What's the legacy that you would like to leave for your children and for future generations? How are you making sure that it will be passed on?
There are many practices for ensuring that your family history survives into future generations. Perhaps the most crucial is including your children and descendants in your family history research.
Journals and diaries are excellent resources for family history research.
Don't you wish your ancestors had recorded their daily lives and thoughts in a format that has come down to you as a treasured keepsake through the centuries?
I know someone whose ancestor left a journal written several hundred years ago. The writer describes the family's everyday life in difficult new surroundings, how they celebrated holidays, the writer's wishes for her descendants far in the future and much more. It is as if the writer knew it would be treasured and passed down through the generations, as it has been. It is a priceless heirloom.
Put yourself in the shoes of a great-grandchild who finds your journal. What do you think will interest him or her? What is happening in your life now that you want future generations to know about? Do you want to include advice for future generations?
A major international event, Earth Hour is taking place today. It’s organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is held annually on the last Saturday in March.
During Earth Hour 2011, more than 5,200 towns and cities in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights, sending a powerful message for action on climate change.
As family history lovers, we also believe that this is an important subject. As we think about our ancestors and try to understand their lives, we know that one day in the future we will become our family’s ancestors.