The Force is Strong in My Family

The Force is Strong in My Family

I saw that shirt at Disneyland and flipped out! 

My sister said to me, “Oh! You need that shirt for um...family history purposes!”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been in theaters for nearly a month now which, by internet standards, means it is now okay to discuss spoilers. But don’t worry- I won’t be giving away anything big.

Watching the new Star Wars movie brings up some great questions which can spin into fun debates. As viewers and fans look at the new cast, it poses interesting questions of: how much are they like their parents? Can we guess who a character’s parents are by just observing them? 

When Kylo Ren revealed his lineage there was an audible gasp in the theater. But for Rey we don’t get any solid answers, however, people who have read the Star Wars books are firm in their theories. 

One theory is that Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker. What is interesting about this theory is that she has little to no memory of her family, only that she was positive they would come back for her on Jakku. But Rey is smart, like crazy smart. The way she fixes and flies the Millennium Falcon? Amazing! The way she uses the Force with only a little bit of coaching from ambiguous Yoda and Obi-Wan voice overs? Incredible! This is the girl who has inherited traits and abilities that she doesn’t know anything about. 

Star Wars is a gorgeous amalgamation of Medieval sentiments, ninja elements, and a whole lot of science fiction. In Medieval times (500-1500CE) there was an idea/theory that by the best and brightest people marrying and having children with other people that were the best and brightest (aka royals) that the perfect ruler could be created. 

Rey is a strong example of that theory. She encompasses pieces of all the people who came before her. 

She is hard working, and puts others before herself like Shmi. 

She is in tune with the Force in incredible ways like Anakin.

She is sassy like Padme. (And Padme could seriously use a blaster- something else Rey inherited.)

Her outlook and attitude mirror Luke’s. Her desire to stay on Jakku for family, and yet a hope to leave...very reminiscent of Luke’s purgatory on Tattooine. 

If we’re following the books then her mother would have been Mara Jade- the best Sith-turned-Jedi of her age. 

All of these traits built up in one person make her all that she is, but she still had (or is yet to) embrace them.

So, the question is- what about us? What are we a mix of? What have we inherited (like Rey), and what do we reject (like Kylo Ren)?

I had a teacher in college that was an incredible example of accepting all the mix that we are. His classes was a basic world history class. It was a lecture hall, and only a 200 level. 

Nothing fancy. 

When I registered for the class I noticed his last name was distinctly Irish. I don’t want to give away too personal of details but I’ll use the example of O’Mally, or O’Reily. To me it was something blatantly Irish.

That was my first mistake.

When I arrived to class I was surprised to see a man who was obviously Middle Eastern (he was from Lebanon). Part of his introduction to the class was to explain his lineage. I guess I wasn’t the only one that was surprised. 

This teacher had a father with an Irish surname who was from Lebanon but his grandfather had been Irish and immigrated to New York. My teacher told us about his family history (in intense depth) and told us about all the peoples, and countries his family had come from. 

He was proud of his history, and embraced all of it.

Throughout the quarter he celebrated several different holidays that we don’t have here in the United States and wore t-shirts in several different languages. This was a man who knew where his family had come from and loved it all. 

In my experience when people are asked where they come from, the usually answer with “America” or “Mexico.” I guarantee you that there is more to your story. 

We might not all come from Jedi-stock we all do have a lineage and a history that is rich, complex, mixed, and exciting. 

My challenge to you is to look through your family tree and write down all the different places that your family had come from. Even if your family has been in Russia, or Germany, or Ireland for many, many years each of those countries has a beautiful heritage that started someplace else. 

Happy Hunting! 

A Christmas Miracle

Happy New Year!

As this beautiful 2016 year kicks off I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a Christmas miracle from this past season. 

Once Upon A Saturday my family and I were setting up our Christmas tree and pulling out the boxes of decorations. The artificial evergreen was waiting for ornaments and in true Christmas tradition the boxes were somewhat misplaced in the garage...somewhere...

I was standing on a small ladder and AHA! there they were. I knew there were four boxes to be found and lo and behold- four boxes. However, tucked behind the four boxes was another box. It didn’t have any writing on it, nothing special about it but for some reason I felt like I should bring that extra box in. 

I didn’t know what would be in it, but I figured it’d be fun to find out. As I brought in the box my mom asked what I had found. When we opened the box we didn’t find a nativity scene, or ornaments, or stockings. 

Instead we found a lost treasure.

Inside the box was a cache of photos and records and information. There were legal documents my mother had collected and gathered years ago when she had first begun researching her family history. For many years we had all thought these pictures and papers were lost. 

In a sudden twist of fate a Christmas miracle occurred. We had started off looking to get ready for the greatest time of year and instead we were given another opportunity to connect with our family. 

It seems that it was meant to be a family reunion kind of a Christmas. 

As 2016 begins I hope we all have more opportunities to find our family, and include family history in our resolutions. 

Happy Hunting! 

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! 

1930's and 1940's

Recently Yale released 170,000 pictures from the 1930's and 1940's. These images provide a wealth of information about what life was like during this tumultuous time in American history. 

Take a look at your family tree and find which ancestors lived during the 30's and 40's then head over to this site for the link to find the website. 

This development from Yale University is exciting but it also shows how our work is never done! New information is always coming forward to help us in our family history work. 

Happy Hunting!