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Reach Out to an Older Relative

bvillareal

Originally Published on The Upside by Twill

Go Deeper When Talking to Older Relatives

Many of us only speak with the older members of our family during the holidays or other big family gatherings. But leaving those conversations with grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles (or any other elderly aunts, uncles, or family friends) to just once or twice a year may be robbing you—and them—of a vital connection.

By making a point to speak with your elders, even in passing conversation, you might discover details about your family you previously overlooked, hear words of wisdom you didn’t know you needed, or (finally) get that chocolate chip cookie recipe Grandma’s kept under wraps for years.

If you haven’t reached out to older relatives in a while, you can:

  • Call your grandparents, who have already celebrated their gold or diamond wedding anniversary, to get their sage advice on how to handle a spat with your partner. They know a thing or two about lasting love ♾️
  • Ask your older relatives for tips on how to get the family favorite dishes to turn out perfectly every time 🥘
  • Organize an informal family reunion via Zoom or FaceTime and ask your older relatives about the family history and their favorite stories about their younger days. And this time, really listen 🌳

The Science: When catching up, don’t just ask your older relative how they’re doing—ask about their experiences, ask for advice, ask them what they would have done differently back in the day. Research suggests that relationship expectations change as we age, and in an effort to better connect with the older individuals in our lives and reduce their loneliness, we should listen intently to what they have to say, take an interest in their life experiences, and allow them to contribute, whether that’s through giving advice, sharing traditions, or serving as a mentor.

https://my.happify.com/hd/twill-healthy-habit-connect-with-older-relatives/?locale=en_US

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Why Index?

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If you look up the definition of indexing, you will find the following definitions:

  1. the action or process of compiling an index.
  2. the movement of a machine or part of one from one predetermined position to another in order to carry out a sequence of operations.

I guess both would apply because actually an index is “an indicator, sign, or measure of something.” In in the case of indexing through Family Search, it is recording a time and a place in someone’s life. For example, when and where they were born or died, when they were married or divorced, where they lived in what year, where they served in the military and many, many more.

In the case of a census record, it can not be opened until 72 years after the day it was created. So the release of the 1950 census has caused quite a stir in the genealogy community. We are all waiting with bated breath to see those records and to find out more about our family members. Why? Because these census records, like many others, provide a wealth of information for the lives of individuals who existed and gives us a window into their lives at that time.

For many years now I have been indexing thousands of records for Family search where I take written information and enter it online into a database that is freely available to anyone. This work takes hours to complete and I am only one of the many who have been doing so for years. It is because of their work that I have been able to find records on my own family that go back to the 1700’s in Mexico.

Why do I bother to work this hard? The answer is simple. It is because I want to honor each person’s memory by including their information as carefully and completely as I can. I also feel that someday someone who has been looking for that long, lost relative will be able to find that scrap of information about them. This will turn just a name into a a person and family member who once lived many years ago. By learning about our ancestors, we find out why we are who we are and learn about the perseverance it took for them to survive.

I thoroughly enjoy indexing. I find the records intersting and engaging. Each record contains some bit of information that a loved one will need somewhere down the road. As for genealogy? It is truly a treasure hunt with each new bit of information found!

RootsTech 2022 begins on March 3rd and is absolutely free! If you are wanted to learn more about your ancestors or find out more about what those “crazy people” do who spend hours searching, this is the best place to go. It is free this year and all you need to do is register.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/rootstech-2022-registration

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Now That I Want to Play in the Family Tree What Do I Do?

bvillareal

A wonderful article when starting out.

GAA Magazine

By Sue Randolph Neikirk

For many of us we grew up with the idea of how much we really just hated history class. “What does history have to do with us? Why should we care? It has nothing to do with us. It’s Boring!” (Did you feel that eye roll)?

I recalled times my great granny spoke of family and I listened with half an ear. Her ownmom…my great great granny (born in 1863) who I still remember, had a grandma that was Abe Lincolns cousin, or at least that is what they said. Of course, that meant nothing to me. I was a kid and seldom believed anything told me at that time. And since it was the 1960s and I was rebellious of everything including family history. And like any person working on their own genealogy today I am kicking myself and would love to have asked more…

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James C. Little House

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Abandoned Southeast

Little House Louisville Georgia

This Gothic Revival home known as the Little House was built at the end of the Reconstruction Era sometime between 1867-1876. The original owner, James Cain Little, joined the Confederacy at the age of 17 before becoming President of the local railroad for 30 years. James was the son of Robert Patterson Little and Elizabeth Cain Little and was a prominent merchant in town from 1869 until the early 20th century.

James Cain Little and family The owner, James Cain Little, is at the right next to his second wife Nellie. His mother is behind him and 6 of his children are on the porch.

In 1875, James Little bought approximately half of a city block from William A. Wilkens, one of the early large property owners in Louisville. The purchase price was $2,000. The following year, Mr. Little contracted with L.J. Guilmartin & Co. to build his large residence. He paid them $4,000 to…

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Ancestry’s US Yearbook Collection is Now Available – Free Access Until September 2, 2019

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Thank you, Trisha, for sharing this!

Journey Through the Generations

I have always loved looking through old photos.  My Granny had a little shelf in the living room where she kept yearbooks from her high school WF Branch High.  I have fond memories of sitting in front of that shelf flipping through the pages to find her and my parent’s photos for hours and hours when I was a kid.

So when I heard that Ancestry had a new collection of digitized yearbooks, I was super excited.  This collection includes yearbooks from middle school, junior high, high school, and colleges throughout the United States.   The first name I searched for was myself.  Well I didn’t find me, but I was able to find my brother, my dad, my uncle, my husband, and my mother in law.  And that was just in the 15 free minutes I had to search.  So I will spending Labor Day weekend searching through…

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