able to help you with your school work and something they are even willing to do this. If you have older brothers, they will beat up or intimidate the boy in your class that is picking on you. These are just a few of the things that will work in your favor as the youngest child.
But being the youngest child isn’t all fun and games. Your parents aren’t as likely to have the time and energy to devote to you that they did to the oldest child. You will have older siblings that will try to annoy and intimidate you and boss you around. You will be eternally known as the baby in the family and your siblings and parents will have a hard time believing that you can ever be anything but the baby. If you have older brothers they will scare off boys so it will be harder for you to find a date if you are a girl. You will be compared to your older siblings on a regular basis, well such and such did this, why don’t you. These are just a few of the items you will have to overcome as the youngest child.
As with everything in life, it is up to you to decide how you are going to be treated and how you are going to react to any given situation. You can’t let others dictate how you are going to be or what your personality is going to develop into. Being the youngest child has its advantages and disadvantages; it is up to you how you let them shape your life.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Genealogy Book Lookups
When you are researching your family history one of the areas that you can looking into are other genealogy books. What I mean by this is that many families publish books on their family history and have been doing this for a few centuries. Many of these books are available online and you can access them through different websites.
As you look up the different books for your family history you have to be careful that the facts are correct and verify them through outside sources, i.e. court records, birth and death records, and church records. Some people who have bought the books for their family history will also look up information for you, but do not assume just because someone has the book that they should look up the information. After all they are the one who went and bought the book.
As with any research it is always important to verify that the person you are looking at is your ancestor. You need to look at the children of the person and their spouse and if you have the information their parents, but you need at least two points of reference when you are researching to make sure the person is who you are looking for. Whenever you do research, take plenty of notes and write down the smallest detail to make sure that you can look at it later. It is also important to write down your sources to make sure you don’t duplicate sources and to help other people when they request your information. Genealogy is like a detective game. It has many twists and turns and you have to find the correct ones to find the path that will lead you to your ancestors.
As you look up the different books for your family history you have to be careful that the facts are correct and verify them through outside sources, i.e. court records, birth and death records, and church records. Some people who have bought the books for their family history will also look up information for you, but do not assume just because someone has the book that they should look up the information. After all they are the one who went and bought the book.
As with any research it is always important to verify that the person you are looking at is your ancestor. You need to look at the children of the person and their spouse and if you have the information their parents, but you need at least two points of reference when you are researching to make sure the person is who you are looking for. Whenever you do research, take plenty of notes and write down the smallest detail to make sure that you can look at it later. It is also important to write down your sources to make sure you don’t duplicate sources and to help other people when they request your information. Genealogy is like a detective game. It has many twists and turns and you have to find the correct ones to find the path that will lead you to your ancestors.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Memory Lane
When you are thinking of genealogy and family it is easy to get stuck with the facts, births, deaths, marriages and children, but it is important to look deeper. You need to look into the memories that people have. It will help your family story become more real, instead of just being a book of dry facts. People will enjoy reading your family history and not just the basic facts that most people have in the books they create about their families.
If you want to make your family history come alive you need to interview people in your family and find out their life story. You can talk to them about their favorite memories, places where they lived and friend they had. You can also find out from them memories they have of other people in the family whether they are alive or dead. This will help your story become more alive, it will make a rich and detailed story instead of a dry and boring history, just stating the facts.
The more you talk to people in your family the more information you will find out. You can talk to the same person many times and get different stories each time. It is mindful to realize that some of the stories will be repeated but if you are patient and wait you will find out new information and sometimes there will be information in the stories that will help you trace your history.
One of my favorite stories is about my grandfather. He was a great man, a farmer who raised his children after his wife died in a time when it wasn’t done. When he was younger he worked at a paint factory and loved it. He had the eye for mixing the right colors together and not get mud. But over time from the fumes in the plant and overuse, he developed colored blindness. This meant he had to leave a job he loved, but did he let it get him down, no. He was a man who took care of his family any way he had to and instead of getting discouraged he went out and bought some land and started farming like his family had done for centuries. This is the kind of stories you are looking for. Something that will make your history full and intriguing, a wealth of information future generations will enjoy reading about because they never knew the man or woman in your story.
If you want to make your family history come alive you need to interview people in your family and find out their life story. You can talk to them about their favorite memories, places where they lived and friend they had. You can also find out from them memories they have of other people in the family whether they are alive or dead. This will help your story become more alive, it will make a rich and detailed story instead of a dry and boring history, just stating the facts.
The more you talk to people in your family the more information you will find out. You can talk to the same person many times and get different stories each time. It is mindful to realize that some of the stories will be repeated but if you are patient and wait you will find out new information and sometimes there will be information in the stories that will help you trace your history.
One of my favorite stories is about my grandfather. He was a great man, a farmer who raised his children after his wife died in a time when it wasn’t done. When he was younger he worked at a paint factory and loved it. He had the eye for mixing the right colors together and not get mud. But over time from the fumes in the plant and overuse, he developed colored blindness. This meant he had to leave a job he loved, but did he let it get him down, no. He was a man who took care of his family any way he had to and instead of getting discouraged he went out and bought some land and started farming like his family had done for centuries. This is the kind of stories you are looking for. Something that will make your history full and intriguing, a wealth of information future generations will enjoy reading about because they never knew the man or woman in your story.
Friday, March 2, 2007
The Patchwork Quilt
If you have ever created a patchwork quilt then you know that it takes time and patience to put it together. A patchwork quilt is traditionally created with old clothing, having to decide what clothing to use and how to put it together can take a long time. It is an in depth process. You have to decide if you are going to create it with just one person's clothing or an entire family. The time and effort you put into it will be more than made up for when you see the end product.
The same holds true for your family history. It isn't something that you can just throw together and think you will have a clear picture. It is something that will take time and quite a bit of effort. But the end result will be a beautifully woven together creation that not only you will enjoy and treasure but so will generations to come.
So take the time to complete all the stitches in your patchwork quilt, fill in the holes that are missing. You will be thankful you do when your child or cousin or some other family member takes that interest that sparks another generation into looking.
Pass down the legacy of family history research with a well woven patchwork quilt that will be appreciated for generations to come.
As always happy hunting
Patti
The same holds true for your family history. It isn't something that you can just throw together and think you will have a clear picture. It is something that will take time and quite a bit of effort. But the end result will be a beautifully woven together creation that not only you will enjoy and treasure but so will generations to come.
So take the time to complete all the stitches in your patchwork quilt, fill in the holes that are missing. You will be thankful you do when your child or cousin or some other family member takes that interest that sparks another generation into looking.
Pass down the legacy of family history research with a well woven patchwork quilt that will be appreciated for generations to come.
As always happy hunting
Patti
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