Burley FamilySearch Center Happenings: September 2023

October is Family History Month

Below are several links with great options to celebrate Family History Month.

Here is the list of some of my favorite options:

Start collecting interview ideas for family gatherings coming at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Learn to use the FamilySearch Memories app for recording these stories. Ancestry has a great list of questions. FamilySearch has some starter questions.

Photograph a Family Heirloom - learn to use the FamilySearch Memories app or FamilySearch Family Tree app for ease in uploading to FamilySearch. Write a short story about the heirloom for everyone to enjoy and know the history of the item. There will be a class taught by Tammy on October 10th at 2 pm about FamilySearch Memories.

Create a Facebook page for your family or a particular ancestor.

Take a tour of our Discovery Center - Learn more about yourself, your family, where you came from and your famous relatives. The big interactive screens are fun for all ages!

Cook a Meal from an ancestor's homeland - recipes can easily be found on the Activities Tab of FamilySearch. Click on the My Heritage tab and select the country of your choice, then options will show for recipes. If you need assistance, come to the center and we'll be happy to help you. These can also be found on the Discovery Screen options at the center and emailed directly to you.

Create a physical family tree with your children or grandchildren. Personal Creations has some downloadable options. Craftwrites also has templates and other options.

Record your parents or grandparents' stories using our recording studio. Our studio at the center will record stories in 4-minute segments. The audio can be uploaded automatically to FamilySearch and you can get a link to download the video of the same story. FamilySearch has populated some 90 questions in 8 different categories to cover some really fun aspects of your life, or the life of your family member. Bring the whole family for more fun and interaction.

Create new family memories. Do something together as a family. Go visit the temple site. Go out to supper at a restaurant serving ancestor's homeland foods. Have a special story night with grandparents or extended family (using Zoom as necessary). Watch some old family movies together. Create a family mission statement. The ideas are endless.

Digitize your old tapes, photos, documents, slides, etc. We have options to digitize most any kind of media you might have. Check out our digitizing equipment here. Don't have time to do it on our own, we have some Service Missionaries who are willing to digitize these for you. Just bring in your items (clearly marked with your name) and a flash drive. Once the missionaries finish digitizing them, you will be contacted to pick them up at the center.

Make some Christmas ornaments based on family history themes (those from an ancestors' homeland, photos of ancestors, photos of previous Christmases, etc.) Family Tree Magazine has some options. Diana Elder also shares some options on her blog.

Watch a video about Family History - RootsTech has tons of options or check out this YouTube given by Elder Bednar in 2011 (the blessings and information apply just as much today as when it was originally given). Thanks Lewis Roberts for sharing this one!

Other options for more ways to celebrate.

31 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month by FamilySearch

Fun Ways to Celebrate Family History Month by Family History Guide

20 ideas for Family History Month by Genealogy Bank

8 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month by Legacy Tree

15 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month by Homeschoolers Giveaways

Great Book Ideas for Family History Month by Alachua County Library

9 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month by Family Tree Magazine

Ideas from National Genealogical Society

10 Things You Can do Celebrate Family History Month - You Tube Video by Ancestry - This was done in 2014 and some of the things listed aren't available now.

Center Happenings

Day of the Dead will be October 27th at 6:00 p.m. at the Rupert West Stake Center. For more information, check out the website.

We have decided to focus on the components of Research Like a Pro as individual classes instead of having the full 4 - 5 weeks course this year. Shaura will be teaching the Locality Guide section October 17th at 10:30 a.m. Come see how learning about the area can assist you in completing your research.

Looking for some fun ways to Connect with Families using Family History, Marilyn Moncur will present some great options at her class on October 24th at 10:30 a.m.

The Family History Club is still meeting each Thursday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Come work on your own projects and get help from one another as needed. Open to everyone!

Our Thursday morning classes (10:30 a.m. each week) will alternate between teaching the basics of FamilySearch and Ancestry each month. This month the focus will be using FamilySearch by Anna Marie and Nina. Next month Nina will focus of using Ancestry. Come learn how to better use both of these great websites.

Be sure to check the calendar for all classes!