What is family history?

Genealogy or family history (easier to spell) is the #2 hobby in the world, topped only by gardening as #1. Millions of people are fascinated by searching for their ROOTS. Read my post about how October got designated "Family History month."

Finding out more than just your ancestor's names, dates and places is what makes family history fascinating. What kind of people were they? Any photos or histories available? What pressures were part of their daily living? Do we owe them a debt of gratitude for settling in America or for perservering and staying in their homeland? What occupations did they have? What was it like to be a mother or woman in those days? If they had a message to send to us-what would it be? (Answering these questions about your immediate ancestors could be the beginning of your family history record to leave for your family.)

Alex Haley, the Afro-American author of Roots (1977) had this to say..."in all of us is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage to know who we are and where we have come from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, and an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness..."

Most of us are lucky enough to have had experiences with our parents, grandparents and even some of our great grandparents. Our lives have been affected by their example whether negatively or positively. Will our great grandchildren know of their heritage––only if we preserve some kind of record telling them our life story and about their family history. Have you done that yet?

How well do you know your ROOTS?

Just a few questions to stimulate your interest in genealogy which is now called family history because no one could spell it correctly. Tell me about your:

1. Parents: Dad died in 1945, was a dispatcher on the railroad, loved photography, ham radio operating, fishing, hunting, flying and new adventures. My mom was a widow at age 28, worked as a telephone operator, loved traveling, dancing, playing the organ and her family.

2. Father's parents or your paternal grandparents: Grandpa Vernon was a railroad worker all his life, loved to hunt, fish, garden, read and have family visit. Auntie was my Grandma Vernon who felt too young to be called grandma when I came along-she was probably 40 or so, was a very hard worker, meticulous house keeper, excellent cook, loved to watch TV and do handwork. She became my babysitter after my Dad was killed in an airplane crash when I was five. We had many happy hours putting together puzzles. (My Vernon grandparents are standing by me in the photo below.)

3. Mother's parents or your maternal grandparents: My Grandpa Johnson died when my mom was 4 years old, he was a miner and died of stomach cancer-don't know much about him. My Grandmother Johnson babysat me after we moved in with her a year or so after my dad died. GMJ was fun to be with, happy, great cook, always had time to listen and play with me. (She's sitting in the photo on the right.)

4. Do you remember any of your great grandparents? Tell us about them. I knew two of my paternal great grandpas. One was a farmer Joseph Vernon and lived in rural Utah, he was a widower. The other was also a widower George Stevens and lived in Los Angeles. He had remarried and was very wealthy working in real estate. I only saw them a couple of times but have written about them in my family history webpage.