National Day of Listening

Today is the National Day of Listening! 

This morning Family Search said: "If a family member tells a story and no one is around to hear it, does it still get passed on?"

I love this! National Day of Listening is the perfect day to enjoy hearing the stories of those family members around us. Many people in America are still surrounded by family as Thanksgiving weekend continues on. Ask questions, listen, and record what you hear.

Maybe you need a little help. I totally understand. It's not always easy to know what to ask to prompt a good story, but luckily the History Channel has a great series going on right now that could be just what you need. 

The History Channel is running a documentary series about Christmas traditions, popular toys, musical performances, what sitting Presidents did etc through different decades. This week they featured the 1960's. Next week will be the 1970's and so on. 

Yesterday after Thanksgiving dinner my family and I watched the first episode of this series, and it was so much fun! My parents were both children in the 1960's and the commercials and fun facts provided by the show gave way to them reminiscing about their childhood. It was fun to actually see what toys they had, but also to have them add on to what the show was saying. It was especially interesting to hear them talk about Bob Hope, President Kennedy, and America at war. I loved it! I'm so excited to watch Christmas of the 1970's next week too. 

The show is available if you have the History Channel itself, but I bought just the episode on iTunes for $3.99. Not a bad price for an evening of fun, and learning more about my family. 

I hope where ever you are today that you take the time to listen, and enjoy your family history. This holiday season will be an exciting and prime time to talk with family members. Enjoy it!

Happy Holidays! And Happy Hunting! 

Family is Key

Here are a few inspirational quotes to keep you smiling as you think about family. 

Happy Hunting! 

And so the adventure begins...

It's not very often in the adventure that is family history that we reach a point in which we can actively do something right now to make a monumental difference. 
Oh yeah. You read that correctly.
There is something you can do RIGHT NOW that will make a make waves in the world of your family history hunt. 
So strap in. Get ready. Get set...

Keep a journal. 

Yep, you read that right. Keep a journal. 

So now your asking yourself, "what?" And then probably, "um, how will this help?"

Well, dear hunter, this is how...
As we hunt for information about our ancestors, we are ultimately limited by what information is out there. It's not the happiest of truths but there is it. We can (and need to) index - which does bring about new information, but we also need to be proactive in paving the for future generations. 
How many times have you wished you could find the journal of an ancestor? Wouldn't it be perfect to find that missing piece of information? 
This is part of the benefit of keeping a journal now. In writing down our daily ventures, we can preserve our lives for future generations rather than become a mystery to be puzzled out. 

For myself, whenever I start a new journal, I make sure to include some kind of survey question portion. My thinking behind this is that if that particular journal is the only one found I want my descendants to know what I think is the important stuff about me. The benefit to this controlled "me survey" is that I can choose the questions to ask and answer. 
I always include my full name, my birthdate, address, family members and their birthdates. (Seriously now. This is the info I'd want about my ancestors so I try to make it as easy as possible for whoever gets a hold of my journals in the future.) 
From there I might include my current job, hobbies, goals, favorite color- all that stuff. 
Keeping a daily (or every other day) record of our lives will be beneficial not only to the people who will come after us but there's also something calming and centering about being able to write out how we feel. 
It seems like the art of journal keeping has been largely lost but I so appreciate the books and tv shows out there that encourage people today to write, like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "Dork Diaries", and "The Vampire Diaries". 

Journals and diaries are available all over the place. I personally love to browse my local Barnes and Noble for the right journal, but even a composition notebook will work. 

Get excited! 

Go pick out a beautiful journal, get some awesome pens, and go to town! I love including stickers, movie ticket stubs, photos, those paper bracelets from dances...
On days when I want to write in my journal but might not have a lot of time to vent or get in touch with my inner-heart I'll bullet-point "Ten Good Things That Happened Today." It's a great way to record what transpired during the day but also helps me focus on the good things from my day. 

Still unsure? Well, consider this....

I love Nightvale and their deep thoughts but this one felt chilling. How sad! I know that I certainly have more people I'm related to than I'll be able to learn about because of lack of records but I can do something about me. I can help my future family know me. 

Journals. Diaries. They are miracles of human communication. With merely a piece of paper and a writing utensil I can record my thoughts, feelings, jokes, insights etc for people who are not yet born. 

Happy journaling Hunters!

A Break in Tradition

To Americans this November 5th is more likely to be marked by throw-back-Thursday pictures than any commemoration of the British holiday known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Day. 

Fans of Harry Potter or Sherlock may recognize those phrases but what is the importance of November 5th?

The fabulous historians over at History.com have summed up the highlights for us in this succinct way: 

"On the night of November 5, 1605, the conspiracy by English Catholics to kill King James I and replace him with his Catholic daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was cut short by the arrest of Guy Fawkes, who had been charged with placing gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament. The plot involved digging a tunnel under the Palace of Westminster, filling it with gunpowder and then triggering a deadly explosion during the ceremonial opening of Parliament, which would have resulted in the death of not only James I, but also the leading Protestant nobility. From then on, November 5 was celebrated in Britain and its colonies with a bonfire burning either Guy Fawkes or the pope in effigy."

At this point an old rhyme might be making its way to the forefront of your mind...

This poem is one that British children can recite by heart. It's cute, concise and brings to mind the importance of November 5th. In Britain the evening is celebrated with firework displays, bonfires, and parties. I had a British Lit teacher that told us that most towns burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes in celebration of the preservation of England and it's monarchy, except the town of Kent. Guy Fawkes was from Kent and the people will 'not burn one of their own.' 

What does any of this have to do with family history?

Remember that the colonists came to America from Britain and since this holiday was being celebrated well before the first ship of people arrived, this holiday is a tradition that would have been brought over. 

So, then the question becomes, when did Americans stop celebrating Guy Fawkes Day? Again, those scholars at History.com have the answer. 

"On this day in 1775, Continental Army commander in chief General George Washington condemns his troops’ planned celebration of the British anti-Catholic holiday, Guy Fawkes Night, as he was simultaneously struggling to win French-Canadian Catholics to the Patriot cause.

In his general orders for the day, Washington criticized 'that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope,' part of the traditional Guy Fawkes celebration. He went on to express his bewilderment that there could be 'Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense' and berated the troops for their inability to recognize that 'defence [sic] of the general Liberty of America' demanded expressions of 'public thanks' to the Canadian Catholics who Washington believed to be necessary allies, and wrote that he found 'monstrous' any actions, which might 'be insulting their Religion.'" 

I love General Washington's strong wording. He was serious about this order and he was not going to be misunderstood. If you're keeping track of your family history and history dates on a timeline then these years and events would be good ones to add. 

Take a look at your family tree and see which members of your family would have celebrated Guy Fawkes Day, and who would have been the first ones to stop the tradition. 

I think this is one the more interesting transitional moments in American history. It's rare that we can put an exact date on when something changes but November 5th 1775 is when our ancestors would have been witness to a defined break in tradition. 

Take the time today to look up some of the ways that the lovely citizens of England are enjoying their Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Day. It looks like a lot of fun! 

Happy Hunting!