# 36 OCTOBER IS FAMILY HISTORY MONTH

Let’s Do Genealogy


# 36 OCTOBER IS FAMILY HISTORY MONTH



The Monmouth County Genealogical Club of Freehold, NJ originated Family History Month of October in 1988 and has designated the month of October for community-wide involvement. Genealogy is for everyone; children, youth and adults. Its resource pamphlet urges America to adopt its program with local modification and suggested varied activities for each group.

The proclamation suggests the scope and nature of Family History Month as:
To promote the study of family history
To provide sound training in genealogical research
To collect, preserve and disseminate genealogical information on early
citizens of the County.

The above is based on the assumption that “the history of a community. county, state and nation can best be told through the lives of its citizens” and that both, children and adults should be encouraged “to gather family stories, customs and traditions and study family history as an academic discipline and appreciate the richness of the lives of our ancestors and the importance of the individual with the fabric of American history”.

Observance of Family History Month is unique. Here are some suggested activities: (1) Draw your family tree- fill in a form and illustrate it or draw one in your own way. (2) Dress as your ancestor from 1950’s poodle skirt to ethnic costume of homeland. (3) Cook/bake a favorite. Get recipe for dish or meal, make and share it. (4) Draw a world map…show origin of your ancestors, with pin, flags or colored drawings. (5) Use the language…learn a song, poem, story or a sentence in an ancestral language. (6) Visit a place of interest, port of entry,
(South), a home or building nearby of family importance. (7) Read a fable or a story from an ancestral nation, illustrate it with family/friends.

The following FAMILY ACTIVITIIES can be stimulating: (1) Label and organize photographs…use acid free ink and materials. Put names, dates, places. (2) Visit and interview relatives…Make a list of questions---beside facts, get flavor, opinion, humor, stories, traditions—whatever makes ancestors real. (3) Locate and copy family documents from the attic and cousins. Label and list information they contain. (4) Fill in an ancestor chart—buy or make one. Use pencil if not proven. It will show you what you need to research, list full names, maiden name only. (5) Write your life story...Wouldn’t you treasure your grandfather’s life story? Write yours. (6) Start a family journal…Each member writes in it fairly regularly or when there’s special news. (7) Make a time line…use long paper, draw center lines: historic dates on one side, family dates on the other (birth, marriages, milestones).

SENIOR CITIZENS can do the following: (1) Write your life story…Include memories thoughts, funny stories, recollections of older relatives (your parents and grandparents)…you are the only link to them. Do it in a booklet or a book form, as letters to grandchildren or poems. Do it chronologically starting with your birth or do it in any order which appeals to you. If you are not a writer, talk into a tape recorder and let someone type it. Just do it. (2) Label and organize photographs…with full names, dates, places, events. Use acid free albums, pencil. (3)Print up family recipes…favorite family recipes are a strong link to the past. Share them. (4) Label heirlooms and family artifacts…clock, quilts, shawls, jewelry, dishes, silver…whose were they? Don’t assume that “everyone knows”. (5) Start a family round-robin letter…write a letter (put in lots of memories) to a relative, ask them to add to it and send it in. Each cousin adds to it and eventually, a very long letter returns to you. Replace your original letter with a new one, send it again. (6) Write a family letter..include articles about ancestors and what’s happening now: births, school, marriage and deaths, family stories and achievements.

As a club, the following suggestions are offered: (1) Phone-a-fact…out of state members call volunteers of specific research question to be done in club library and answered by collect call. (2) Publication Reception…a good target date for club publication completion and “sellebration”. (3) Family record day… at museum people bring in papers, especially Bible records, family treasures for photo records. (4) Costume party for halloween…Come as your favorite ancestor. Use dress and memorabilia. (5) Audio or video interviews…Member’s older relatives or elders in the community. Have them use photos or memorabilia for memory sparkers. (6) Video of club activities…can be shared with out of state members. Library of lectures. (7) Photo exhibit…members’ interesting, unusual and active family photos…well captioned names, dates. (8) How to start your family history…one day course for members and public. Library tours.