FHF

Do you ever wish your kids were more interested in family history? Do you think, they'll probably enjoy learning about some of the intriguing and fascinating ancestors more than 'boring farmer'? Do your children not show an active interest in genealogy? I feel strongly that: Think of the music that your parents shared with you from their growing up years. I know almost all the songs from musicals (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singing in the Rain, and South Pacific) thanks to my mother. I also am familiar with the music of Elvis, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, and The Blood, Sweat, and Tears thanks to my mother. Why? I was interested in my mom and therefore interested in her past. I am not an OSU Buckeye Fan, however I was interested in my mother so I learned a lot about the Buckeyes. (Still not a fan, but I can appreciate Brutus). So, step one - get your children interested in you and your past. If you're a grandparent,    get your grandchildren interested in you. Ge...

It's Family History Month in the United States, and we are reflecting on our travels to genealogy conferences, to in particular - Southern California and Family Roots Conferences. Let me share some of the highs and lows of traveling, so when you prepare for your next conference later this year or next, you'll find ways to mitigate the issues, if necessary. Flying for me is very difficult because of my battle with motion sickness.  Tips for Flying If You Battle Motion Sickness:  I have battled motion sickness while flying  for many years. I also have issues when I'm not the driver of a vehicle. Andy once treated me to a personal airplane flight. I lost my lunch on the landing, and there were no barf bags. It's not pretty. Since that embarrassing trip and a follow-up when I traveled with my daughter to my cousin's graduation, I've attempted to discover ways to combat motion sickness without taking a medicine that makes me loopy.  Here's my unscientific discove...

To celebrate Family History Month, Andy and I are reflecting on some of this year's conferences we've attended. Most especially, we're focusing on volunteering at genealogy conferences. Andy and I have planned two local genealogy conferences that attracted over 100 folks to a one-day event. We'd also served as volunteers at several local family history conferences in Iowa and Texas. I volunteered to help the registration desk at the Texas State Genealogical Society Conference, the first 'major' conference she ever attended. We know how important a staff of volunteer is to a conference. No matter the shortcomings of a conference in terms of planning and speakers, volunteers are the boots on the ground crew that can turn a positive experience rotten and a poorly planned conference into a better than rotten experience. In most cases, Andy and I are unable to be volunteers at conferences that we travel to because our business is still small and we have to focus on c...

It's Family History Month and we should take a moment to celebrate our Genealogy Super Powers I'm curious. Which of the following skills do you most identify with? All of these skills help you be a fantastic genealogist, but sometimes we have more natural tendencies that impact our research style. This post is meant for your consideration and then to actively share one of these images on Twitter  or Instagram . Add the @FHFanatics account tag #MyGenealogySuperPower for the hashtag.  Feel free to share more than one if you can't select the one best fit. The following images in this table are suitable for sharing on Instagram . SKEPTICISM You doubt the validlty of everything you are told. You question every documents you read or fact you hear. You are hesistant to use terms like 'confirms' or 'proves' when there is even a remote possibilty that a plausible alternative to a fact exists CURIOSITY You enjoy exploring mysteries and things you do not know....