Learning and Teaching With The Family History Guide-September 8, 2017

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I hope you all received the new announcement for The Family History Guide yesterday.  For a recap you can go directly to the additions by looking at the More drop-down menu on the Home page.  Go to What's New to see that the current update is already posted there for September.

"2017—September

Added a new Family Activities section in the Misc. menu. Now you can find fun and educational family history activities for Family, Singles, Youth, and Children, all in one convenient place. See http://www.thefhguide.com/act-family.html to get started.

Updated the top menus on each page, replacing the Projects menu with individual Partner menus: FS=FamilySearch, AN=Ancestry, MH=MyHeritage, and FMP=Findmypast. Now you can find Projects for any Partner directly from its menu, without having to switch contexts at the bottom of the menus." Bob Taylor

I am enjoying seeing all the great ideas that Angelle is sharing regarding more engagement in fun activities for everyone with our family history.  It is going to be great to learn more about things for families, singles, youth and children.  What a wonderful vehicle this is for teaching the importance of our family, past, present and future.

The changes in the menu for The Family History Guide are really nicely done and self-explanatory.  Change is inevitable with a dynamic website and fosters growth in going forward. I love it when I see changes in the Family History Guide because I have never seen one that doesn't make it better. 

I wish every change we encounter in other places was as well thought through and beneficial.  Each one is articulated so well there is little chance of it presenting confusion.  In the event there is a question, Bob is on social media every day to clarify.  Because I use The Family History Guide everyday I am so grateful for it and appreciate Bob's vision of how it will evolve step-by-step. It helps me so much as a student and trainer.  Win/Win!  It's a great time to be onboard with The Family History Guide!  I loved my husband's comment on this post on Facebook! "Change is inevitable...Change that improve something is appreciated!"  James Mattson 

A Well- Deserved Thank You To Everyone in This FHG Community - August 25, 2017

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Good Morning! It has been interesting for me. It started out with watching the BYU Family History Library Webinar by James Tanner from yesterday on Handling Changes in the Family Search Family Tree. <https://youtu.be/mlbvbcKB05k>

Once again he mentioned the Family History Guide <thefhguide.com> as the place to go to sort out problems you may encounter. He explains in detail why the FS/FT is a collaborative tree and why the changes are the solution and not the problem. With the changes and added sources we will eventually have a perfect worldwide tree.

As I was doing that, my husband, Jim, was in his office reading Angelle's post on Family History Fun for Children and families for today and getting all excited about it. He had me come over and told me all about it and said he was going to download one of the games. As soon as I finished the webinar I came on Facebook to read her inspiring words.

Then I noticed that all kinds of people have made suggestions and sent help to Armstrong in Nigeria who is giving a fireside and needed resources. These are genealogical kindnesses that have touched my heart. As an Area Authority I realized he is working with Family Tree Lite, an abbreviated version of FamilySearch's Family Tree. They all inspire me when I see the photos he attaches here on Facebook from time to time.

That was when I realized that today the article that I was planning to post will need to wait. Today I just want to thank Bob Taylor, Bob Ives, James Tanner, all the board and staff members of the Family History Guide. I also want to thank each of you who come to this page regularly and comment and "like" the contributes that are made. Thank you to those of you who support the Family History Guide though sharing and spreading the word about this wonderful and inspired program. What a magnificent community of like-minded people. As I pondered all that each of you do...the thought crossed my mind, I believe I have found my people at last! Make it a great day friends!

Cousin Contacts Can Bring Astonishing Results- August 22, 2017

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Hi Everyone! I am still thinking about Memories today. Family Search has an excellent Memories section which is all explained nicely in The FamilyHistory Guide. www.thefhguide.com. 

Memories; Project 2 (Found on the Home page). 

It is so worth going through ALL the Goals and Choices and Steps in Project 2 to learn how to preserve your family stories and photos on Family Search to share with the world. They are so much safer there than in a box in the attic or garage.

I was thinking about how important cousins are as we try to reach back in time and gather photos and stories. In the past 7 years I have found three third cousins, who are grandchildren of my grandmother's siblings. They have been invaluable in helping me get stories and photos I have needed.

I have found one first cousin who was unknown to all of our family until 3 years ago. All of them have become close friends as well. One cousin, that I had known as a child, discovered from another cousin I was doing our Family History. Once she knew, she was willing to send me a bunch of items she was going to throw away when downsizing.

The most important items were the photo below and the obituary of my maternal great grandfather, Thomas Rees. They have been so very important to my being able to find many generations of ancestors in Wales and Cornwall, England.

The obituary is written in Welsh. It took us about a week to translate it. A big challenge that was worth every minute.  Here it is:

 REES.--In September in New Cambria, Mo., at age 45, the humble Christian Thomas Rees, farmer, leaving a widow and five children as mourners after him. Although he was relatively young he experienced long and protracted afflictions, from shortness of breath -- one of the worst afflictions to prevent man from being useful to society family, religion, and generally; but he did his part in the one as in the other notwithstanding his frailty. He was a member of the Calvinist Methodist church there, and was a faithful member throughout his life. He had the ability to socialize, and therefore his presence always truly acceptable. He was born in a small farmhouse called Crin-cae, near Rhandirmwyn, Wales. His parents were David and Betsi Rees, who were loyal to him and his brothers, rearing them with religious education as members of Salem Calvinist Methodist Church, where they were catechized and counseled in detail by the Elders of the pulpit and of the deacons' pew. Two of his brothers rose to be preachers, Isaac Rees, priest at Penygraig, Rhondda Valley, and Rees Rees, with [the Calvinistic Methodists], in the Island, Ystradgynlais, Wales. He also has two brothers in this country, James D. Rees, Wilkes-Barre, and Dan Rees, Plymouth, Pa. He had been in the area of Wilkes-Barre for ten years before moving to New Cambria; to a multitude of friends he was a morning friend there. We wish his widow and orphans every success necessary to be comfortable in temporal and spiritual things while on earth. - Yes! Morning Friend. (Which we have since learned means very good friend.)

You can see how much new information we got.  Location, parents, siblings, etc.

Because of it we were able to go to Wales, find their little hamlet, see the Rees home still standing, find additional siblings and deceased relatives, find the cemeteries, meet a current resident of Rhandirmwyn, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Alun Jones is an historian and has written a book all about the area. We also got to walk where the Rees family walked and lived and went to school and church and that was the best part of it all.

I was invited to do some writing for their quarterly magazine about the descendants of Thomas Rees here in America. It never occurred to me that people in small places want to know what happened to their residents once they left their homeland.

Consequently we have been invited back for a tour of the entire area with our mentor as our guide. All of that because a cousin told a cousin we were doing our family history. I am a big fan of cousins. We need them to move forward all the time.

Have your cousins helped you move forward with your family history? Have they increased your love of your living and deceased family members in the process?

Appreciating Computer Technology-July 25, 2017

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Today I have been thinking about how much I appreciate computer technology and all the great things it contributes to our success in doing our family history activities. It is easier than ever to find vital records and histories and all things related to family history. Millions of new indexed records are being added daily by all the big database sites.

If you or someone you know feels at a loss because computer savvy is not your strong suit, there is a lot of help within the Family History Guide just for you. Go to www.thefhguide.com and click on the Intro link on the top of the Home page. The drop down menu will allow you to select Computer Basics. You can also now access this from the Home page in For Beginners (due to a recent update of the Home page).

Go in and take a good look around. There is a lot of help to get you going. Seek the help and you are on your way! You can learn so much about The Family History Guide by just opening all the drop down menus from the Home page and seeing what is there. Happy Hunting!

Bob Taylor Announced my new position at The Family History Guide on June 27, 2017

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Tuesday Tip: OK, this is more of an announcement than a tip ... We're pleased to let you know that Bonnie Colberg Mattson has volunteered to help with our Social Media efforts. She is a Temple and Family History Consultant at the Oakland CA Family History Center, and she has considerable experience as a blogger and family history researcher. Welcome aboard, Bonnie - we are excited to have you on the team!

My reply:  I am thrilled for this opportunity to be the Family History Guide's Social Media Coordinator.  I love The Family History Guide and want to share it with the world!  Thank you so much!

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