Fellow family history junkies,
Another day, another idea :^) A lovely lady on the Allison surname list was
speaking of the many times the name "Rose" came up in various families in her
lines through the generations & it reminded me that I'm sure we all have come
across many similar names in our family history work.
I'd like to share with you a way in which I have tried to make these "finds"
meaningful to my children & granddaughter. Whenever I find a common name that
someone in the family trees shares with my children & granddaughter I make
particular note of it.
I then include pages about the people & relationship in that
"child's" memory book / scrapbook album. For example little Kelsey
Elisabeth
Rich's pages have photos of her Aunt Erin Elisabeth, my grandmother Mary
Elizabeth Hayward Ryan & my sister Betty McMackin Cooley etc etc, plus notes
about how she is related to all of the Elizabeths & derivitives throughout
the family tree. I also try to write on one of the pages about any traits I
know about the person, like "Aunt Betty was an accomplished ballet dancer &
grandmother Mary Elizabeth loved to garden and do needlework". FInding
things in common with ancestors has always made both my family & the clients
I work with on the memory books feel more connected to those relatives.
My teen age daughter Kathleen's list includes me: Susan Kathryn; my
mother Ellen Catherine Ryan, my aunt Kathryn Welton, my grandmother's aunt
Kate Kennedy etc. The kids have told me that it gives them a sense of
continuity & of belonging, even if most of the people are those who have been
passed away for many years.
Also I make note of how surnames such as ALLISON are used as
given names, such as my father Jay Allison McMackin, cousin Allison Anthony,
& how my grandfather Tim RYAN's name is also used - my son Ryan Reynolds, my
cousin's son Ryan McCabe etc etc.
I encourage each of you to think about how you can make your family
names mean more to the future generations by doing something similar. Any
other ideas out there on how to build better connections with our offspring &
those who came before us?
Warm regards,
Susan
Susan McMackin Reynolds
in Lewes DE, "the first town in the first state"
Connect to me & others at the Surname Genealogy Web Project at
http://www.PlanetAll.com/main.asp?cid=966275&gid=114084&s=194
@>~~,~'~~~~~~~'~,~<@
"Being Irish, I have an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustains me
through
temporary periods of joy." W.B.Yeats