People often ask, “What got you started in genealogy?” My answer is pretty simple. My mum and my gran were the story tellers of the family. They died within 9 months of each other. Once they died, I became obsessed about preserving the family stories, so with the assistance of my tenacious aunt, we set to work gathering information about all of my mum’s siblings (she was a middle child—middle of 20!). We gathered BMD information as well as photos and a biography for each sibling and then I put it all together in a “family book”. That book has become a treasured heirloom with stories of its own. And it has spawned a quarterly family newsletters where stories can still be shared. Because of the joy and sense of connection that these stories provide our family, I am a strong proponent for writing family history.
In an effort to get people writing their family history stories, Lynn Palermo of Simcoe has an annual challenge. Every February, she provides a different “daily prompt” to get your memory working and get you inspired to write down your family stories. You can sign up for the challenge at:
You will receive an email every day with your daily prompt and some words of advice from Lynn to get you started. I’m committed! Are you?
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