Category: Family Stories

The holidays are all about fun, food, tradition, and family – with family being the most important part. But so that we don’t have to limit celebrating our families during the holidays, let’s expand our horizons. That way, no matter what time of the year it is, we can answer the question: how can we […]

When we’re talking about family videos and how to preserve them, it’s always a great idea to keep those fun family moments. But then we remember about all of the different ways we’ve taken family videos over the years. We’re talking about film reels, slides, VHS tapes (of all sizes), and more. So, how do […]

America is a land of opportunity and immigrants. So when you’re trying to find out more about your family, it can help to discover when your family became a US citizen. So, when did my grandfather become a US citizen? To find out when a grandfather (or another relative) became a citizen of the United […]

As I do my genealogy, things get crazy fast when you’re from a yours-mine-and-ours type of family. Especially when you’ve got two brothers (one from another mother) with the same first name. The family tree gets complicated quickly. But do I leave someone out just to simplify? Who should you include in your family tree? […]

Finding out about your last name is cool. But what if your family’s name has ties to nature? Can that help you learn about where you’re from or how your family took up that nature-based last name? Last names that come from nature can give clues to where a family comes from, where they lived, […]

Some of my best memories growing up involve my cousins. They’re amazing people and I’m lucky they’re part of my family – but where do they fit in my family tree? How do family trees work with cousins? Cousins aren’t traditionally included in a family tree. However, expanded family trees can be built to include […]

Sometimes it’s fun to browse school photos – whether your own or of an ancestor’s. But where can you find them? Do schools have old yearbooks? Or is there a better way to find old yearbooks – like maybe while at home and from a computer? Old yearbooks can be found in various places online […]

Genealogy doesn’t have to be dry – or boring. In fact, if you learn some fun ways to celebrate it with family traditions, it can be downright fun – and amazing. So, let’s talk about family tradition ideas. Family traditions that celebrate genealogy can be both fun and educational – and they don’t have to […]

From what I understand, family reunions can either be huge drains – or can be amazing and enriching experiences. So what are some awesome family reunion activity ideas to help celebrate family history – that are also totally awesome? Celebrating family history can enrich family reunions by adding stories, creating traditions, cooking meals together, or […]

Looking through old family photos and documents can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Especially if you’re trying to find the safest way to store those documents! What is the safest and best way to store important family documents? The safest way to store family documents is to create digital copies and then store the originals in […]

Teaching youth to love things takes a good bit of talent, inspiration, and knowing how to make them relevant. So how do you help youth learn to love doing genealogy and family history? Are there any special tricks to know? To inspire the youth to love genealogy and connect with family, make it fun. Help […]

Family recipes bring back memories of good food, family, and all sorts of fun (and crazy) family memories. So when it comes to preserving those family recipes, why preserve them? And how can we do it safely? Family recipes should be preserved to help families connect through food and shared meals. The recipes themselves may […]