What gift would your family appreciate most this Christmas? The gift of your family history! This is a great chance to begin recording your family tree; if you have not done any research up till now, you will just have enough time to record the basics. But that is a wonderful beginning, and ongoing research can then be a family project into the new year!
Now is the time to begin! Begin with what you know: starting with your current family, go back and record grandparents and then great-grandparents. If possible, write down maiden names, and birth and death dates. Write down where they came from and where they lived. Talk to your oldest family members, aunts and uncles, and write down any and all information they have to share. If you have a stack of old family photos that no can identify, take them along and see if Auntie or Uncle might know who they are.
When you feel ready to begin searching online, the first and best archive any genealogist should explore is the Library and Archives Canada site at www.bac-lac.gc.ca When you have logged on to this site and are on the home page, click on “Genealogy and Family History” at the left hand side of the page. This comprehensive site has everything you need to get started, including an entire section on “How To Begin” and “what to do first” if you are starting to research your family, including how to make pedigree and family charts. This site will tell you how to organize and save your data, whether you are using the computer or organizing papers and photographs manually.
Be realistic about what you can get done before Christmas; you likely won’t finish your entire family tree, but just making the start and recording your data in a nice journal or binder will be a gift that will keep on giving as your work continues.
In keeping with Christmas, write down special holiday memories that have been talked about in the family. Write down special traditions, special foods, or memories like Grandma and Grandpa going to Midnight Mass by sleigh in a wild blizzard; or the time when almost every relative gathered at Auntie’s home on Christmas Day and there was barely room to stand; or how Uncle used to drive all the cousins for a sleigh ride in the old cutter. Maybe your memories are more contemporary, like having a family marathon of board games on Christmas Day; or having a “camp-out” with everyone sleeping by the Christmas tree one night between Christmas and New Year’s; or always making a special new dessert for the meal on Christmas Day! Whatever you write down, these memories will be cherished by your family in future years.
Looking through your research about your family will spark interesting discussion and questions, and that in itself is a very special gift indeed!
If you find that this project turns into an interest you want to pursue, the Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Yorkton Public Library. Meetings usually have a featured topic or speaker, and genealogists at any stage of research are welcome. Whether you are just beginning to trace your family tree or have been researching for a long time, you will find conversations and experiences that will help you on your family quest.
There is no better time to record your family history than right now. Every family has a story: discover yours with the Yorkton branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society.
