October 2nd - Be sure to document your own life in Legacy.
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| Photo by lonely planet on Unsplash |
I don't know about you but often I am so busy finding out information about those Swedish ancestors, or the Norwegian ancestors, or finding other Keoughs for my one-name study, that I forget to take the time to find (and it is pretty easy, low-hanging fruit) and include information about me in my Legacy family file. Have you included all the pertinent information about yours truly in your Legacy family file? Don't think you will get to it someday - get to it today!
Today, let's take 15 minutes and make sure we have included ourselves in our Legacy Family File. Here are a few options:
(1) interview yourself - make sure you get the dates and places and a bit of the story (images would be great) for birth, baptism (or christening), education, sports or extra-curricular activities, special awards or acknowledgements, occupation, jobs held along the way, hobbies, special training or skills, travel, residence, immigration (or migration), big events in your life, marriage or civil union, volunteer activities, interests, mentions in newspaper articles. You get the idea (and if you are stumped for ideas - check out Legacy's interview questions right in the software).
(2) get someone else to interview you - perhaps a parent or a child, a good friend or a genealogy buddy (same topics as above).
So start today to put yourself in your Legacy family file. And why not share below any events/facts you include in addition to those I listed. Because on October 2nd of Family History Month - it's all about YOU!
On those infamous days, like 9-11, that roll around every year, I write my thoughts, or where I was that day, stuff like that. It is recorded in Legacy. I add to it as necessary.
ReplyDeleteI love that idea Carol Stevens as I am sure we would have loved to have those thoughts of our ancestors (let's think ahead to all those descendants!). I just found out that my great aunt and grandmother kept diaries (no on thought to mention it until my great aunt's funeral - and only in passing!). So I asked my aunt when I saw her (she has my gran's house) and yes they "were around." Now to get my hands on them. Even if they are small vs big thoughts - journal something and it is a great idea to put it in your Legacy family file! Thanks for the tip Carol.
ReplyDeleteCarol, thanks for that prompt. Current events, significant anniversaries, family gatherings all serve to tickle my nostalgic synapses (chalk it up to stage and age). Recording things like "where I was when", what candidate i stumped for and why, even what the sunrise looked like on the morning my first daughter was born will make reading about my life much more interesting (and arguably more accurate) than dry names and dates.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Brian Runyan . Tis really Tessa Keough's prompt, and my poorly worded response. Your response and the ideas, are exactly the types of memories I mumbled about. Today, I am contemplating writing a bit of a blog in response to +Randy Seaver's challenge last evening, "Best Genealogy Day Ever?" Even tho a half a day late, it is something I would like to record. Sooner or later, even those types of blog posts find themselves attached in Legacy. When I write about Archie, Man's grandfather, my most interesting research ancestor, I attach copies of those blogs (PDF style) to Archie's multimedia events file. Telling the stories in a different manner than I tend to do in Legacy. So many stories, so little time.
ReplyDeleteI started journaling about my week in my planner that I keep to keep me on track. I don't write a book but I make note of the big and sometimes the not so big events that are going on at the time. I find that the little bit of journaling that I do keeps me balanced and it relaxes me at the end of a stressful day. I also attach PDFs copies of blog posts ( when I do a blog post...lol) to the person in my Legacy database.
ReplyDeletegreat idea Shannon Thomas - I think sometimes people think our own lives are not all that interesting. Answer me this - if you found out your ancestor kept a journal would you want to read it and learn about their everyday life? I think I hear lots of "yeses" out there. Write it down and share a bit of your life - for yourself and future generations!
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