New Year's Resolutions

A New Year has begun, bringing with it a new batch of resolutions. Have you made yours yet? Have you thought about including your family history endeavors into your resolution list? If not, here are some suggestions for ways to jump-start your family history research in 2001.

Resolution 1: Organize your family history files, papers, and all of the assorted “stuff” that goes along with this wonderful hobby. There’s nothing like knowing where everything is to make you dive back into your research.

Resolution 2: Share some of your research with other members of your family. It doesn’t have to be anything too involved or formal, but you’d be surprised at how interested others in your clan are in what you are doing. You might just try writing a short letter to several members of your family, or sending out copies of some old photos. Before long, you might find yourself involved in publishing a newsletter, or writing your family’s history in book form!

Resolution 3: Make it a point to travel to some family history-related place this year. If you live in an area where your family has been settled for many years, this shouldn’t be difficult. These places might include a cemetery where some of your ancestors are buried, a church your family attended in the past, or the house where your grandparents lived. The possibilities are endless. The idea is to bring some of the past more alive. It is far easier to imagine how your ancestors lived when you are standing next to the land they farmed than if you are sitting in front of a glowing computer screen. It is definitely worth the effort, even if you have to travel some distance to do it.

Resolution 4: Start recording your own history this year. Imagine how delighted you would be if you found your grandmother’s diary, complete with photos and other mementos. You can provide that same thrill for your own grandchildren. It doesn’t have to be an overly personal journal (though that might be what you want to do!). Try to include what you remember about your childhood, and other phases of your life. Where did you live? What schools did you attend? What are your hobbies, your dreams, your ideas? Put in your favorite pictures, too. Any descendent of yours will be grateful you took the time and effort to leave such a legacy.

Resolution 5: Attend a family reunion, if you can. I can’t think of anything that fires up my resolve more to keep digging into the past than the reunions I’ve attended. These reunions include those big affairs where hundreds attend all the way to unexpected get-togethers of immediate family members. Whenever family members get together, it is almost impossible to ignore your shared history. This inevitably leads to a renewal of curiosity about your ancestors and their stories.

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