This year, why not bring along a pad and pen to Thanksgiving dinner. There are a couple of reasons why it could come in handy. With the whole family gathered around the table, there are bound to be some great family stories being told that you won’t want to forget. Also, there may be mention of bits and pieces of information here and there that could help you in your family history research. I often hear very interesting things at family gatherings, things that I want to remember later on so that I can follow up on them. Since I … Continue reading →

This year, give your family members a gift that reflects their heritage. A gift that reminds people of their heritage, and the country that their ancestors came from, will be more meaningful than a gift card could ever be! Here are some great gift suggestions that genealogists can give to their Irish relatives. Christmas is closer than you might think! Now is the time to plan out the gifts that you intend to give to relatives. Get started on the handmade gifts right away! Keep in mind that gifts that you purchase online will require time for shipping. Here are … Continue reading →

Halloween is just around the corner. If you are having trouble selecting a costume, why not check out the branches of your family tree for some inspiration. Whether you select a cultural look from one of your ethnic origins or an outfit honoring a beloved ancestor from a specific time period, your costume is sure to stand out from the sea of devils and witches at any Halloween party. Imagine how much fun it would be to dance the night away in Roaring 20’s style. Civil War Era costumes are another interesting way to dress yourself and your family. Did … Continue reading →

It isn’t unheard of for genealogists to go and visit cemeteries at any time of the year, not just when it is close to Halloween. Here are a few tips to follow that will make your visit to the graveyard result in good genealogy research, and keep you safe, at the same time. Before you visit the cemetery, you should take the time to gather up some very useful items. Bring your smartphone. Use it to call for help if you fall and get injured or become lost. Use it to take a photo of the graves of your ancestors, … Continue reading →

Genealogy is fun, and so are contests. Today, I have rounded up a few genealogy contests for you in case you are interested in entering them. The first contest has been going on for a while and it is only open for a short time more. I found it on Dear Myrtle’s genealogy blog and it runs through 30 Sept 2012. The contest is called “Share a Memory”, and it sounds like a lot of fun. Basically, you choose the memory you want to share and the media that you want to use to share it, and share away. Some … Continue reading →

Genealogy has become increasingly intertwined with the internet. Now, there are classes you can take to learn how to set up your own genealogy blog. Once you have the blog, you are going to need to fill it with content. Now is a good time to collect up, and post, your family recipes that have been passed down through the generations. Family recipes are special. They are comfort foods that evoke memories of the relative who originally made the dish as well as thoughts of the family events and celebrations that the food was served at. These are the recipes … Continue reading →

Have you gotten to the point where your favorite hobby, genealogy, has become boring? This can happen with any activity that you spend too much time doing. Instead of quitting, forever, you could try one of these ideas to make genealogy exciting once again. People naturally want to spend as much time as possible on whatever their favorite hobby happens to be. This can bring a person hours upon hours of enjoyment. Eventually, though, even a favorite hobby can “lose its spark” and become boring. What can you do when you are bored with genealogy? Try some of these ideas! … Continue reading →

We would like to think that we have evolved considerably since our earliest ancestors roamed the earth. However, as different as we are from those ancestors that lived so long ago there is some debate about whether our bodies have adapted to the foods that are available to us in modern society or whether we would fare better if we ate a diet that more closely resembled that of our early ancestors. Proponents of the Paleolithic Diet (commonly referred to as the Paleo Diet) believe that our bodies have not yet adapted to modern foods and can not utilize them … Continue reading →