Leaps and Bounds with Relative Race

Guest Post by Anitra Louis, of BYU TV’s Hit Show - Relative Race (Season 6)

photo courtesy of BYU TV

I am not a risk-taker. I had training wheels on my bike until I was 11 years old. When other kids were doing cannonballs into pools, I was walking to the stairs and easing my way into the water. This cautiousness continued well into adulthood. When it snowed in college, a bunch of my friends decided to go sledding down the most prominent, most steep hill on campus. I joined in, but I was careful to control the speed. After college, I worked a few summers as a creative writing teacher at a traveling Arts and Science camp. One day a  group of teachers and camp counselors decided to tire swing into a lake. I cheered everyone on from afar. I’m not sure that I was even scared. I believe I've always just approached everything with so much caution and discernment that taking a leap of faith or doing an activity that required some risk never really interested me--until December 24th, 2018. 

I’m a late Christmas shopper. Every year my goal is to be so organized that I finish shopping in August and finish wrapping in September. That never happened. So there I was, shopping for presents according to the theme of the year: Books. I walked around the bookstore with my husband, Paul, looking for gems at the 11th hour of holiday shopping. “Let’s just split up,” I said to him. We each took a few names and decided to pick books to fit each relative. After a while, searching for the perfect book became boring. So, I decided to take a quick scroll on Instagram. I swiped down once or twice before I saw the ad that eventually changed my life: ‘Are you adopted and looking for your biological parents?’ I stopped in the middle of the Sci-Fi aisle and looked around to see if Paul was nearby. This advertisement could easily be a scam. The person creating the ad could also be foreign royalty reaching out to me to help in a financial bind. 

I waited a few seconds before deciding to respond to the ad. I clicked the link, filled out the application, and waited for a follow-up email. In the meantime, I went to find Paul and tell him about the decision I made. There he was with three books in his arms, “look what I found!” He held up his books, grinning ear-to-ear. I felt confident knowing he was in a good mood. “We need to talk,” I said to him. I led him by the elbow to a quiet corner. Whenever I have news to share, good or bad, I just blurt it out. “I signed up to be on a reality show about finding my birth parents.” He paused almost identical to the way I had half an hour ago. “What?” he asked. I began explaining what I saw and the process but he stopped me mid-sentence and told me, “I’m in.” 

With those two words, my husband and I set out on a journey to find my family on a show called Relative Race. The rest of the audition and casting process was a whirlwind of phone calls, DNA testing, and anxiously waiting to find out the results of it all. I cannot articulate—even now—the emotions I felt leading up to the first day of the race. What I can say without hesitation is that the competition in its entirety taught me about the significance of bravery and the benefits of faith, and taught both Paul and I about the power of partnership and friendship in love. 

photo courtesy of Anitra Louis

Each day for each member of each team is uncertain. The day is unpredictable in a few different ways. First, we have no contact with the outside world. We cannot merely text a friend or a family member back home and check-in. We cannot reach out to our children. Second, we are in cars driving and following maps, but we control very little about those trips to and from our relative’s house. We are left only to pray that our travels are safe.

Last but not least, when we walk up to that door, we don’t know who will be on the other side. All we know is that whoever is on the other side of that door is a piece of us. This journey required a complete break of my illusion of control, and quite honestly, the comfort of fear. The competition was beautiful and exciting, and certainly worth the process, but it was in no way comfortable. The only way any of us made it from day 1 to the last day is with hope and faith. 

I’ve talked a lot about myself, but honestly, the journey my husband and I made on Relative Race completely changed our marriage. 

photo courtesy of Anitra Louis

On the outside, Paul and I look idyllic: smiling, great photos for holidays and special events, videos of laughter, and cheers from people who know and love us. While that is mostly true, it’s also true that no marriage is perfect. Our marriage is no exception. In recent years we settled into our routine: get up, usher our daughter off to school, head to work, get home, eat dinner, put our daughter to bed, go to sleep, then wake up and repeat’ each weekday. The weekend consisted of entertaining our daughter and visiting family and friends. 

After two decades of friendship and 12 years of marriage, communication had become the issue we struggled with the most. However, for several days we had no other choice not only to communicate but also to trust each other in a way that was foreign to us—there’s that faith again. On the road, we didn’t have work as a distraction; we didn’t have a child requesting attention—or more accurately, snacks—we had silence. We had stillness. We had each other. In those several days, in that car, in the homes of our new relatives, our relationship was renewed--rejuvenated. We learned new things about one another; we recognized unique strengths and were supportive through new weaknesses. 

photo courtesy of Anitra Louis

One of the best parts of the race was learning all of this about ourselves while meeting our family. Each day I met a link to my lineage and my history. I learned that both ministry and education run deep in my bloodline. I learned that my ancestors started one of the first black schools for free men and women, and the neighborhood where my mother and father grew up was one of the first black incorporated towns in North Carolina. I found the beauty in my birth family and my biological parents’ story, and I appreciated my earth family—as I call them—on an even deeper level. One of my biggest blessings is that my birth family and earth family were able to meet one another and fellowship with one another in a way I would never have thought possible. 

Many words, days, and months later, here we are taking another leap of faith: Adoption. Paul and I have decided to adopt a child and expand our family. 

For someone inexperienced with taking risks, I would recommend taking leaps of faith to anyone.

10 Meaningful Father's Day Gifts

by Shenley Puterbaugh

Father’s Day is just around the corner! Choose a meaningful gift that will connect him with family! If he loves family history, he will love these ideas and if he doesn’t yet, this is the perfect way to inspire him! You will find gifts to BUY and MAKE! Don’t forget to…

CLICK ON THE LINKS

Inspire Family History receives a small contribution when you click and make a purchase. This does not make it more expensive for you, but helps us to keep providing you with free ideas! Look for the

GREAT COUPONS

that are just for you!

1. LIFE STORY INTERVIEW WITH EVALOGUE.LIFE

5% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE

Get your dad a LIFE STORY INTERVIEW. Sharing life stories has been proven to bind families together and inspire future generations. Preserve his voice to evoke powerful memories years from now.

2. CELEBRATE DNA SHIRT OR MUG

10% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE101

Has your dad done a DNA test? Get him a customized shirt or mug with his DNA results so he can proudly show off his heritage!

3. ‘COLLECTIONAIRE’ SUBSCRIPTION

COUPON CODE: INSPIREFH20

to receive 50% off either standard or pro subscription for 2 YEARS

Collectionaire is a simple but smart cloud app for building the ultimate shareable digital family collection. It not only allows you to find your family's best photos and videos but now your family members can as well, and view them on any connected device. Collectionaire is not a photo storage site, but instead a “hub” that brings together all media and memories stored in other online photo and video sites to become one online site where your best digital photo albums, home movies, digitized scrapbooks, slide shows, audio recordings, journals, etc. are all brought together in one collection, and navigated via your family tree rather than nested folders. So even your parents can find your family's best memories.

4. RELATIONSHIPS

Your dad will love this beautiful, customized piece of art to commemorate his ancestors’ momentous transition to a new country.

5. DNA TEST from ANCESTRY OR MYHERITAGE

6. MEMORY BOOK

You can buy or make a memory book! If you make the book, you can add pictures to go with the questions and answers and it can be typed or handwritten. If you buy a book, then there is space to handwrite answers and tape or glue in pictures. Your dad will love to read what their children and/or grandchildren remember and appreciate about them. Some examples of questions are: My first memory of you is ____. My favorite thing to do with you was ____. When I smell ____ it reminds me of you. My favorite holiday meal was ____.

7. GENERATIONS PICTURE

Look for pictures of your father’s male line beginning with your dad and going back as many generations as you can find photos. Buy a frame with that many spots for photos. The frame can be a circular frame, up and down or side ways. Put the pictures in the frame in the following order: a son, his father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, his great-great-grandfather and his great-great-great-grandfather, etc. It can be as simple as a son and his father or it can go back for many generations.

8. CREATE A MAP

Get a map and mark the places where your father’s ancestors lived. Frame it or put it on a tac board. He will love the visual but best of all, his curiosity will be triggered and questions will come!

9. CREATE A WORK OF ART

If you like to paint, do a painting. If you like to draw, do a drawing. If you like to cook, cook something. If you like to act, create a skit and perform it. If you like to write, write a poem or song. Any of these can be catered to your father. Your masterpiece can be inspired by a memory with him, one of his memories with his father or a memory or event from one of his ancestors.

10. ‘WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YOU’ LETTER

Writing a letter to your father will most likely be a surprise to him. We don’t send letters as often as past generations did. He is sure to be touched by a hand written letter telling him what you love about him and/or memories you have with him that have been special to you.

DNA Family History Activity for Kids: How Did I Become Me?

Guest Blog Post by Diahan Southard, of Your DNA Guide

This fun family history activity for children or youth helps them celebrate their unique DNA pie chart—without taking a DNA test.

Not long ago I spent the evening with a lovely group of girls, doing a hands-on activity that combined family history, DNA and crafting. (Triple score!) It went beautifully and left everyone with some light bulb moments about how DNA inheritance connects us to our ancestors, and to each other.

I recommend this activity for a class or group or your own children or grandchildren.

DNA family history activity for kids

For each person you will need:

• A printed family tree chart

• Eight circles with a patterned print

• Four circles of a solid color A - let’s say Red, but it doesn’t matter

• Two circles of a solid color B - Let’s say Yellow

• One white circle

• Glue

• Pencil

Directions:

In the directions below you will see DO moments, for things your class should, well, do, and then TALK moments, where you can take a minute to help them understand what they are really up to. The TRY THIS are some ideas to customize this activity depending on your group.

DO: Have each person fill out their family tree as far out as they know it. Just names are fine.

DO: On the back of each of the patterned circles have them write the names of their great grandparents.

TALK: Have them look around the room at the different people with different patterns. You could talk about how the green pattern might represent the Irish DNA of a great-grandparent, or the blue represents Norwegian. When we did this, the girls immediately picked up on the fact that they must be related to each other because some of them had similar patterns. They could also immediately appreciate how some of them had more diverse backgrounds than others.

TRY THIS: If you are doing this activity with your family, you may want to consider giving everyone the same patterns that actually represent the DNA of their great grandparents and their origins, to make everything more realistic and applicable to your own genetic family tree.

DO: Choosing two circles representing the two great grandparents who got married, rip each circle in half, and glue the two different halves to one of the four red circles. Write the name of the resulting grandparent on the back of that circle. Repeat to “create” each of the four grandparents.

TALK: Explain that every person gets half of their DNA from their mom, and half from their dad.

TALK: Emphasize the story that is inherent in this DNA connection. These two people, possibly from very different backgrounds (especially if you are doing this game in the US) found each other and fell in love and got married. Don’t forget to tell the story!

TRY THIS: If this is your family activity, tell the real love story of at least one of these ancestors.

DO: Now take these newly made four circles and pair them according to who married who. Taking one pair, rip each one in half, gluing one half from each grandparent on one of the yellow circles. (Tip: have them rip so they get at least some of both colors in their half, but it doesn’t have to be exactly half).

ASIDE: It was at this point in the activity that one 9 year old girl looked up and exclaimed, “Oh! We are making us! Aren’t we?!” Light-bulb moment, my friends! That’s what this is all about.

DO: Taking your two yellow circles, rip them in half and paste them onto the white circle.

TALK: You have just created you! You should be able to see colors representing each of your 4 great-grandparents, but all arranged in a new and unique way. That is because each individual who has ever lived, or who will ever live, is 100% genetically unique (except identical twins, but even they actually have some differences). You are YOU, but you are you because of them, your ancestors.

Make sure you take lots of pictures! And if you do, we would love to see them. Just make sure you have the permission of the children’s parents if you want to share pictures of their children’s faces. Tag us on social media or send us a link!

Diahan Southard is a genetic genealogy educator who teaches people around the world to use DNA to learn about their origins. She has a degree in microbiology and was on-staff at the pioneering Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. As founder of Your DNA Guide, she and her team help customers apply their genealogy questions to their genetic results with personalized, hands-on consultations. She writes for magazines and has authored several popular quick reference guides and Your DNA Guide—the Book.

This blog post was originally published at Your DNA Guide.

Studies and Research that Prove the Benefits of Family History

by Shenley Puterbaugh

“Do You Know…”

The power of family history in adolescent identity and well-being

This study was done by Marshall Duke and Robyn Fivush of Emory University and Jennifer Bohanek of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They studied 66 families. Each were asked to complete a measure of family history called the “Do You Know…” scale, a 20 question survey including questions such as, “Do you know where your parents met?” and “Do you know which person in your family you look most like?” They found that “Adolescents who report knowing more stories about their familial past show higher levels of emotional well-being, and also higher levels of identity achievement, even when controlling for general level of family functioning.

“Who Are You From?”:

The Importance of Family Stories

This study was published by Martha Dreissneck in the Journal of Family Nursing.  Martha Dreissneck, a professor at Oregon Health and Science University explores “the role of internal (genetic) and external (family) stories in building resilience in stress, disease, and illness” with her studies. She explains how instead of asking “Where are you from?” and focusing on our genetic heritage, we should be asking “Who are you from?” Her study concludes, “Knowing one’s family stories creates meaning that goes beyond the individual to provide a sense of self, through time, and in relation to family. This expanded sense of self is referred to as our intergenerational self, which not only grounds an individual but also provides a larger context for understanding and dealing with life’s experience(s) and challenges. This connection across generations appears to contribute to resilience at all stages of life."

The Ancestor Effect

Thinking about our genetic origin enhances intellectual performance

Peter Fischer, Anne Saur, Claudia Vogrincic, Silke Weisweiler from the University of Graz, the University of Berlin, and the University of Munich published this study in The European Journal of Social Psychology. The performed 4 small studies where individuals would think about their ancestors or think about their last trip to the supermarket. The conclusion was, “Thinking about one's genetic origin (i.e. ancestors) provides people with a positive psychological resource that increases their intellectual performance.” There was no difference shown between thinking of positive family stories or negative family stories!

An Ecological Systems Approach to Family Narratives

Robyn Fivush and Natalie Merrill of Emory University, look at 3 dynamically interacting systems of family narratives: shared family narratives, communicative family narratives, and family history. They focus on family storytelling and how it creates a sense of identity. They mention the benefits of grandparents and parents telling stories to children and that the benefits come to the listener AND the teller of the stories.

Use of Family Narratives as a Tool of Effective Parenting

Rakesh Maurya from the University of Wisconsin shares the important of family narratives in parenting. He claims that a family narrative is “the way through which children and adolescents connect across generations to create self-identity.” He says that, “by anchoring oneself in family history, one develops a sense of place and security that may facilitate self-confidence and self-competence. Family stories help families pass on values, experiences, traditions and important life lessons to the next generations.

21 Day Family Connections Experiment: A Family History Project

by Olivia Jewell

what is it?

Studies have shown that having stronger family connections, including a personal understanding of your family’s history, can lead to increased resilience, unity and self-confidence. In light of the current world situation with the Covid -19 pandemic, we, as a group of family historians, thought it would be an excellent time to do an informal study about how connecting with both living and deceased family members can contribute positively to our overall emotional health and mental well being. 

We’re not scientists, so this isn’t a scientific study, but we are interested in gathering data to show the results of an increased focus on family connections. These family connections come through family history activities which can be much more than charts and researching. Family history includes our living families, preserving our current lives, and connecting with family both living and deceased.

Family history activities in this 21 DAY experience will go beyond traditional genealogical tasks. In fact they will be short, simple, engaging, fun and can be enjoyed by children and families. These family friendly activities include discovering  and sharing interesting stories of living relatives and ancestors, playing family history games, learning quick and easy genealogy tools, recording and sharing your own unique stories, and more.

Why 21-days? Research suggests that the brain takes 21-days to adjust to significant changes, new habits, or positive lifestyle adjustments.

Our hope as a team, is to facilitate the opportunity for individuals and families to discover the peace and joy that family connections can bring to your life through a broader perspective of family history, which includes family connections with both living and deceased relatives. We hope that as a result you will experience an increase in overall happiness as well as stronger family connections.

how it began…

Like many of you I’ve been stuck at home for weeks due to the current pandemic. After 4 weeks of going stir crazy, dealing with the roller coaster of highs from great days embracing the calm, followed by the lows of boredom and lack of motivation, I suddenly had the thought that a 21-day Family History challenge is my solution! Every time I have done one in the past, it resulted in more satisfaction and happiness in my life. I then thought about my many friends who I know are struggling through this pandemic and decided to invite them to do it with me. I wondered if we could even measure psychological benefits. I immediately got to work.

The next few days I spent brainstorming and reaching out to people in the genealogy community. I was excited that many of them shared my enthusiasm because they had all experienced their own personal psychological benefits from doing family history and connecting with family both living and deceased!

They all had skills and talents and tirelessly worked to bring this project to life. In less than a week, a simple idea turned into a far reaching project, thanks to the incredible help and support of these acquaintances that quickly became friends.

how do I participate?

1. Visit www.connections-experiment.com.

2. Opt in by taking a short survey that will help us measure the psychological benefits of family history

3. Choose one of the following plans: Family Plan, Teen Plan, About Me, ‘My Tree is Done’, and Build Your Own

4. Do your daily challenge for the next 21 days

5. Return to www.connections-experiment.com to take the final survey at the end of the 21 days.

to begin the…

10 Meaningful Mother's Day Gifts

by Shenley Puterbaugh

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Choose a meaningful gift that will connect her with family!. If she loves family history, she will love these ideas and if she doesn’t yet, this is the perfect way to inspire her! You will find gifts to BUY and MAKE! Don’t forget to…

CLICK ON THE PHOTO-LINKS

Inspire Family History receives a small contribution when you click and make a purchase. This does not make it more expensive for you, but helps us to keep providing free information! Also look for the GREAT COUPONS that are just for you!

1. FAMILY TREE FROM ‘THE FAMILY ART SHOP’

10% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE10

These bright and beautiful custom family trees can be 2-6 generations. Choose a design, customize it, and order!

2. ‘COLLECTIONAIRE’ SUBSCRIPTION

COUPON CODE: INSPIREFH20 to receive 50% off either standard or pro subscription for two years

Collectionaire is a simple but smart cloud app for building the ultimate shareable digital family collection. It not only allows you to find your family's best photos and videos but now your family members can as well, and view them on any connected device. Collectionaire is not a photo storage site, but instead a “hub” that brings together all media and memories stored in other online photo and video sites to become one online site where your best digital photo albums, home movies, digitized scrapbooks, slide shows, audio recordings, journals, etc. are all brought together in one collection, and navigated via your family tree rather than nested folders. So even your parents can find your family's best memories.

3. JEWELRY FROM ‘OUR FUN TREE’

25% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE25

Our Fun Tree has beautiful customized jewelry.

4. LIFE STORY INTERVIEW WITH ‘EVALOGUE.LIFE’

5% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE

Get your mom a LIFE STORY INTERVIEW. Sharing life stories has been proven to bind families together and inspire future generations. Preserve her voice to evoke powerful memories years from now.  

5. MEMOIR WRITING COURSE WITH ‘EVALOGUE.LIFE’

$30 OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE

Does your mom enjoy writing or is she wanting to write her life story? In these courses she will learn how to write a story that will be passed down for generations. Available courses include: ‘How to Write a Memoir, Life Story or Family History’ and ‘Parts of a Book: How to Structure a Story That Captivates Readers’. 

6. DNA PRODUCTS FROM ‘CELEBRATE DNA’

10% OFF COUPON CODE: INSPIRE101

Has your mom done a DNA test? Get her a customized shirt, hat or tote bag with her DNA results so she can proudly wear her heritage! Other products include mugs and posters.

7. DNA TEST FROM ‘ANCESTRY’ or ‘MYHERITAGE’

Help your mother learn her ethnic origins or find living relatives by getting her a DNA test.

8. MAKE A GENERATIONS PHOTO

Look for pictures of the female line in your family as far back as you can. Buy a frame that will hold that many photos. The frame can be circular, up and down or side ways. Put the pictures in the frame in the following order: your mother, her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother and so on. It can be just your mother and her mother or it can go back for many generations.

9. CREATE A PIECE OF ART

Paint, draw, or sculpt a significant event, person or place from your mother’s life.

10. WRITE A POEM OR SONG

Write a poem or song about your mother. It can be about her, her life, a significant story, her character, or her impact on you.

5 Ways to Incorporate Family History Naturally at Home

Guest Post by Stacy Clarkson

1. ACTIVITIES

When possible, go places your ancestors lived. Visit their hometown, their old house, and their old school. If you can’t go to those places, then try activities your ancestors enjoyed. Go swimming to celebrate your grandma who loved to swim. Teach your kids the old school yard games of jacks, marbles, jump rope, or hopscotch. Play stickball. The possibilities here are endless. One time we ate a picnic lunch while watching a crane build a skyscraper. While we watched, I told the kids about my great grandfather who was a crane operator in Chicago and how much he loved his job.  

2. FOOD

Try recipes from a country of origin of your ancestors. While you are eating the meal, tell your kids about your ancestor who probably ate something like this in the “olde” country. Real family recipes, handed down through the generations, further personalize this idea. This is also a great way to get kids to try different foods. For example, my great grandfather loved peach cobbler. This wasn’t a regular dessert in our home, but when I made it and told the kids about this Grandpa - who was mayor in a small town that was known for its peaches - they were so much more interested and willing to try.  

3. STORYTELLING

Bedtime stories of your ancestors are a great change of pace from “Hop on Pop.” (Bonus - if you tell the stories in your own words, instead of reading, because you can turn out the lights. Kids might fall asleep faster in the dark!) Start the story off with “Once Upon a Time,” and “in a kingdom far far away,” but finish it by telling them that this story really happened! Then tell them who the story was all about. A variation of this is reading an ancestors journal or history while on a long road trip. A captive audience is a great thing! 

4. HOLIDAYS

Personalize the holidays. Tell stories of the veterans in your family on Veterans or Memorial Day. Tell the romantic love stories of your ancestors on St. Valentine’s Day. Celebrate your Irish ancestors on St. Patrick’s Day. We have a patriot in our family tree who fought against the redcoats at Concord. We celebrate him and tell his story on the 4th of July. This doesn’t have to be a major production. You can just tell the story around the breakfast table or while driving to the fireworks. It will be so much more meaningful when they put that potted mum on a gravestone if they know something about that person.   

5. TEACHING MOMENTS

Take advantage of teaching moments that come along. If you know your family history, these stories can come to your mind and you will be able to share them with your kids when the moment is right. These stories can give your children a sense of identity, personal value, and courage. Using the right stories at the right time can encourage your children to get through tough times - just like their ancestors did. When a child of mine was struggling to change a bad habit, I told her about my grandmother who entered rehab after struggling with alcoholism for more than 40 years. I was even able to give her one of grandma’s AA tokens to remind her and give her courage. But, those teaching moments don’t only come during times of crisis. They are everywhere. Whenever we are stopped at a train crossing, I love to share the story of my grandfather. He traveled by cattle car to get to another state during the Great Depression. He had a scholarship for medical school but no money for travel expenses. I also remind them of this story when they complain about how hard school is. It is our family’s version of walking uphill in the snow to and from school! 

I am afraid that sometimes we think that involving our family in family history has to be time consuming and exhausting. If we think that way we are far less likely to do it. And that would be sad indeed. 

Stacy Clarkson is mother to 6 and grandma to many. She has enjoyed family history her whole life. Her mother was an anthropologist by trade. Her love of peoples and cultures began at home as her mother shared stories and memories of her ancestors. Stacy finds great joy in keeping her family narratives alive.

Fun Family History Activities for Tweens and Teens at Home

by Shenley Puterbaugh

TWEENS AND TEENS ARE DEFINITELY NOT MEANT TO DO SOCIAL DISTANCING! Since they are at home and getting antsy, we are providing you with 2 INCREDIBLE RESOURCES that will provide TONS OF EXCITING ACTIVITIES to do on a computer, tablet or phone that will give them HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT. When you combine these two resources, you have the jackpot of exciting family history activities! And best of all, these are family history activities that can be done individually, with siblings, or as a family. 

Begin by getting them signed up with their own FREE account on FamilySearch. Next they will need to create a basic family tree. The more information they put onto their tree, the more fun the activities will be. Once their family tree is created go to the BYU Family History Technology Lab. Once you choose one of the following activities, login with your FamilySearch account and the information from your tree will be used to generate these games!

1. BYU FAMILY HISTORY TECHNOLOGY LAB

WHEEL OF FAMILY FORTUNE

This is a Wheel of Fortune game staring your family. Select the number of players, and start spinning the wheel to see if you can identify that ancestor first.

ANCESTOR GAMES

Crosswords, Word Search, Matching, Word Scramble, Coloring Sheets All of these games are created with names or photos of your ancestors! The coloring sheets are especially amazing because they can turn your picture, a family member or an ancestor’s photo into a coloring sheet! 

RELATIVE FINDER

See how you are related to astronauts, authors and poets, constitution signers, entertainers, European royalty, famous Americans, movie stars, sports figures, US presidents, inventors, prominent business leaders, Mayflower passengers, etc. Tweens and teens will love discovering who they are related to and will have something exciting to share with their friends!

GENEOPARDY

A fun Jeopardy game turned Geneopardy. Questions are formulated using information from your family tree. Select the number of teams and how many generations back you want to include in the game. And voila, your family has a personalized Geneopardy game.

FAMILY CALENDAR

A calendar of your family and ancestors is automatically generated. Choose to include 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 generations. You can choose one or all of the following dates to include on the calendar: births, deaths, marriages, etc. You can even export the calendar and save it.    

PEDIGREE PIE

See your family tree in an easy-to-read chart that shows your international heritage. The chart has a color code based on what country your ancestors lived and tells you what percent of your ancestors are from each country! 

The FamilyTree App also syncs with FamilySearch. Here is what it has to offer:

2. FAMILYTREE APP

MAP MY ANCESTORS 

See a map of the world dotted with locations where events took place in your ancestors life! Click on the dots and see which ancestor was their and what took place. This may inspire them to want to plan future trips to those locations.

UPLOAD PHOTOS

Do you have boxes of new or old photos that they can make digital? Have them scan or take pictures of old photos or upload newer photos to the individual profiles of living or deceased relatives.   

AUDIO RECORD MEMORIES

When a photo is uploaded to a profile, audio record a memory to go with that photo. This can be done for photos of themselves or photos of living relatives or ancestors. They can tell the what was happening in the photo in their own words and it will be preserved. (Recordings and photos for living people are kept private and whoever uploads or records will only see them on their own account.) 

RESEARCH

Expand your family tree by searching for ancestors in digitized records. Attach the sources to the profile of the ancestor. When researching, be sure that it is really YOUR ancestor in the document, before adding them to your tree.

We hope you enjoy these resources and have a great time getting your tweens and teens inspired to love family history!

Time Sensitive Family History

by Shenley Puterbaugh

“I wish I would have asked, but now it’s too late….” These words were spoken with solemnity by my grandpa and have echoed in my mind ever since. I asked him questions about his parents and grandparents that he didn’t know the answer to and there was no way to find out.  

Are there questions that you want to ask your loved ones before it’s too late? It is easy to think they will be around for awhile but then they are gone and you never made it a priority to ask. 

DON’T LET IT BE TOO LATE!

Every time a family member dies, a library of knowledge is gone and you can’t get it back. It is possible to do research to find some of the pieces but you will never have the whole story. When you ask in person and hear their tone of voice and find out the details, the deeper meaning is conveyed and the stories become a more meaningful part of your family narrative. Stories from your loved ones can be treasures to you, your family and your posterity for many generations.  

Decide now to interview a family member. Pick up the phone and call. Ask questions. If now won’t work then schedule a time to interview them. You will not regret it.

OPTIONS FOR INTERVIEWING

Record phone conversations - There are apps such as ACR that allow you to record the audio of phone conversations so the stories shared over the phone can be kept digitally.

Do an In-person interview - For more tips and suggestions for doing an in-person interview, click here and scroll to the bottom!

Hire a company to do the interview for you - You can hire people to do interviews for you and they will compile and edit as well.

Hygge and Family History

by Shenley Puterbaugh

One of my favorite memories as a child is when I would pull my child sized rocking chair over to the window in my bedroom, wrap myself in the quilt my mom made for me and watching the snow fall. 

I have always loved camping, roasting marshmallows, sitting by the fire, sipping hot cocoa, wearing comfy slippers, spending time with family and good friends and all things hygge, but I didn’t even hear this word until recently.

Hygge (pronounced HOO-GA) is a Danish word that engenders a feeling of coziness, comfort and contentment. It is a defining characteristic of Danish culture. Well, guess what, I am Danish! My great grandfather immigrated with his parents and sister from Denmark and I have been fascinated with their story. For the past 7 years I have had a deep desire to go on a family history trip to Denmark to learn more about the culture and my Danish family. Even though I haven’t had the opportunity to go yet, learning about hygge has brought me a little closer to my Danish heritage and has inspired me to dig deeper into the lives of my ancestors. When I learned about hygge, I couldn’t help thinking that I had finally found a word that describes all the things that I love! And now I better understand why I love all of these things, because it is in my blood! Now my desire to learn about the Danish culture and do family history on that side has been fueled even more.

My first interaction with someone from Denmark was 5 years ago. I had noticed that my Danish line only went back as far as my great-great grandparents who immigrated to the United States. While I was doing research on ancestry.com trying to find the next generation, I messaged someone who I believed I was related to and who lived in Denmark. She informed me that she was not a relative but offered to look into it for me. A few weeks later I was shocked when she messaged me with a tree she had compiled with hundreds of names of my ancestors from Denmark. She had spent many, many hours over a few weeks doing research for no other reason than to be nice to a complete stranger. I am so grateful for her generosity and sacrifice of time. Because I had known nothing about the Danish language, I would have really struggled to find what she gave to me. This was a very hyggelig thing to do. Hopefully when I do go to Denmark, I can meet her and say thank you in person.

Since learning about hygge, I have used this word a lot and become even more enamored with all things hygge. For Christmas this year I felt like a kid again when I opened my husband’s gift to me. He gave me a ‘box of hygge’! It included a thermos for hot cocoa, a book about hygge and the most hygge socks I have ever seen! I have loved reading the book and learning more about hygge and why Danes are ranked the happiest people in the world.  

In the mean time, as I plan my trip to Denmark, I will keeping doing what I have always done, try to create hygge experiences for myself and my family. Now I have an even great motivation to look for ways to hygge; it’s part of my family history and my heritage. When my children are watching a movie, I go over and cover them with a comfy blanket. I am rewarded by a look of gratitude and coziness from them. When we are eating dinner, we spend more time chatting and laughing at the dinner table instead of getting up to do the dishes right away. When we come inside from sledding or skiing, we ALWAYS snuggle and drink hot cocoa. Learning about hygge has enriched my life and my family and best of all, I get to say this amazing word all the time!

The Biggest Family History Conference in the World!

by Shenley Puterbaugh

RootsTech is only one month away and I can’t wait to go and be inspired! It is the biggest family history conference in the world and this year will be extra special! It is RootsTech’s 10th anniversary and CHILDREN ARE INVITED for Saturday’s Family Discovery Day! RootsTech will be

February 26-29, 2020

at the

Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah

When I come home from RootsTech I am sooooo inspired and have so many ideas to do and products to try! I love sharing my excitement with my children. I can’t wait to take them this year so they can be inspire in person! Hopefully I can share my excitement with you too!

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT ROOTS TECH

1. Keynote Speakers

This year the keynote speakers will be Emmitt Smith, David Kennerly, Leigh Anne Toughy and Ryan Hamilton. They will share incredible and inspiring stories and you will have the opportunity to get in line to meet them afterwards. Last year I met Saroo Brierley, author A Long Way Home and boy from the movie LION. While he was speaking not a single eye was dry. Ok, maybe there were a few but definitely not mine! I can’t wait to here the keynotes this year. Emmitt Smith will be speaking on Family Discovery Day so bring your children to see a former professional football player talk about family history!

2. Breakout Sessions

There will be over 300 breakout sessions. You can choose classes about family history tools, stories, DNA, photos, organizing, researching, etc. Choose according to your interests! You are guaranteed to find classes that you will love!

3. Relatives Around Me

With the Roots Tech App, you can link your family tree. You can discover what RootsTech attendees you are related to! Last year I messaged a few of the closer relatives and I had the opportunity to meet 3 relatives! I loved being able to unexpectedly meet a relative and see what stories and information they had on our family that I didn’t have.

4. Expo Hall

The expo hall is gigantic and interactive and full of booths with the latest and greatest family history products. There are hundreds of vendors and lots of demonstrations.

5. Heirloom Show-and-Tell

Last year I was able to bring pictures of my family heirlooms and experts told me all about them, even things I didn’t know! The knowledge they shared went beyond the stories my family have told me about the heirlooms and gives historical context. You can even bring the heirloom. Now I know more that I can tell my children about the heirlooms that they see displayed in our home.

6. Trace Coaches Corner

Trace.com offers free one-on-one mentoring with a professional genealogist. Bring your dead end or research question and they will guide you or help you find the answer!

7. Family History Library

Right across from the conference center is the Family History Library. It is the biggest family history library in the world! They have “fun and engaging discovery experiences for the whole family” as well as “records and genealogical data for over 3 billion deceased ancestors from around the globe.” It is an incredible place to be inspired and do research. Children can participate in the interactive activities located on the first floor. Each floor of the library covers a specific area of the world and there are specialists that have experience with research in those area.

8. Family Discovery Day

Saturday is Family Discovery Day and is free for families (registration is required but free). They have special activities, events, games, performances, speakers and classes to inspire children and families to discover, gather and connect with each other and their ancestors. This year Emmitt Smith will be the keynote speaker on Discovery Day. Your children are sure to be inspired to love family history by attending this special day!

Attending Roots Tech is an amazing experience. I highly recommend that you go if you have the opportunity. You will leave inspired and have so many ideas to share with your children. And even better, you can bring your children to Discovery Day and have them feel the excitement and be inspired themselves! If you don’t have the opportunity to attend, you can purchase a Virtual Pass that gives you online access to watch many of the session!

To learn more about RootsTech or to register click here!

Common Reasons Why People Don't Do Family History

by Shenley Puterbaugh

There are many, many, many benefits of doing family history for all ages. As you can read about here:

Of course you want your children and family to experience these benefits but there are concerns that may prevent you from doing family history or even starting! Let’s address 6 of the most common concerns!

1.

I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!

If you are just beginning to do family history start by diagraming a family tree. Familysearch.org or Ancestry.com are great websites to help you build a tree or you can begin simply with a pen and paper. Start with what you know such as names, dates and locations, then ask family members what you don’t know. If your tree has already been diagrammed then choose an idea, but keep it simple and choose something that you would really enjoy.

2. I DON’T HAVE TIME!

Many people think family history takes a lot of time but does anyone really have extra time? Most of us have never ending to-do lists so adding just one more thing can feel overwhelming! The wonderful reality is that family history does not have to take a lot of time. Some people choose to spend a lot of time on it, but you don’t have to! By just spending a few minutes every once in a while you and your family can reap the benefits! Begin by setting aside 5-10 minutes and remember, the benefits are worth it! You can even think of something that is a time waster for you and trade it for family history. Someone chose to give up playing a game on their phone and replaced it with doing family history. The benefits of doing family history far outweigh the benefits of so many other activities.

3. THERE IS TOO MUCH DRAMA IN MY FAMILY!

I don’t know any family that doesn’t have drama but there are definitely some that have more than others. If the family drama is current you may find that by doing family history healing takes place in your heart and in your home. But even if nothing changes for your family, their may be changes for you. IF the family drama took place among ancestors, remember, benefits come from learning both positive AND negative family stories. It may seem natural to avoid stories of failure and setbacks but they are important to your family narrative. A true family narrative includes successes and failures. From successes we can feel inspired and empowered. From failures we can learn what not to do, how they made it through and overcame setbacks, and that things eventually get better. All of these lessons are important.

4. I AM ADOPTED!

What a blessing! You may have two families to learn about and benefit from. Your birth family is the family that you know the best and primarily influenced you. The way the parents who adopted you were raised and influenced by their ancestors affects you and how you were raised. Understanding their culture will help you understand your own culture. From your birth family you can understand more about your birth family, your physical features and natural abilities. If you don’t know your birth family and you want to, doing a DNA test may help you make a connection. Choose to learn about either family or both. Start with where you are most comfortable. There can be growth and understanding from either of these directions.

5. ALL OF MY FAMILY HISTORY HAS BEEN DONE!

I have heard this one sooooooo many times! And every time I think the same thing. You can never be done! Family history does not just involve putting together a family tree, which may have been done. There’s always more to learn about your family and ways to become more interested. You may find that recording living relatives stories has not been done or piecing together the story of an ancestor through records and documents. You can also share what has been discovered with those that have not yet learned about their ancestors whether it’s your children, parents or extended family. Family history is not just building a family tree, it is getting to know your ancestors, learning from them and passing it on to the next generation!

Have you recorded your personal history? That is an important part of your family history that you can do better than anyone else. If you don’t, your posterity will be left to piece your life together. Leaving details for your children and posterity will make your story so much richer and accurate!

6. I DON’T KNOW ANY OR MANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS!

You don’t have to! Learn what you can from the people you do know but with so many resources readily available, knowing family members is not required to do family history. The internet is an amazing resource. You can search and find many records and piece information together. You will become a detective and discover information and solve mysteries.

Now that your concern has been addressed pick something that is of interest to you and dive in! Here are some ideas that can get you started!

If your reason for not doing family history was not addressed, comment below with your reason!

WHAT PREVENTS YOU FROM DOING FAMILY HISTORY?

Comment Below!

Why should children learn their family history?

by Shenley Puterbaugh

You have most likely heard a family story or two from relatives. Whether they interest you or not these stories are important to learn and can have a significantly positive affect on your children and your posterity. Why is that? 

Over the last few decades, research has been done by Emory University, the University of Wyoming and Princeton University to show the many benefits of learning and knowing your family history. The results have been fascinating!

 In a New York Times article, the author concluded:

“The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.”

— Bruce Feiler, "The Stories That Bind Us," New York Times, March 2013

What is a family narrative? Rakesh Maurya, a researcher at the University of Wyoming specializing in narrative psychology, defines a family narrative as “the way through which children and adolescents connect across generations to create self-identity. By anchoring oneself in family history, one develops a sense of place and security that may facilitate self-confidence and self-competence”  (Rakesh Kumar Maurya, “Use of Family Narratives as a Tool of Effective Parenting,” The International Journal of Indian Psychology, Jan. 2016, 146).

A family narrative comes from learning about ancestors and their stories. Some people piece their stories together through documents and research but others are able to hear personal and family stories from people they know. Maurya said, “A personal experience/remembrance when told and retold takes the form of a story which makes it more meaningful both for the narrator as well as the listener. Also, family stories integrate other family members’ experiences making it more meaningful for the whole family. Another function of family narratives is to organize family experiences into meaningful content and use that knowledge to better prepare for future challenges. In fact, they work as a bridge between the past and the future. Family stories are a key tool for transmitting values, experiences, traditions and important life lessons to current or future generations” (Rakesh Maurya, Use of Family Narratives as a Tool of Effective Parenting, The International Journal of Indian Psychology, Jan. 2016, 148). Dr. Robyn Fivush and Natalie Merrill of Emory University state, “narratives of others, especially family members, also become part of our own autobiography and guide our personal future…. As others tell us their experiences, we understand our own experiences in new ways as well, using others’ stories as frames” (“An ecological systems approach to family narratives,” Memory Studies, Vol 9 [3], [2016], 306).

Psychologist Dr. Marshall Duke of Emory University shared that his wife, Sara, also a psychologist, who works with children with learning disabilities, observed that those who know a lot about their families generally do better when facing challenges. Dr. Duke and Dr. Fivush decided to test her hypothesis and created the “Do You Know?” scale consisting of 20 questions asked to children. Among the questions are:

• Do you know where your grandparents grew up?

• Do you know where your mom and dad went to high school?

• Do you know where your parents met?

• Do you know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family?

• Do you know the story of your birth?

These questions were asked to 48 families during the summer of 2001 and many of their conversations during dinner were recorded. “They then compared the children’s results to a battery of psychological tests the children had taken and reached an overwhelming conclusion:

“The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned”

— Bruce Feiler, "The Stories That Bind Us," New York Times, March 2013

Two months later Dr. Duke and Dr. Fivush were stunned with the rest of the world by the terrorist attacks of September 11. This event had not directly affected the families they had studied but they “experienced the same national trauma at the same time.” Duke and Fivush decided to reassess the children. They concluded that “the ones who knew more about their families proved to be more resilient, meaning they could moderate the effects of stress.” Learning about their family helps children overcome small challenges as well as traumatic events. Dr. Duke explained that this had to do “with a child’s sense of being part of a larger family…. children who have the most self-confidence have…. a strong ‘intergenerational self.’ They know they belong to something bigger than themselves” (Bruce Feiler, “The Stories That Bind Us,” New York Times, Mar. 2013). Dr. Fivush also claimed, “Adolescents who know more family history show higher self-esteem, lower levels of behavior problems, such as withdrawal and aggression, higher sense of self-efficacy, and a more differentiated sense of self” (“Family Narratives,” https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/familynarrativeslab/family-narratives/, Apr. 2019).

“Family stories…when told and retold become a part of family narratives and play an important role in shaping personality and self of family members” (Rakesh Maurya, “Use of Family Narratives as a Tool of Effective Parenting,” The International Journal of Indian Psychology, Jan. 2016, 147). A strong family narrative coming from family history also results in resilience. Michael Graziano, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University says, “Successful families often have examples of resilience — stories of obstacles faced and conquered together — woven through the family narrative” (“Tapping Into Strengths,” Psychotherapy Networker Magazine, May/Jun. 2008, 21).  

“If you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come”

— Bruce Feiler, "The Stories That Bind Us," New York Times, March 2013

All of these benefits can help your children now and for the rest of their lives. These benefits can also be passed to your posterity. You will also benefit as you learn these stories and share them. If you and your children have these benefits when facing the trials that you and they will undoubtedly face, you will be much better prepared to weather the storms of life. Imagine the strength you and they can feel and the strength that can come to your family. Now, what are you going to do about it?