10 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month

Family History Month is here again! Each year, the month of October is devoted entirely to genealogy. There’s no better time to celebrate your family heritage, reconnect with your roots and share what you have discovered with the ones you love. We’ve compiled this handy list of ways you can make the most of this Family History Month!

1. Review your family tree on Geni

Take a look at your family tree on Geni and see if there are any areas that you can expand or flesh out. Are there dates missing or photos and documents that can be uploaded? Now is a great time to do an overview of your existing data and see where you can research next. Also, take the time to eliminate those unfinished merges in your tree! Check out your Merge Center to clean up duplicates and you might just find a new relative.

2. Plan a Trip to the Cemetery

A nice stroll in your local cemetery may not seem like an enjoyable activity for the average person, but to the genealogist, it’s a rich and rewarding experience. With your camera in hand, plan a day with your family or closest genealogy pals to photograph gravestones at a cemetery near you. We suggest you use the BillionGraves app on your phone to photograph and document the gravestones. Not only will you be helping to preserve these markers for future generations, but also, once they are transcribed, the images will be automatically matched to family profiles on Geni. Be sure to join the BillionGraves Team Portal to collaborate and share your experiences with others.

3. Join a Genealogy Project

Speaking of projects, is there a research topic that has sparked your interest? Start your own genealogy project on Geni to collaborate with others who may share the same research interests. Or you can join any one of the thousands of other genealogy projects already available on Geni. From celebrity genealogies to the Salem Witch Trials to projects about a specific town, country or historical era, there’s no limit to what a project can cover.

4. Connect with Relatives

Haven’t spoken to a relative in a few years or just connecting with one now? Share with them new discoveries you’ve made about your family history and ask them if they have any stories about your family’s past. Even better – invite them to join the family tree on Geni so you can all share photos, stories and memories with the entire family.

5. Do a DNA Test

If you haven’t incorporated DNA testing in your genealogy research, now is the ideal time to start. DNA tests can help you overcome that brick wall in your genealogy research by helping you discover your family’s origins and discover new relatives through DNA matches. Check out what DNA tests are available on Geni. For a great overview, read genetic genealogist CeCe Moore’s guest blog series DNA Testing for Genealogy – Getting Started.

6. Go on a Genealogy Adventure

Do you know where your ancestors once lived or frequented? Take a trip to your family’s old stomping grounds to see and experience the places they once walked. One interesting activity you can do with old photos is to find the location where they were taken and compare how it looked back then to how it looks now. See any differences?

7. Join a Genealogy Society

Find a local genealogy society near you and attend a meeting. Genealogical societies are a great place to make new genealogy friends.

8. Organize Old Photos

Do you still have your collection of old family photographs in an old shoebox in the closet? Set a new genealogy goal to finally organize and preserve those photos. Scan the images to your computer to create a digital copy of the image. As you do so, see if you can identify who is in the photos. If you find you don’t know who someone is, make a note to investigate later.

9. Have a Family Cookbook? Time for a Family Cookout!

Expand your culinary skills by pulling out the old family cookbook to create meals from the past. Throughout the month, tryout a new recipe or bring back an old favorite. If a dish works out really well, you may want to share it with the entire family next Thanksgiving!

10. Genealogy Arts & Crafts

Into arts and crafts? Explore some creative DIY projects to display your family history. Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration and tutorials for your next genealogy craft project. Check out Geni’s Pinterest board Crafty Genealogy for some great ideas!

Follow Geni.com’s board Crafty Genealogy on Pinterest.
How will you celebrate Family History Month? Let us know in the comments below!