Family History Project

When I was 17, my grandfather passed away, leaving a partial autobiography of his life in a Colorado gold-mining town. It was so interesting that I decided to finish the story. The project grew to include my other grandparents and relatives, as I became more and more fascinated with my history and heritage. Eventually, I compiled my work into a book and gave it to every individual relative as a Christmas gift. Everyone in our widely dispersed family enjoyed the results. The renewal of communication led to a real sense of love, unity and appreciation. I discovered a lot about myself and history "came alive" with real people and personal meaning.

Roots was produced and aired soon after I finished my book. Alex Haley has this to say about the value of Family History to elementary students:

Family history moves students because it gives them a sense of self, a sense of dignity, a sense of worth and a sense of belonging. It helps them understand who they are. . . .

There is no need to do formal genealogy in order to have a valuable experience learning about family history. Memories and stories from grandparents and older relatives may be a lot more interesting than dry statistics.

These activities will hopefully encourage children to record their own life stories for their descendants some day!

There is no need to do all the activities. Choose what appeals to you!

Listed below are the contents of the attached PDF booklet: Family History Project

Getting Started
Home Sources of Family Information
What's in a Name?
Your Birthday in History
Personal Time Lines
Birthday Time Capsule
Your Own Scrap Book
Family Address File
Family Map
Relatives Map
Research Project
Music in Family History
Old Family Recipes
Language
Hobbies and Skills
Interviewing
Sample Story: George Washington's Bodyguard
Sample Story: Great-Grandpa Wilson Lived in the Gay 90s