Who's Asleep in Your Family TREE?
When I was young
I loved to climb trees. I had no trouble climbing up. There was only
one problem, going down was a different story. Have you ever been
climbing something and your legs and feet start uncontrollably
shaking? Well that was one of the problems. There was another
problem I don't like heights. My older sister usually had to come
rescue me. She did not like the job.
How does that
apply to a family tree? I still like climbing trees but now they are
not the kind that are outside. My trees of choice are now climbed
with my mind and paper or on the computer. I can still get lost up in
the lofty branches and not quite know how to get down.
I
suspect many people have an interest in seeing who or what is in
their family tree. You might have various reasons why, but many avoid
the thought because they don't know how to get up or down the tree.
Here are some of the reasons I have heard.
- I don't have time
- Aunt so and so has done it all
- I don't know where to start
- What if there are bad things I might find out.
- I will do that when I'm old and have nothing else to do.
- I don't know how to use the computer or internet.
These
are just a few reasons I've heard. I seem to hear a lot of things
being torn down and avoided or made impossible with negative thoughts
or obstacles. The truth is a lot of those are mirages. Many families
are fragmented and live far apart or are too busy. Learning how to
climb this family tree can bring families back together and gain a
better sense of direction of how to navigate the world we now live
in. It can bridge the generational gap. All ages can do this and have
fun doing it. The young are technical giants. Older people know more
about the past and are good at bridging the gap. They were there and
knew the people, the younger generations have no memory of.
Here is the
truth. much of the work is done for you and there is a lot of help
along the way.
Here
are some of my favorite helps
This
is a site I use all the time. There are a billion records to look
for people.
It's
a way to build your tree and have help from others. Share pictures
and stories and much much more. It is free and protects your data
and pictures from loss and disaster. There are helps and videos to
learn how, etc. There is a new help in the Family tree. They do
some of the work for you and give you hints of records that might
apply to the person you are looking for. You can get to this feature
two ways from the person page or decendancy tree view
This
site has a app where you can help others find grave sites and
connect them with Family Search family tree. You can also search and
connect your own family sites and pictures of headstones. Just with
a click of a mouse.
This site has an
app that will let you connect any information you find on the web to
your family tree and write out the source data for you. Then you can
connect it to your tree so others can find the path that helped you.
You can also connect any documents or pictures you might have in your
family so others can see them and have easy access to them. This app
is called Tree connect. It is also a free site.
vimeo.com/58752542
This is a link to a video on how to use this and get it on your
computer or other device.
This
site has much information on grave sites and sometimes information
of how members of that family connect.
A
great way to share your pictures and stories and connect with
family.
Endless
source of information Books etc.
-
Find out just about anything!
I
will give you an example of something I found this week.
While
on family search I found the Draft record of my father and his
brother.
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Jacob
on the left Henry sitting
The
form listed where they worked at the time. I learned that they both
worked at the same logging company. (Big Creek Logging Co.). Growing
up Dad often told us a story of how his brother was injured in the
camp with a rigging hook, and how he cleaned out the wound and then
fainted. Now I have the time and place of this story and proof of the
information. Then I Googled the name of the company and found out
there is a restaurant called Camp 18,
CAMP
18's BEAUTIFUL
RESTAURANT & GIFT SHOP
ELSIE,
OREGON
built
by two men who worked in those camps. One of them was a rigging
boss. That was Dad's brothers job description. At the restaurant
there are relics from the camps and pictures. I am hoping to go there
this summer with some family members and reminisce about this time in
our father and uncles lives. They are both dead so we could not ask
these questions. All this from one little draft card record.
It's all about
building memories and a sense of belonging in this fast- paced world
we live in. We can build a tree one piece at a time and unite the
world and your place in it.
