Christmas Day is as good a time as any to think about what you would tell others about your own life story, or those of your ancestors.
A recent offer to Emory Alumni about a seminar for Jan. 11 was titled: “Who Will Tell Your Story?” All of us wish our ancestors had thought to do that, although some people did. Many had biographical sketches published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that gave the facts, but rarely anything personal.
Obituaries are a way we learn some summary of one’s life, but they are normally written by the survivors, not the subjects themselves. A quick survey at some published in the newspapers today show that many people are perhaps drafting their own. My mother wrote down a version of her life story in her retirement center’s newsletter when she was spotlighted and I incorporated some of that in her obituary last year.
Years ago when writing up a family’s story and with only a few pages to do it in, I said that most of my 19th-century Georgia ancestors were farmers, Democrats, and Baptists, so if you knew nothing else about them, that would be something. So if you are reading this on Christmas, and are with family, start thinking about how you would tell your story.
Organizing your genealogy and photography topic for Jan. 8
The Rockdale-Newton Genealogical Society will have Andi Willis speak on Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. on “Organizing One’s Genealogy and Photography” at the LDS Church, 1275 Flat Shoals Road, Conyers. If you want to Zoom, check the society’s website at rockdale-newtongenealogicalsociety.com for details. Willis is personal photo manager of Good Life Photo Solutions. This is a timely topic from which everyone could certainly learn.
2022 genealogy summary
In looking back on this year, perhaps the most significant or most useful event for American genealogists would be the release of the 1950 Census last spring. Since then it has been indexed and is accessible on many sites, especially at Ancestry.com, where it is free, and on the National Archives site (archives.gov). So if you didn’t check it then, now is a good time.
Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P. O. Box 901, Decatur, Ga. 30031 or kenthomasongenealogy.com.
