31 Ways To Celebrate Family History Month This October

Download Photo

 
This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Sydney Walker, Church News
 

Did you know October is Family History Month?

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have spoken often about the blessings that come from learning about one’s family history.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in April 2022 general conference: “Connecting with our ancestors can change our lives in surprising ways. From their trials and accomplishments, we gain faith and strength. From their love and sacrifices, we learn to forgive and move forward. Our children become resilient. We gain protection and power. Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles. Such ties can bring help from the other side of the veil.”

In honor of Family History Month, FamilySearch recently published a blog post with 31 ways to celebrate:

1. Go to FamilySearch and read about the origin of your last name.
2. Make a beloved family dessert and share it with someone.
3. Record a story on FamilySearch. This simply means talking into your phone for a few minutes and saving the recording.
4. Send a text message to a relative in your family who you haven’t talked to in a while.
5. Display a new family photo some place in your home.
6. Create a digital family tree. If you already have a family tree, add at least one photo or story to the people in your tree.
7. Find a historical record with your ancestor’s name on it.
8. Spend 5–10 minutes on Google Maps looking at street views of where one of your ancestors lived.
9. Write in your journal about a relative or family member who has been an important influence in your life.
10. Record another story on FamilySearch.
11. Plan a new family tradition for an upcoming holiday.
12. Ask one or more friends to tell you where their last name comes from.
13. Look up one of your ancestor’s homelands on Wikipedia and learn something new about it.
14. Go to FamilySearch My Opportunities and review at least one name from a historical record. Reviewing names makes it so other people can search for and find the record.
15. Look through some family photographs that are at least five years old and share one with someone in your family.
16. Call one or more of the oldest living relatives in your family and ask them how they are doing. Ask them something about their past.
17. Learn something new about the year you were born.
18. Find out which of your ancestors you look like (this activity works best if you already have an account with FamilySearch).
19. Record another story on FamilySearch.
20. See if you’re related to anyone famous.
21. Use FamilySearch, BillionGraves, or Find a Grave to find a relative’s or ancestor’s headstone.
22. Learn more about a relative or ancestor by reading his or her obituary.
23. Take a picture of a favorite family recipe, and save it to FamilySearch. You can tag the photo to yourself or to the relative who made the recipe famous.
24. Watch a short family history class from RootsTech 2022 about discovering and sharing your family stories.
25. Take a few minutes to enjoy a family heirloom. Tell someone in your family the story of where it came from.
26. Veterans Day is coming up. See if you’re related to anyone who fought in World War I by searching draft cards and other service records.
27. Try a new recipe for a food item from an ancestor’s homeland. Cook it up, and see how it tastes.
28. Take a walk outside with a family member and share a story or two.
29. Ask your parents or grandparents if they have any old photo albums you could look at. Schedule a time to look at the photos together, either in person or on the computer.
30. Go on a mini-pilgrimage to a place that has special meaning to your family. Be creative. The journey could take 10 minutes or a couple of hours.
31. Explore how people in other countries celebrate Day of the Dead and All Souls’ Day and choose a new tradition for yourself or your family to participate in.

Read more about Family History Month at familysearch.org/en/blog/family-history-month.