family reunions have something for everyone
brenda kellow
september 2, 2014
Have you shared your findings with your family? There are many ways to do this, but the most fun may be to hold family reunions. There, you actually meet the people about whom you researched or at least their descendants. I held one in the area annually for years before turning it over to others.
Mary Onofrio just returned from her family reunion that is held every other year in Kansas. In preparation, she prepared a pedigree chart of the generations. Each generation or line was printed in a different color. This easily identified the different families. To say the least, it was a hit. She printed the charts on 8 ½ by 11 inch paper and carefully taped each together. The final project would then be taped to the wall at the church hosting the reunion.
She also printed out family group charts and had the pages copied, collated and spiral bound at Blueprint Service and Supply at her own expense. Mary gave each contributor to the project a copy. For those who added their information to the pedigree charts on the wall, she gave them copies also—or took their names and addresses to send copies on her return home.
Mary said that although the books were a hit, the prize went to the color-coded pedigree charts that she and her husband Louie had carefully printed, trimmed and taped together for the wall presentation. It was also a hit when she presented the story to the monthly meeting of the Legacy User Group.
She came home from the reunion with many pictures taken with cameras that she or her son Tom had taken of the attendees or old family pictures brought for the photograph project.
I used cameras for our reunions in the beginning, but now I rely completely on my iPhone camera with the scanner app. I find it easy. I can then add the pictures to my family web site and family members can take the pictures from the site to use as they choose. Here is how to take a picture from the web with your iPhone.
· Find the picture on the internet you want to copy
· You want to turn your phone to the best position: vertical or horizontal
· Quickly press down the enter key (the round button on the bottom center of your phone) while at the same time pressing the power bar on the top right. You should hear the sound of the photo as the camera captures the object on the website.
· Open your Camera Roll on the phone and the picture will be the last picture on your device.
· Afterwards, you can download it to your PC at home.
Reunions are fun and everyone can find something about it they like and enjoy while meeting fellow cousins.
PRINCETON, TEXAS CEMETERY VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE AFTER VANDALISM: Kenny Campbell just told me that thanks to the volunteer help from the Princeton Police and Fire Departments and the people in and around Princeton, all the vandalized toppled tombstones were up righted and reset in one workday. Kudos to the Princeton community for coming together to right what the vandals did last month.
WORLD WAR I DRAFT CARDS UPDATED: Ancestry.com updated their World War I draft card collection. If you check it out, you will find they are clearer than those on FamilySearch.org.
SATURDAY SEMINAR SPEAKER CHANGE: The monthly Saturday Seminar sponsored by Genealogy Friends of the Plano Libraries, Inc., changed their speaker on September 20, to Barbara Coakley. She will speak on How to Start Your Genealogy Journey. The room opens at 10 and the talk begins at 10:30-12:30. It is held in the Program Room of Haggard Library. You are invited to join the group for lunch at TGI-Friday’s on Preston just north of 15th Street.
PBS INVITES DAR TO ATTEND GENEALOGY ROADSHOW: The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) invited the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to attend the filming and to exhibit at future Genealogy Roadshow events. These take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 6-7 and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 13-14. The public is welcome to attend these free events also. Attendees may watch the filming and visit the exhibit area. The DAR Facebook page will have more on the event shortly.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected]
