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| Create your Own Traditions with Family to Help Future Genealogists |
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| Written by Shelly B. | |
| Monday, 28 August 2006 | |
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Have you ever wished you could ask your Great-Uncle George how the soldiers felt about World War I or your Great-Aunt Georgina how she weathered the Great Depression? Or perhaps you regret the loss of your Grandmother Gretel's recipe for delicious German strudel? Family traditions and folklore can be totally lost in a generation or two if families do not actively take steps to preserve their history. A family's history is it's legacy, and preserving it for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be an invaluable gift. You don't have to sit down and write out a laborious record of your parents history. A few simple projects using photographs of the past and documenting new family traditions can provide future generations with an invaluable source of family history. Create your Own Traditions with Family to Help Future GenealogistsHave you ever wished you could ask your Great-Uncle George how the soldiers felt about World War I or your Great-Aunt Georgina how she weathered the Great Depression? Or perhaps you regret the loss of your Grandmother Gretel's recipe for delicious German strudel? Family traditions and folklore can be totally lost in a generation or two if families do not actively take steps to preserve their history. A family's history is it's legacy, and preserving it for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be an invaluable gift. You don't have to sit down and write out a laborious record of your parents history. A few simple projects using photographs of the past and documenting new family traditions can provide future generations with an invaluable source of family history. If you had to leave your home and you could only bring one piece of your personal property with you what would you choose? The most popular response to that question has been "family photos." As the old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Nothing is more interesting than realizing you have your grandfather's chin or your great-grandmother's eyes. However, if you don't take the necessary steps to preserve them, your photos will become disorganized, scattered and eventually destroyed or just plain lost. Take a few moments to compile them in a scrapbook. Ask family members and close friends if you can copy any photos they have that you might be able to use to fill any gaps that you may not have pictures for. By adding a little journalizing on the pages you will be able to describe the individuals in the photographs savoring the importance of the event for future generations to enjoy. Delight your children and grandchildren with little anecdotes about that summer trip to the beach or the day their dad or grandfather caught the prize-winning fish. Scrapbooking is a surprising powerful way to preserve life's most precious moments. Incorporating captions, written descriptions, or those special family inspired phrases will ensure your family's legacy will be available for all future generations to explore. You can also place other items of importance such as original art work, poems, favorite songs, ticket stubs to major events that you went to or participated in. Whether your are artistically inclined or not, your photos and memorabilia will be preserved for years to come. A scrapbook created out of love will become your family's most valuable possession . Another way to capture an image is on video. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, take your home video camera and sit down with an older family member. By asking articulate questions, you can probe their memories for details of times gone by. Ask them to describe a particular time in their life that had special meaning to them. Include detailed descriptions of what life was like then, what types of vehicles were popular, how people lived differently from current times, how were men and women dressed. You can also help steer the interview to be in a chronological or comprehensive order. Perhaps the interviewee may even want to prepare his or her answers beforehand. Rich descriptions are particularly interesting. Talk clearly about ethnicity and creed and its impact on family traditions or customs. Ask family members about major historical events. Advance the discussion from childhood friends to major university events, college, career, or romance. You could considering interviewing people from their past, such as old flames or current spouses, about the interviewee. Help encourage your family members to share the disappointments and struggles that they faced as well as the survival lessons and wisdom they gained from it. A permanent record of not only your family member's memories but also the way they looked and talked is an irreplaceable gift to future generations. If you don't have a video camera, then use a tape recorder and if you don't have a tape recorder, then use a pen and pencil to write your family history. Start a journal, and include not only thoughts and responses but also descriptions of current events and education. Such a record will be fascinating to your descendants, no matter how mundane it may seem in the present. There are numerous book and Internet guides about journalizing or writing memoirs that can help you begin your journey. Eventually, make your family narrative an interactive adventure for your children and grandchildren. Visit the house where you grew up in or the country from which your grandparents immigrated. This will provide future generations with a sense of their background and roots. Permanent records provide favourable clues about the economy, framing, and culture of the time in which individual family members lived. In addition, make your grandmother's German strudel with your children, or teach them how to have fun with a harmonica like their Great-Uncle George. Pass your skills and wisdoms to them in ways they can enjoy. These personal hands-on experiences will not be easily forgotten. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 09 October 2006 ) |
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