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Psst… Secrets of Happy Families Include Family History
In an exclusive interview with Lisa Louise Cooke, Bruce Feiler shares a family history tip from his book, The Secrets of Happy Families.
Family History Leads to Happy Families
At RootsTech 2016, Lisa Louise Cooke had a chance to sit down and chat with New York Times columnist Bruce Feiler. Their topic: how family history can actually help today’s children and families be happier.
The insight comes from Feiler’s new book, The Secrets of Happy Families. As part of his research, he interviewed successful people from all walks of life about how they ran their families. The tips he reports are sometimes surprising, but one rings particularly true for genealogists: teach kids their family history.
Watch the video interview below to see how including old family stories can build more resilient children and stronger family cultures today.
More Ways to Share Family History with Kids
Are you suddenly looking for fun, inspiring ways to share family history with kids? You may enjoy the following articles on the Genealogy Gems blog:
- How to Share Family History with the Non-Genealogists in Your Family (including Kids)–Free video preview
- Family History for Kids Starts WITH the Kids’ Own Lives
- Genealogy Game “Family House” App for iPhone and iPad
P.S. When Lisa posted the above video on the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel, she noticed that the channel now has 5000 subscribers and over 300,000 views. Click here to see why so many are tuning in!
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!
Celebrity Connection! Family Look-Alike Photos
Check out these celebrity cousin look-alike photos! A distant cousin of Katherine Hepburn compares photos with fun results.
Last fall, I blogged about a web app that uses facial recognition software to compare how closely two faces “match.” Since then, several people have sent in their own family look-alike photos. Here’s one with a new twist: a celebrity look-alike!
Celebrity Cousin Look-Alike Photos
Lydia wrote in with this: “I’ve had fun with the Twins or Not? app and here are some of my results. A bit over a year ago I broke down a brick wall and found Katherine Hepburn on the other side as a fifth cousin. Well, I do have strong cheekbones so I plugged in some of my photos and compared them to Hepburn’s. Here’s what I got!
In the first pic [shown right] you’ll find Leman Garlinghouse, Hepburn’s great grandfather, and my great-great grandfather, Tyler McWhorter. The two men were second cousins via the Garlinghouse family line. Leman Garlinghouse’s daughter married a Houghton man in the early 1850s and their daughter was Carrie Houghton, who grew up to be Katherine Hepburn’s mother. One doesn’t need photo comparison app to tell they were related!
The next one is one of my (old!) theatrical headshots and one of Hepburn:
Pretty cool, eh?”
I agree with Lydia! That’s pretty cool. You can find mobile apps that do this in the Google Play store and in iTunes. What a great way to spark interest in the look-alikes in YOUR family history at your next family gathering! Especially great for kids. (Just have some old family photos available on your mobile device to upload and compare with shots you can snap of living relatives.)
Remember that your mobile device can be your best go-to resource for genealogy-on-the-go. Use it to access your family tree, digitize a photo or document on the fly or share your latest find with a loved one. Learn how in my new book, Mobile Genealogy: How to Use Your Tablet and Smartphone for Family History Research.
More Apps for Family History
5 Free Family History Apps You Should Have
MyHeritage.com App Gets a Redesign
Record a Life Story: Free StoryCorps App
We Dig These Gems: New Genealogy Records Online
Here’s our weekly roundup of new genealogy records online. Do you see any that may pertain to your ancestors?
ALABAMA CIVIL APPOINTMENTS. A new database of civil servants appointed in Alabama (1818-1939) is now searchable at Ancestry.com. You’ll find name, county, precinct, office held, date of appointment/commission/election and the source in the browsable images of the original card file collection.
ENGLAND (DEVON) CHURCH RECORDS. FamilySearch has published a new collection of nearly 100,000 digital images and a quarter million indexed names from bishop’s transcripts (1558-1887) for Devon (also known as Devonshire), England. The records include baptisms, marriages and burials. According to FamilySearch, “Bishop’s transcripts are copies of parish registers that were sent to the bishops every month. They are extremely valuable when parish records have been damaged or destroyed.”
IRISH STATISTICAL SURVEYS. Findmypast has published a fascinating collection of statistical surveys by the Royal Dublin Society. According to Findmypast, “The Society began to conduct such surveys in at the start of the 1800s with the aim of accurately portraying the realities of life in each county, particularly concerning its history, agricultural practices, politics, customs, and religion. The reports represented the first serious effort to capture and present such data;…they offer solid and consistent information.” Data are available for 10 counties. Click here for more detailed information on exploring these surveys. A new related collection is statistical reports pertaining to Irish censuses since the mid-1800s, also at Findmypast.
KENTUCKY WILLS/PROBATE. Ancestry.com has updated its collection of Kentucky wills and probate records, which spans more than 200 years (1774-1989). Several different kinds of estate-related documents may be included in this collection.
Looking for other new genealogy records online? Click here to see our recent blog posts with MORE great records online.
