The holiday season is just around the corner, a time when family from far and wide gather together to celebrate the season. This is the perfect time to get out your notebook and quiz relatives about interesting stories and memories for your family tree research.
GenealogyInsider from Family Tree Magazine has a fascinating idea for an Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. This is for a blog that they are featuring from December 1 - 24, but home genealogists can make their own paper version using the same idea. Make a list of 24 "prompts" that can get your family talking about holiday memories. Some ideas are: favorite Christmas recipes; certain dishes that are served at the family Christmas meal; favorite carols; most memorable Christmas; most unusual Christmas guest; most unusual Christmas giftuse your imagination to come up with 24 such topics. Write down everyone's replies; this will be a fascinating addition to your genealogy research, and a treasured gift for next Christmas if you have the time to transcribe it all into a book for your family!
The internet has opened a new, fast way to gather genealogy information, and also share amusing stories about this absorbing hobby. The following list of humorous (but often true!) questions was found on the site "Twig, Tree and Treasure: A Genealogical Sojourn Geneaology Humor and Poetry". Does this describe you?
When you are in a different city do you look through the phone book to find people that have the same surname as one of your ancestors?
Do you get excited when you drive by a Cemetery?
Do you talk about your deceased ancestors as though they were still alive?
Does your librarian or the person that works at the archives know your whole life story?
Do you check the obituaries every day?
Does your spouse call the library to see when you are coming home?
Do you spend your vacation tracking down ancestors in county courthouses?
Do you keep pictures of tombstones or long deceased ancestors in your wallet?
Can you remember the date an ancestor died but you can't remember to feed the pets?
Instead of an emergency kit in your car you have a research kit.
Does your boss call the library or archives to see when you will be coming back from your lunch break?
If you said yes to one or more of these you are an addicted genealogist!
The work of genealogists is an ancient search, going back to biblical times when Luke traced the line of Jesus through many generations. We always want to know where we have come from, and who our people were. Their origin, their lives, their trials and tribulations have all had a part in making us who we are today.
The Yorkton Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society holds monthly meetings, with interested genealogists at all stages of research most welcome! For more information call Dave at 783-1093 or Glenn at 782-7969. The group would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and all the best in the coming year. We look forward to seeing you in 2014! Every family has a story: discover yours with the Yorkton Genealogy Society!
