Transforming Family History for Thanksgiving
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It's Thanksgiving time once again! Fall leaves, turkey, and lots of joy because we’re all focusing on gratitude instead of complaining. Use your gratitude focused month to include thanks for your ancestors too! It’s a great way to transform your family history for Thanksgiving. Children love hearing about where they came from. It helps them feel connected and not so alone and they can draw on the strength of their ancestors as they go through difficulties.
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Uncover Your Family’s History
First, you have to find your family’s history! Hopefully, you have some resources at home but if you need more or don’t have any yet, head over to FamilySearch.org and set up your profile. If you aren’t familiar with Family Search, check my tutorial on how to get started then start getting to know your ancestors! If you have to do some more digging to discover your roots, read this beginner’s guide. And remember, you can always ask those you know in your family for their stories!
If you can’t find any stories, tell your own stories! It’s never to early to record your own history.
Decide Which Ancestors to Research and Share
Pick one ancestor for every day there is until Thanksgiving, focus on one ancestor a week, or only do it the week of Thanksgiving. As you gather names, check out the Memories section in Family Search for each person- that’s where you can discover photos, stories, and other documents that will give you more insights into your history. If you are blessed to find Memories in your family’s line, start reading and print out photos if you can. If you aren’t, add the resources you do have instead! Try using Relative Finder as well to easily find ancestors with stories to tell.
After you've gathered enough people, put one ancestor's name on a paper leaf with a little story prompt or photo. Are you only able to find the date and place of birth? That's okay, you can still talk about the name as well as some facts about what went on in that area around that time frame. You can also set some goals to find out more about those individuals.
Build Your Thanksgiving Family History Tree
Each day, take the time at dinner or during bedtime stories to highlight one ancestor then tape their leaf on your Thanksgiving tree. A lot of you already make your own tree, so tie it in however you do your thankful tree. By the time Thanksgiving comes, you'll have made a real family tree and have gotten to know a lot more ancestors.
Your Family’s Legacy
On Thanksgiving Day, give everyone in your family a leaf too. Ask each person write down a little thing that they want people to remember about them or what they hope their legacy is. How are they striving to have that be their legacy? Why did they pick it? What other ancestor has that legacy?
