Celebrating Grandparents and Preserving Their Legacy Through Family History
Did you know that Grandparent’s Day is right around the corner? For the last forty-five years, since September of 1978, the first Sunday after Labor Day marks this special family holiday. Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, Grandparent’s Day was the brainchild of Marian McQuade, a grandparent herself, and Jacob Reingold, the vice president of Hebrew Home in Bronx, New York. McQuade was concerned about seniors coping with loneliness. She worked to encourage the younger generations to interact with the older ones. In the early 1960s, Reingold, inspired by “the new image of the aged,” worked to bring attention to the elderly, honoring them at the Hebrew Home. Between McQuade’s campaign through the 1970s, first helping Grandparents Day become a holiday in West Virginia, and Reingold’s work at establishing the holiday in New York City, Grandparents Day became a National Holiday observed by all of the United States.
But how can we celebrate Grandparent’s Day and add to our family history binder?
One of the most beautiful things about working on your family history is the bond it helps to create across generations. Our history as a Family is something we all have in common. By researching it together, we can strengthen and grow that bond.
Here are some tips on how to celebrate Grandparents Day as you build your Family Tree:
1. INTERVIEW YOUR GRANDPARENTS: Ask them questions about their childhood, important memories, family traditions, and values they want to pass on. Record the conversations on your phone, a digital recorder, and with a video recording device. Capture their voices and images. They’ll appreciate sharing their life stories, and you’ll have a keepsake of your time with them.
2. LOOK THROUGH OLD FAMILY PHOTOS AND HEIRLOOMS TOGETHER: Have your grandparents identify relatives in the photos as they reminisce about their past. Let them explain the significance of keepsakes they’ve treasured throughout their lives. Learn new stories about their lives and your family as they share family tales.
You can scan photos to preserve them digitally.
3. RESEARCH YOUR HERITAGE ONLINE: After talking with your Grandparents, use the information they gave you to use online genealogy websites and databases, like Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org, to further your research. There are many online sites that allow you to research records like census data, immigration paperwork, and military documents to fill in your family tree. Maybe you never knew your great-uncle served in Korea or that you have a relative who fought in the Civil War — use these online databases to locate draft records, enlistment papers, or muster rolls.
4. ORGANIZE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY TREASURE IN A SCRAPBOOK: Organizing or creating a scrapbook or digital archive with your Grandparents is a great way to grow closer to the older generation in your family. Plus, you will be making a treasured record to pass down. Include photos, interviews, ancestor profiles, family trees, scanned documents, and keepsakes. You can even include a page about the time together on the day you created the scrapbook or digital archive. Personal touches go a long way.
5. PLAN A VISIT TO YOUR GRANDPARENTS’ HOMETOWN: Maybe your Grandparents have passed away. There are still ways to honor them. Consider visiting your grandparents’ hometowns or other important family sites. Did they elope at Niagara Falls? Was their first home in a state on the other side of the country? Walking in their footsteps deepens understanding. It allows you an immersive experience of their history. Visit addresses you located in old census records. Stop by their old Alama Mater found in an old Yearbook. See a version of the world they once lived in.
Don’t forget to visit gravesites, research family records at local depositories, and see other family landmarks that will add depth and meaning to your family history legacy.
5. SHARE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY DISCOVERIES WITH YOUR FAMILY: Set aside Grandparents Day to share with your family what you’ve learned about your Grandparents and the lives they lived. This can be a meaningful gift for Grandparent’s Day.
Present a printed collection, digital slideshow, or framed family tree as a keepsake.
Whether they have passed or are still with you, learning and preserving your family origins is a beautiful way to honor the grandparents who came before you this Grandparent’s Day. By documenting their lives and legacies, you’ll create precious memories and a family treasure for future generations.
Happy Record Hunting!
(Check out last week’s post: Labor Day and Your Family History: Tracing the Roots of the Labor Movement. Follow my profile for alerts!)
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