(Continued from yesterday’s post…)
26 More Ideas
76. Create a generational picture: married couples, just the women, just the men, or maybe those who converted to the gospel first.
77. Frame keepsakes and mementos in a shadowbox.
78. Gather saved letters, cards, etc. written by grandparents, family, or friends. Make copies and give as gifts to the one who wrote the letters originally, or to family members who might appreciate the memories within those letters.
79. Clean out your attic, or old boxes you’ve stored forever, and see what memories and treasures might be tucked away.
80. Go through your Books of Remembrance and redo them in acid free materials.
81. If you are lucky enough to have a handmade item made by your grandmother, frame it, make it into a pillow, add it to a quilt, showcase it in some way. Once it’s on the wall, place a picture of her next to it.
82. If you live near Salt Lake City, volunteer to do lookups for people who need someone to find information at the Family History Library. Even though many things can be found online, it’s a good idea to still be familiar with this world-famous repository.
83. Make a quilt using outgrown clothes once worn by your children, sisters, or mother. Or maybe ties once worn by your father or husband.
84. Your kids will get a kick out of seeing who they are related to when you connect your family tree with Relative Finder.
85. Get involved in Indexing. It’s a great stress reliever because there is no pressure. Sometimes you’ll run across a difficult script to decipher, but it will help you when you must read original records for your own research. Besides, it is very fulfilling work. And easy to do, too!
86. Figure out the genealogies in the Bible or conduct a study of family relationships in the scriptures: Adam and Eve, Joseph and his brothers, Lehi and his family, Joseph and Hyrum, etc. The scriptures are all about families: our family.
87. Research and write up a history of the town your family originated from or helped settle.
88. When you write letters or emails to family, save them. Try recording phone conversations.
89. Record family testimonies.
90. Family history can be found in newspaper stories, wills, land grants, military records, etc. You just never know what information you might run across.
91. Whether you have pioneer ancestors or not, walk the pioneer trail in Wyoming to experience the faithful heritage we all share.
92. At ldsjournal.com, you can keep an online journal. If creating a travel journal, you can add photos and video. You can add to past entries, answer questions for a life history, add scripture links; personalize it any way you like. They will even bind it for you if you want.
93. There are several companies such as Shutterfly.com or FamilyHeritage.com that will publish histories, photo journals, etc.
94. Ask a sibling or cousin to help you work on some lines. Split the work with the family. Meet occasionally to share notes and experiences.
95. Be brave and contact people you don’t know, with your same surname, in cities you travel to. These people may be related to you. They may have information you don’t have. They may like to know what information you have. It may turn out to be a great way to do missionary work as well as family work.
96. Be defenders of the traditional family unit, which furthers the plan of our Heavenly Father. Memorize, or speak confidently from The Family Proclamation. Understand the threats that would break down the family home. In spite of family dysfunction, which happens in so many homes, find a way to maintain love and respect through Family History.
97. Study the blessings that come from your House of Israel lineage.
98. Work to be, and stay, worthy of a temple recommend and attend often.
99. Don’t be afraid to share the gospel with living family members. As you make contact with distant cousins through this work, tell them who you are and why this work is important to you.
100.Teach your children the importance of this work, show them what has been done, show them what still needs to be done. Involve them in the work today.
101. Pray for experiences that will lead you to reach farther back on your family lines.
Compiled by Jan Tolman
I connected, through Rootsweb (a genealogy mailing list), with a distant cousin who shared pictures with me of our mutual great-grandfather in Mexico. We corresponded for years sharing pieces of our genealogy, new discoveries, as well as our personal lives. He even invited me to his daughter’s Quinceanera.
The Tolman branch is our only “Pioneers-crossing the Plains” line. The family has a Genealogical Center as a place where the family can come in and do research, collect information, help catalog, or input into the computer whenever they have time or inclination. At one point only old relatives were involved. They felt strongly they couldn’t pass on until the younger generation kicked in and started doing some of the work. A family meeting was called, promises were made, and the young people began doing the work. The older generation has finally been able to let go (die), with assurances that the work will go on.
I have never had a vision, but I have most definitely had spiritual experiences doing this holy work. When things fall into place, when I feel a sense of true joy and satisfaction, when there is an undeniable bond with people I have studied, researched and grown to love, I know this is the work of the Lord to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. And I am grateful to be a part of it.