Mention the word ‘genealogy’ to me and odds are my eyes will immediately begin to glaze over. It’s not that I don’t value genealogy or that I’m not interested. Well, maybe just a little bit not interested. A lot of people are able to embrace genealogy. My mother is fantastic when it comes to researching family lines. That was just one passion that skipped me.
If you were to change that one word to two and say let’s talk about family history, then my ears will prick and my mind will begin to churn with story after story. It is in the stories and pictures that genealogy comes alive for me.
Getting children excited about family history is unbelievably easy. One of my kids’ favorite things to do is look at pictures. Thanks to the availability of online websites, and local museums or historical libraries, we have access to numerous resources to access pictures of our ancestors. Seeing faces of those long gone can quickly bring them to life for children.
The great thing is there is always a story to go along with each of those faces. My mother-in-law set about creating a family history book for each of her children. In it she includes little histories or stories of ancient (and not so ancient) family members. Not only that but she included genealogy charts to help clear up who belongs where. She even included the words to some of their favorite songs and children’s stories they loved to sing and read over the years. This book is treasured by my husband. He has turned to it frequently when wanting to recount a story to our children.
I really didn’t begin to understand all that was included in family history until I was almost out of high school. At that time a book was published about one of my ancestors. His name was George Reynolds, and he was asked by the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) at that time to become the test case for one of the polygamy trials. I could hardly believe one of my ancestors was actually interesting enough to have a whole book written about him.
A little while after this time I began to really listen to what I then considered to be the ramblings of my grandfather. It wasn’t until just before he died that I realized I should have been listening to the stories he tried to pass on about his life and that of my grandmother, who I’d never met. That is something I regret to this day.
Why should we get our children interested in family history? In the pamphlet “10 Ways to Teach Values in the Home” put out by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are taught:
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My family has quite a mixture of physical features. The first thing you’ll notice is my older brother and I have red hair, while my parents and younger brother have brown. Both my brothers are tall while I’m…well…not. Neither is my mother. My father is quite tall. He and my younger brother have brown eyes while my mom and older brother have green. I was blessed with hazel.
For the first several years of my life I was convinced I was adopted, simply because I didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of my family. For years I couldn’t figure out where my features came from until we started talking about family history. Back on my dad’s side (way, way back) there is a line of family who have the last name of Redhead. Pretty cool I thought. Not only that but we were able to explore a significant part of my mother’s side of the family where we discovered both red hair and hazel eyes are both quite prevalent. Suddenly, I knew that I really did fit in.
The pamphlet suggests a few ways to help your children make a start at learning about their family history. First we need to tell our children about their ancestors. These stories can come not only from us but from extended family members as well. Attend family reunions and visit extended family often. Get people talking about their memories of parents and grandparents. Try buying a handheld recorder to help get these memories down. One of my brothers-in-law was able to copy onto CD some recordings of their grandmother before she passed away. Not only can our kids now see pictures and hear stories about their great-grandma, but they can hear her voice as well. Lastly, give your kids copies of these stories, pictures and records as well.
Family history involved so much more than names and dates, and getting children to embrace their legacy can be a fun experience. In doing this we can help to fulfill that which was prophesied in Malachi 4:6.
“And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers…”
