Do you have old family letters that really should be shared with loved ones, but you’re not sure how to go about doing it? You’re not alone. Jane wrote in recently with that very question. She came across my blog post6 Tips: How to Organize Your Family History while searching the web for ways to solve her own family history problem:
“Now that the grandchildren of my parents (long since deceased) are raising children of their own, I would like to share at least some of the 75 or so letters that my mother wrote to my dad in their first year of marriage, 1947. Her letters are filled with many of the same concerns that still plague new moms.”
Jane goes on to mention three options she’s considered:
“Scanning them, and then printing out the sheets into a spiral binder has some possibilities, but the chances of busy moms with young children sitting down to read such a tome seem minimal.
Taking just a few of the letters, and adding a photo (I have very few from that time period!) to make a little book (through Shutterfly or Picaboo or such) would be another idea. Although that doesn’t really do justice to the whole year of letters.
Emailing a transcription of one letter a week (for a year?) has also occurred to me, but I’m really not sure I know how to proceed.”
She concluded by asking me to direct her to anyplace on my website where can i buy malaria medication in india I’ve addressed a question like this. Here’s what I told her:
“If you are comfortable with the letters being public, I would recommend starting a blog and featuring a letter in each post. Our kids and grandkids are much more comfortable online and they can easily subscribe to your blog which can automatically email the posts to them. An added benefit of blogging is that other folks who might be related can find your family history content through Google search, perhaps helping you connect. I talk a lot about this on my free Genealogy Gems Podcast (at my site and in iTunes). I have a series of free videos at my Genealogy Gems YouTube channel that show you how to start a blog for free.
As for publishing small books through a service like Shutterfly or Lulu, I’ve also covered that on my website. Genealogy Gems Premium Members have access to three Premium episodes on the subject that include instructional videos:
Premium Episode 54: Publish Your Family History on Demand Part 3
Premium Episode 53: Publish Your Family History on Demand Part 2
Premium Episode 52: Publish Your Family History on Demand Part 1
Hopefully these resources can help you with your challenge, Jane, as well as any others who want to know how to organize old letters (or other precious family memorabilia) and share them.
I often hear people claim that genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies (or THE most popular hobby) in the world. Certainly from where I sit, I can see the
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industry is growing. More and more people are getting excited about exploring their roots.
Here’s an infographic sent to me by Zacary Spencer at the popular tech webiste TopTenReviews.com. He gathered data from several different sources buy medication from mexico (including the Genealogy Gems Podcast) that shows a thriving international interest!
Demand is high for Genealogy Gems free and premium content, as you can see by my stats:
Downloads in August 2013 alone: 72,458!
Free Podcasts: 160
Premium Podcasts: 102
Free Videos on our YouTube channel: over 75, and over 200,000 views
Premium Videos: 18
Apps: 3 (iOS, Android, Windows8)
The Real Genealogy Gems:YOU! Our thousands of listeners and viewers! THANK YOU!!
It has recently been announced that the love interest in the hit movie “Elf” and current star of the popular TV series “New Girl” (think “That Girl” 21st century style), Zooey Deschanel will appear in the next season of TLC’s reality television show Who Do you Think You Are.
According to Zooey Dechanel Online “The season premiere is set for July 23rd, though not sure when Zooey’s episode will air yet.” Zooey joins the growing list of celebrities signed up to star including Christina Applegate, Cindy Crawford, and Chris O’Donnell.
Even if you aren’t familiar with Zooey, I guarantee your kids are grandkids are. In addition to screen credits, she has a successful music career as part of the group She & Him, her latest album being Volume 3 – She & Him. If you grew up in the 50’s and 60’s you’ll likely enjoy her warm nostalgic vocals that feature a nod to icons like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, enveloped in a subtle “Spector Wall of Sound” feel. Take a listen for yourself in the following YouTube posting…
I can’t think of a better celeb choice for the reinvented #WDYTYA. She’ll draw the youth while capturing the hearts of the parents and grandparents, achieving a goal family historians so often strive for: bridging the generation gaps for the love of the family tree.
Do you think it’s complicated to remember the definition of a third cousin, or what it means to be twice removed? What if every relationship in the family had a different name? If there was one word to describe your paternal grandmother and another for your maternal grandmother? Different words for older and younger brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles? Apparently that’s the case for those with Chinese heritage! Whether you have Chinese roots or not, check out this video below and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Then, if you do have Chinese heritage, keep reading for a few get-you-started resources.
Chinese Heritage: Get Started
Want to start exploring your Chinese family history? Get started with FamilySearch’s introductory page on the topic (it’s in English). You’ll find brief explanations of Chinese geography, a helpful date converter, and information about where to research.
Next, move on to a more in-depth article, Jia Pu: Chinese Genealogical Record (An Introduction), where you’ll learn about clan genealogies that provide the basic written history of Chinese families. Then head back to the FamilySearch wiki for articles on specific topics: cemeteries and burial practices, immigration and emigration, notarial records and more (do a keyword search for “Chinese”). Finally, do you want to learn to research in Chinese? FamilySearch offers several free online courses in Chinese.
Here are a few online Chinese record collections:
China: Collection of Genealogies, 1239-2010. “Digital images of Chinese genealogies from various public and private collections. Although some genealogies include information on family branches that migrated to surrounding countries this collection covers families with roots in China. Chinese family genealogies list the origin of the family within China, where the family settled, and gives the generations of the family. Although some genealogies reach as far back as 1500 the time period and content of the records will vary from one genealogy to the next. Additional records may be added to this collection. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage.” (FamilySearch.org, free.)
San Francisco, CA Chinese Applications for Admissions, 1903-1947. “This database contains descriptive lists of Chinese immigrants arriving at the port of San Francisco, California between 1903 and 1947. Information recorded in these documents includes: ship or vessel name, date of arrival, name, age, gender, marital status, occupation, nationality, last place of residence [and] final destination.” (Ancestry.com, world collection, $)
PA-Philadelphia Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1900-1923. “Case files for Chinese immigrants arriving through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1900-1923. Data includes the name, occupation, age, birthplace, ship name, date of arrival, and many other pieces of information. This collection corresponds to NARA publication M1144: Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1895-1920, from District No. 4 (Philadelphia) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.” (FamilySearch.org, free)
North Dakota and Washington, Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1903-1944. “Contained in this database are passenger arrival and disposition lists for Chinese immigrants between the years 1903 and 1944. The primary port of entry was Seattle, Washington; however, some additional entry ports, listed below, are also included in these records. Information that can be found includes surname, vessel name, arrival date, class or citizenship status, and whether the individual was admitted or denied. Ports of entry in these records: Seattle Washington, 1903–1944; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1911–1916 (in transit to U.S.), Sumas; Washington, 1903–1909; Portal, North Dakota, 1903–1910.” (Ancestry.com, world collection, $)
I’m really looking forward to speaking at this year’s PMC conference. Hope to see you there! Here’s all the details on the fast approaching registration deadline.
WESTMINSTER, Colo., 11 February 2013−The early-bird deadline is approaching the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG®) 2013 Professional Management Conference (PMC), to be held 19-20 March in Salt Lake City. The deadline for registration discounts is Friday, 15 February.
The event will be held in Salt Lake City on the 19th and 20th of March, 2013, the two days prior to the RootsTech conference (http://www.rootstech.org).
This year’s theme is, “Building a Successful Business.” Speakers will be:
Workshop: Overcoming Research Barriers—An Interactive Case Study;
Variables in Professional Genealogists’ Approaches to Research;
Client Reports: Dos, Don’t, and Maybes
Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS
Order in the Court: Hands-on with Court Records;
More Than the Begats: Using the Law to Spice up a Research Report
Judy G. Russell, J.D., CG
Launching an Effective Marketing Campaign
Thomas MacEntee
Video Marketing: Killer YouTube Strategies
Lisa Louise Cooke
The Best Educational Plan for You: The Workshop
Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL
Organization for Genealogy Speakers
Jean Wilcox Hibben, Ph.D., M.A., CG
APG will also hold at reception and roundtable from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 March, which is open to members and non-members.
Register Now for APG PMC 2013
Attendance at PMC is open to members and non-members. Attendees may choose to attend the full conference or a single day. Details on pricing and the conference sessions are available at http://www.apgen.org/conferences/index.html .
alone. Jane wrote in recently with that very question. She came across my blog post 6 Tips: How to Organize Your Family History while searching the web for ways to solve her own family history problem:
As for publishing small books through a service like Shutterfly or Lulu, I’ve also covered that on my website. Genealogy Gems Premium Members have access to three Premium episodes on the subject that include instructional videos:
