18. It Was Just A Birthday Party

 

My oldest cousin was celebrating her 85^th birthday. The community hall was rented and over 50 folks attended with lunch, wine, hundreds of photo opportunities, and the guest of honor.  A head table, adorned with old family photographs proved a constant attraction.  After, most of the family retired to her nearby home.  

 

I brought out my laptop and proceeded to invite every person in attendance to spend a few minutes with me to review their segment of the family tree.

 

Within minutes, I was able to update a segment for each person, challenging their memory to recall their wedding dates, locations, their children’s birthdates, etc.  By the end of the evening, I had collected a large update to the family tree.  Everyone was glad to donate a few minutes to update their portion of the family tree, adding in the newest family additions.  

 

Of course, my new data was purely anecdotal.  Over time, I will secure “proof” documents for each item (for example, a birth certificate, a census record, etc.).  We all know that your family tree is not built in one day, but birthdays and family reunions are major opportunities.

 

For more information on building your own family tree, join your local genealogical society.

 

Ron Gilmore

Email:         rvg3@me.com

Website:    https://www.rgenealogy.ca