Genealogy, Family History & Temple Work

In a previous post I talked about preserving old photographs. Photographs are of course not the only things we can or should preserve when it comes to family history. And while an original of something is always better, that doesn't mean we shouldn't make copies of it. After all, we can't show or give the original to everyone. That leads me into the topic of this post.

Lyman De Platt in, “Organization Begins at Home,” Ensign, Oct 1976, pp.16 said,

"Genealogical activity begins with training the children to appreciate family ties and heritage. Developing a family book of remembrance which is used, along with the scriptures, in teaching children; emphasizing membership in larger family organizations; participating in genealogical research, temple work, and subsequent activities—these are all means to that end."

There are many ways to light the spark of interest in our children. But I would also like to add that children aren't the only ones whom we can inspire to begin learning their Family History.

On my father's side, I am the only one currently doing any genealogical research. How I would love for some of my siblings or cousins to take interest and join with me in discovering our family history. Of course it takes a little more creativity to spark the interest of an adult sometimes. So I am thinking of going with the following Family History gift ideas for Christmas. Maybe these are ideas you can use too:

1) A Family History Calendar - I've thought about creating a calendar filled with photos of ancestors and family keepsakes and including a small box of information on each photo about the ancestor or keepsake featured. An example would be a picture of the sword of my ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Shutterfly is one website I know of on which you can make your own calendar. They also let you put your photos on mugs, puzzles, mouse pads and more. Maybe you might put your Family coat of arms on a mug for your father in law or a picture of an interesting ancestor on a puzzle for your children to put together and then tell them about.

2) A Digital Photo Frame uploaded with family pictures might be a nice gift.

3) Create a Family History Book with the new service Ancestry Press. Their sample books look beautiful and the site seems very simple to figure out. They also offer Family Tree Charts and Family Tree Prints. They allow you to order a bound book from them or you can print pages out and place them in your own binder. You can design your pages from scratch or use a template.

4) Put together a Military History Binder - I've thought about compiling information on all known service men in our family tree. Muster Rolls, Enlistment records, pensions, photographs, etc.

5) A Family Recipe Book - I would love to compile a book of all the recipes that have been passed down through the generations in our family and give it to those who love to cook and bake. To make it more personal I may photocopy the recipes I have that are originals, written in my ancestors handwriting, along with a transcription if needed.

So for a gift that truly reminds your loved ones of the reason for the season consider giving your Family History for Christmas.

Do you have any other Family History themed gift ideas to recommend?