When it comes to knowing who your ancestors are, you might have a few pictures of your parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents. You might be able to name some of their birthdates or where they were born. You probably have a collection of stories that were told to you buy an aunt or uncle, or a grandparent about themselves or another ancestor. That's all you need to be able to start this album. For many of us, family history can be intimidating (Especially if you say it with a voice like a judge handing down a sentence). I think that's because "family history" is a heavy phrase that has a lot of meaning and typically connotes a lot of work, research, effort, and - for most of us - TIME that we don't necessarily have to commit to a huge project, regardless of how important we feel it to be. And that's where I come in, and why I've designed this Family History Overview album. If you've never started a family history album, or you don't know WHERE to start in recording your own family history, you've come to the right place!

Our Goal: Document "Your Three Generations"

Sometimes the thought of opening that box of photos, or the cover of whatever huge journal or scrapbook you've inherited, or beginning to search online, or calling Aunt Lucy to see if she can remember what her grandmother's maiden name was can seem like a trip down a rabbit hole. So I've set a goal with this album to keep it simple: we are going to FIND, RECORD, and PRESENT your "Three Generations." For our purposes, this means three back from yourself: Your Parents, Your Grandparents, and Your Great-Grandparents. So if they aren't part of "Your Three," you can save that info for another time!

As far as the importance of at least a basic understanding of your ancestry? I agree with you: knowing who we are also involves knowing where we came from. Something about anchoring ourselves to our people helps give us courage to face our own future. Who are the people further back in the tree from you? When and where did they live, and in what circumstances? Why did they make the choices they did, that all followed down, like a line you can trace with your finger, to YOU. Marvelous! This gorgeous album is sure to become an heirloom in your family, cherished as a rich look into the lives of those who came before you.

NOTE: These albums make great gifts! You can create two albums for yourself and your spouse, each documenting "your three," or you can combine into one album for a child, with yourself as the parent, your parents as the grandparents, etc. It's up to you!

What To Expect in Class

This is THE place to start if you've been "meaning to get to those old photos" you inherited! We'll divide up the album with a 4- or 6-page section for each set of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents (7 sections in all), and each section will contain information on that ancestors' Vitals, as well as a map & a timeline we'll make in class. But that's not all! Our class is project-based, but your experience will be anything but! I'll show you my favorite places to research family history, and we'll also be discussing strategies for digitizing and organizing photos, documents, memorabilia, and stories to continue our family history efforts into other projects (coming in the future). I can't wait!

You'll receive:

• Templates for the album, including Vitals, Map, and Timeline pages, plus several configurations for photographs and journal cards
• Video instructions for creating your own online family tree, researching records, and gathering data into a spreadsheet I'll provide
• A full digital kit, including dozens of gorgeous, softly textured papers and embellishments
• Journaling prompts for each section of the album

How To Prepare for Class

In this particular project, it will pay to get ready early. Here's what you'll want to begin gathering. I'll provide you with guidance on finding vital information as well as (possibly!) photos or news articles as part of class:

• One Formal Photo for each set of ancestors - preferably wedding photos of your parents, your grandparents, and your great-grandparents. These will be the section headers, and this will be the main photo in that page.
• 2-7 additional photos of each of the above, and/or stories you'd like to include in the album. We're keeping the number of photos low, so we can, as they say, "git 'er done" and off the computer and into the hands of your loved ones!
• Birth, marriage, and death dates and places for each of the above, plus additional facts such as places they lived or traveled, number of children, personalities, etc. If you're low on photos, the more of this vital information you can find, the better!

I'll Be Right There With You

This whole family history series is going to change your life. At the end of class, you'll have a deeper appreciation for the lives and circumstances of "Your Three Generations" than you had, and a gorgeous album to share that knowledge with your own family. These are YOUR people. Your tribe, that lived and struggled and fought succeeded, maybe farmed or worked a mine or in a city, who laughed and cried, met a partner and had a child, and the whole process started over, until you. They belong to you. And that belonging, to a rich and continuing story, is what I want to share with you. Register now, and I'll see you in class!