Saturday, October 18, 2008

Family History Month

Photo below is me about age two and my dear Grandpa Vernon and sweet Aunt Bonnie on a picnic in the mountains near Beaver, Utah.



Well, we are half way through the month and I just realized from reading a Genealogy Corner column that October is Family History Month. And wouldn't you know Utah's senator Orrin Hatch was responsible for its creation back in 2001 in the US Senate. His resolution pointed out that... millions of Americans are researching the history of their families. Genealogy is the second most popular hobby next to gardening. With the advent of the Internet, there has been an explosion of interest in family history. Essentially we are all immigrants to this country. Our ancestors came from different parts of the globe. By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family. I encourage all people across this nation to find out more about where they came from.

Want an easy start? Do a google search for one of your grandparents or ancestors...i.e. "John Lemmon" 1780 NC. Put their first and last name in quotes. If you don't know your grandparents first and last or maiden name, birthdate and place-you should. Look for an old obituary or ask your parents if they are still living. Then see what results you get. You may find a history or information about this person and perhaps a photo. More importantly you might make contact with what I call an "Internet cousin" who shares the same ancestry. Give it a try and report what happens in a comment. If Google search doesn't work, try www.familysearch.org the LDS Church's genealogy website. It's amazing. I found tons there on Caryn's ancestors. See comments below for info.

9 comments:

  1. I LOVE the older pictures you share with your readers. I have always been interested in Geneology.

    Thanks for sharing this with us :)

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  2. Baby steps...
    I googled my dad, "Leo Lane Theobald" 1907 Utah
    I got "no information found" I googled my mom,"Gladys May Brown" 1908 California
    I got "no information found"
    And therein lies the rub...

    It isn't that I have no desire to do any of this. It's just that I can't seem to get it right.
    This should have been simple, right?

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  3. caryn-good try but need to start with your grandparents not your parents. try again or try with less info "Leo Theobald" leave out middle names. Also try searching www.familysearch.org.

    I did and found the names of your paternal grandparents Ernest Burgess Theobald 1867 born in Duncan's Retreat, Utah near Zions Park and Susie Alldredge 1874 Lehi, Utah submitted by Eda Maxfield of Cedar City-this is got to be a relative of yours. Contact her for a copy of what genealogy she has. You should have a copy of your roots/ancestors to share with your family...

    Your maternal grandparents from the same site Robert Lawrence Brown 1880 Colorado his parents Joseph Mortimer Brown and Anna Jane Rowan. Robert's wife Gladys Mae Hubbard 1890 Massachusetts, and her parents John Frost Hubbard and LEna May Brown. Someone has their info somewhere and their history. Don't forgot them. They loved their grandkids and ggkids, etc.and are your family.

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  4. I love this photo..I am going to do a search as you suggest. I will let you know if I find out anything. One side of the family is documented back to England, but the other side is not...

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  5. Great post, Lin! Thanks for the pointer to put the "name" in quotes. Sure makes a difference. I had read that a long time back, didn't need it for anything...then forgot about it. Glad you reminded me.

    Also Caryn, I didn't find anything about my grandparents but, I did find their names referenced when I searched for my dad's siblings. They were only public records (births, parents' names, dates, etc.) but it was something.

    As soon as I can I'll go back to search my dad's parents using Lin's suggestion - the quotes.

    Thanks again, Lin.

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  6. I love genealogy research. I started about five years ago and have found a lot of information...but still have a lot of questions and a lot more research to do. I even found that researching the places where your ancestors came from could turn up some leads.

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  7. Tom has been making new discoveries now that he is subscribing to Ancestry.com. He's having a great time, and I enjoy hearing about his discoveries.

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  8. This is such a gorgeous photo. Your grandfather looks like a strong handsome personality.

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  9. I love the happy look on your Grandpa's face! I host a free genealogy podcast (radio show on the Internet) called Genealogy Gems and invite you and anyone else interested in family history to take a listen. www.GenealogyGems.TV or in iTunes search Genealogy Gems and click Podcast. All the best, Lisa

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