Join Crista Cowan, Ancestry Corporate Genealogist, as she focuses on transforming factual genealogy findings into rich, engaging family stories. Given that October is National Family History Month and precedes the U.S. Thanksgiving and winter holidays, the timing is perfect for organizing research so that family history researchers have more to talk about and more to share when family members gather. The goal of this event is shifting focus from simply filling in a pedigree chart to discovering the stories of ancestors whose choices led to who and where the researcher is today.
The virtual event was formatted a little differently than normal, focusing heavily on interactive conversation and practical application. One key insight from the event was adding context to records by researching what was happening in the world and community at the time an ancestor lived. To collect stories during holiday gatherings Crista encouraged brainstorming specific questions, such as "Tell me the story of how you met your partner?" or "What did you want to be when you grew up?". Attendees were encouraged to bring physical records, like census documents, passenger lists, or photo albums, to gatherings to spark memories and conversations. Finally, participants were advised to use the post-holiday momentum to clean up their trees, link their DNA results (anticipating an influx of new matches from holiday gift kits), and immediately input collected information into the family tree; including adding data as facts, uploading audio files and photos to the gallery feature, and tagging all relevant individuals to ensure the stories are preserved for the next generation.
Chapters:
- Introduction: The Power of Story and Connection
- Turning Facts into Narrative & Historical Context
- Invitation: Your Family's Role in the America 250 Story
- Collecting Stories: Brainstorming Conversation Questions
- Post-Gathering: Organizing and Preserving Stories on Ancestry
Start your holiday preparation now: organize your tree, brainstorm questions, and use Ancestry's gallery feature to preserve the stories that live in us!