I think we might find that the younger generations will be more interested if we can present them with a book (or website) to read with all the info on it, rather than just talking about all these unknown folk from the past.
It's got to be worth doing anyway, because future generations will find it virtually impossible, if you think of the changes in family structure over the past few generations. There has been such a trend away from traditional marriage relationships and loads of people would have difficulty tracing their parents let alone their grandparents and beyond. How often do we hear or read about a woman having several children by different fathers, none within a legal marriage?
And what about future generations with a same-sex partnership in their line? Today in the papers I read that lesbian couples are to be allowed to register themselves as joint parents with no mention of the natural father.
How about the complexities of relationship that egg and sperm donation are creating?
(Please don't take any of this as criticism, anyone - it's not intended to be.)
I'm just glad I'm doing my research now - it's difficult enough with the number of illegitimacies and odd marriages that I've found (my great-grandfather married his stepdaughter after his wife's death).
When We Are Gone .....
Moderators: Global Moderators, Pandabean
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helenbee
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HeatherH
- Global Moderator
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- Location: Nova Scotia ,Canada
In the far far away future when I am a BMD on my own tree my daughter Megan will take up the search. She became interested in the family tree over 5 years ago now when doing a project for school. ( In fact it was her notes and research that were first entered on my tree when I found Legacy.) She has been my sounding board for many a brickwall . Shares my frustration at loosing the trail in Ireland or worse when Prudence Stewart is magically beamed in from heavens knows which planet to become our Grat great great gran.
It is fantastic having not only someone whose eyes don't glaze over when you talk about your hobby but someone who has a real interest in what I spend so many hours trying to achieve.
Happy Hunting,
HeatherH
PS does anyone know if BMDs have been put online yet for Mars???
It is fantastic having not only someone whose eyes don't glaze over when you talk about your hobby but someone who has a real interest in what I spend so many hours trying to achieve.
Happy Hunting,
HeatherH
PS does anyone know if BMDs have been put online yet for Mars???
Looking for ...but not limited to Haldane ,Keir ,McLauchlan ,Walker ,Torrance , Reid ,Clark ,Johnstone ,Holmes ,Laurie ,Lawrie ,Strachan , McIlwee ,Welsh ,Queate ,Stewert ,McNight ,Steele ,Cockburn ,Young ....whew! That's more than enough for now.
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joette
- Global Moderator
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Currie
- Posts: 3924
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
- Location: Australia
Family History is a Fad.
Family History is a fad. Thirty years ago interest in family history was a rarity. Today everyone is into it, there are radio and television programs about it, there’s a whole industry making millions from it. The fad will fade away like all others have in the past, the professionals will take up another trade and the industries will accommodate whatever fad it is that follows on. All that will be left will be a group of die-hards still trying to find their way back to the 17th century.
When we pass on and possibly get the chance to interrogate our halo bedecked ancestors our research on earth will be extremely vulnerable. Hopefully there won’t be a radical cleanup as soon as soon as our rigour is morticed. If our digital records, so lovingly backed up are put away somewhere safe for 20 years by our heirs they will be quite unreadable by then even if someone was inclined to go to the expense of trying to do so.
Our tons of paperwork will be whittled away as the sentimentality wears off, no one will have the time or the interest to sort out the fundamentals. Eventually the last pathetic scraps will be flushed to make more room for the kid’s toys or whatever. This is all assuming that in the meantime wars pestilence and natural disasters don’t turn history and culture into an irrelevance.
So after all that gloominess what do you do? Get it into a form that doesn’t get in peoples way, something that doesn’t take up space. Something like a book, or several books. They don’t have to be well written, they don’t have to be well bound or professionally printed. If they don’t get in peoples way they can be as safe as the family photographs are.
Another way of preserving at least some sort of a family tree is to turn it into something valuable. That way the kids will be fighting over who is to get possession of it. Buy a nice large linen tablecloth, get out the needle and thread and embroider the whole kit and caboodle onto the cloth along with a few fancy embellishments. This will keep you busy until the arrival of the event I mentioned previously. If you make an error there’s no need for reverting to a backup or an undo button just unpick.
The result will be a beautiful valuable heirloom that no-one would dare to throw out or even to use although on second thoughts it would probably end up sold. I would do it myself if not for the fact that I am artistically challenged, fundamentally lazy and that my eyes and my hands aren’t what they used to be and in fact never were.
Alan
Family History is a fad. Thirty years ago interest in family history was a rarity. Today everyone is into it, there are radio and television programs about it, there’s a whole industry making millions from it. The fad will fade away like all others have in the past, the professionals will take up another trade and the industries will accommodate whatever fad it is that follows on. All that will be left will be a group of die-hards still trying to find their way back to the 17th century.
When we pass on and possibly get the chance to interrogate our halo bedecked ancestors our research on earth will be extremely vulnerable. Hopefully there won’t be a radical cleanup as soon as soon as our rigour is morticed. If our digital records, so lovingly backed up are put away somewhere safe for 20 years by our heirs they will be quite unreadable by then even if someone was inclined to go to the expense of trying to do so.
Our tons of paperwork will be whittled away as the sentimentality wears off, no one will have the time or the interest to sort out the fundamentals. Eventually the last pathetic scraps will be flushed to make more room for the kid’s toys or whatever. This is all assuming that in the meantime wars pestilence and natural disasters don’t turn history and culture into an irrelevance.
So after all that gloominess what do you do? Get it into a form that doesn’t get in peoples way, something that doesn’t take up space. Something like a book, or several books. They don’t have to be well written, they don’t have to be well bound or professionally printed. If they don’t get in peoples way they can be as safe as the family photographs are.
Another way of preserving at least some sort of a family tree is to turn it into something valuable. That way the kids will be fighting over who is to get possession of it. Buy a nice large linen tablecloth, get out the needle and thread and embroider the whole kit and caboodle onto the cloth along with a few fancy embellishments. This will keep you busy until the arrival of the event I mentioned previously. If you make an error there’s no need for reverting to a backup or an undo button just unpick.
The result will be a beautiful valuable heirloom that no-one would dare to throw out or even to use although on second thoughts it would probably end up sold. I would do it myself if not for the fact that I am artistically challenged, fundamentally lazy and that my eyes and my hands aren’t what they used to be and in fact never were.
Alan
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Russell
- Posts: 2559
- Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2005 5:59 pm
- Location: Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire
Alan
You are a cynical bibliophile
There is a great deal more than a kernel of truth in what you expound.
The next generation will have nothing to attract and hold them since you will have done the most interesting detective work already.
Our interest is a selfish, self interest when you really examine it closely (so lets not go there
)
It won't stop me from being selfishly, self interested though
I like your ideas for a permanent heirloom although, like our family christening robe which had lasted for 150 years only to be lost when it was loaned for an exhibition, many family items do end up on e-bay or in an auction house or bric-a-brac shop. worse still is a charity shop where it goes for peanuts.
A book is most definitely the answer. A limited, private edition which your relatives will be forced to accept smiling pleasantly though gritted teeth.
Shall we form a "Sad Case Society"
Russell
You are a cynical bibliophile
There is a great deal more than a kernel of truth in what you expound.
The next generation will have nothing to attract and hold them since you will have done the most interesting detective work already.
Our interest is a selfish, self interest when you really examine it closely (so lets not go there
)It won't stop me from being selfishly, self interested though
I like your ideas for a permanent heirloom although, like our family christening robe which had lasted for 150 years only to be lost when it was loaned for an exhibition, many family items do end up on e-bay or in an auction house or bric-a-brac shop. worse still is a charity shop where it goes for peanuts.
A book is most definitely the answer. A limited, private edition which your relatives will be forced to accept smiling pleasantly though gritted teeth.
Shall we form a "Sad Case Society"
Russell
Working on: Oman, Brock, Miller/Millar, in Caithness.
Roan/Rowan, Hastings, Sharp, Lapraik in Ayr & Kirkcudbrightshire.
Johnston, Reside, Lyle all over the place !
McGilvray(spelt 26 different ways)
Watson, Morton, Anderson, Tawse, in Kilrenny
Roan/Rowan, Hastings, Sharp, Lapraik in Ayr & Kirkcudbrightshire.
Johnston, Reside, Lyle all over the place !
McGilvray(spelt 26 different ways)
Watson, Morton, Anderson, Tawse, in Kilrenny
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AnneM
- Global Moderator
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LesleyB
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trish1
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I'm not sure that family history is a fad - it is so much easier to find information today than it was 30 years ago, that when folks get interested they can follow up on that interest, chat to others with the same interest (30 years ago the chat was restricted to the folks you met at the archives, or the LDS centre) and get so much information without travelling very far. I have some documents and letters from a distant relative who was researching in the 1950s. He made 3 trips Australia/UK by ship to carry out his research. Times have changed - much as I would like to travel to UK to do my research, I can discover much without making this trip.
My parents were researching in the 1990s - I had very little interest (listened politely) but when I caught the "bug" in 2003, I was so pleased to have their work (nothing on a computer) and it is all now in my care. I am confident that before I become a bdm statistic someone in the family will be interested enough to want my research. They listen politely at the minute
Trish
My parents were researching in the 1990s - I had very little interest (listened politely) but when I caught the "bug" in 2003, I was so pleased to have their work (nothing on a computer) and it is all now in my care. I am confident that before I become a bdm statistic someone in the family will be interested enough to want my research. They listen politely at the minute
Trish
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blueladybird
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:29 pm
- Location: renfrewshire
I think it will be a lot harder to research in the future as everyone born today has such fancy names, no family middle names seem to be passed down, like mothers mothers name first son after dad side etc at least we have a chance to find some of our relatives with names being the same.Maybe family trees will die out with us.