Several months ago, I wrote an article on the importance of genealogy and preserving family histories. Taking the time to capture the past seems to be a lost art that slips away with each generation.
In the good old days, families would sit around after dinner or during holiday gatherings and listen to family elders tell stories of the family's rich traditions and heritage -- why they came to America, how they arrived and from what countries, etc.
Sadly, in this day of multiple electronic distractions, opportunities to verbally convey history from one generation to the next are rare at best. In turn, if those memories and stories aren't somehow documented, they disappear with the passing of each generation.
In helping my 5th grader conduct research for his recent American Colonies report, I was fascinated when my Dad shared with me a single handwritten note from my grandmother outlining our own family heritage. It simply was a series of names and dates with no apparent meaning. Yet working with her note and the amazing online resources available today, my son and I were able to trace our family all the way back to two passengers of the Mayflower, who, once in America, married and are solely responsible for our family today.
That's pretty cool stuff, particularly when you see the light bulb go off in your 10 year old's head as he's able to make a personal connection to the "ancient history" topic he's studying.
That discovery inspired me to take on a bigger project, becoming our immediate family's historian. I've started the process by interviewing my Dad, in person and over the phone, about his early family memories, his time in the Air Force, the years he and my Mom lived in Morocco, what life was like before kids and anything else that comes up.
Carving out time for us to talk has proven to be a unique bonding experience. I've already learned poignant and funny details about my Dad I never knew, and probably still wouldn't unless I'd taken the time to ask.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
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