Thanksgiving...for "The Genealogist"

T.....is for Thanksgiving and remembering our ancestors, those in who's footsteps we follow from so long ago.
H.....is for Home, the place where our families gather to remember loved ones, have fun together, and where our memories linger.
E.....is for Eating, of course, as what would the day be without that grand old turkey bird, good food from recipes handed down through generations, and loving family?


G.....is for the Genealogists, the family researchers and historians who work so tirelessly to keep their proud legacies alive.
E.....is for the Energy to keep going even when that brick wall seems to get higher and higher before us.
N.....is for Nature: the land and her bounties that moved our ancestors onward and continue to sustain us this Thanksgiving Day.
E.....is for Evidence as it is the precious "gold" treasure that proves we exist. Where did we come from and to where are we heading?
A.....is for Anniversaries. The markers in our journey through time which we all celebrate and cherish.
L.....is for Love; that which is felt by family and is given as a true gift from God.
O.....is for the Optimism in us all for the journey ahead. Our ancestors are calling, we must answer and be thankful for the rewards.
G.....is for our Grandmothers. They are the far reaching roots in all our lives. Ties from the past and keys to the future.
I......is for "I", myself and me. I am the keeper of my family history and I will continue to see to it's future!
S.....is for Sitting quietly, lost in our thoughts of those gone before us and dreaming of the future generations to come.
T.....is for Thankful as this is our day to give thanks for family, fortune, happiness and yes, even times of despair as those are the pages of life. Thankful you are here and we are all together this Thanksgiving day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU! From Ruby and Cheri, "The You Go Genealogy Girls"


You Go Genealogy Girl #2 -Cheri

More of Our Celebrating Families Day

After nearly a week of lousy weather and very high winds, we were lucky to get a beautiful fall day recently for our day of "Celebrating Families" in honor of Family History Month. We worked hard all month to put the day together and also celebrated the special month with additional offerings at the museum. Our local museum, The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center hosted the month long celebration which culminated in a day for everyone to show off their family histories and stories. For more information on the wonderful facilities for family research at the museum, please check out the official website for the museum and also the postings here and here on the blog, Nebraska Roots and Ramblings. The You Go Genealogy Girls do try to spend some time at the Heritage Room in the museum doing research each time we are together in Alliance. Our day long celebration was a first for the museum and the nearly 70 people who took part in setting up their displays and attending the evening program, presented by Girl #1, seemed to really enjoy the special day. Showing off collections and talking genealogy or history were the days topics in anticipation of the evening program.

Girl #1, Ruby offered up an interesting evening program that centered on writing about the people we research and often call "family". Her lecture, "Writing About Ancestors, Neighbors, Friends and Murderers" drew nice comments and good questions from the audience. Attendees went away with new ideas about writing family stories and learned the importance of honoring our ancestors.

Through out the afternoon, nearly 16 tables of family memorabilia and genealogy based scrapbooks and researched trees were on display for the public to stop in and see as well as for those who brought their items. Everyone had a great time and it is always fun to see what other historians and genealogists come up with in unique ways to honor their family. Simple book displays, beautiful antique clothing, fancy framed wall charts, heritage quilts, old jewelry, Christmas ornaments, scrapbooks, and even a swimsuit from 1900 rounded out all the awesome and beautiful displays.

We hope you enjoy seeing a few of our pictures from the day, we wish everyone could have been there with us. There are also a few more pictures on our earlier posting at "Celebrating Families".

What a great day we had and what a wonderful way for everyone to share their family with others. Genealogists love to gather and share anyway but when it all comes together in a family honoring celebration it is even better. Learning and sharing should never end and next year will be even bigger and better!

You Go Girl #2-- Cheri

It's Official, We Are Now Famous!

The "Girls" are now officially famous in the world of genealogy. Today, our blog was quoted by Arlene Eakle in her Virginia Blog! Arlene will soon be teaching classes again when she will be a presenter at the upcoming Atlanta Family History Expo. I recently told about Arlene and some of her classes at the Expos. Thanks to Arlene for shining the spotlight on The You Go Genealogy Girls but her lectures brought about our entire blog post. The knowledge that she holds and imparts to those taking her classes is truly a labor of love. Many genealogists share but not many with her busy schedule and demands on their time spend so much time helping others to learn. She calls it Vanity Runs Amouk, hardly so, as she deserves the accolades!

The Atlanta Family Expo will soon be in full swing so if you are even close to the area and love genealogy you should plan to attend. All the classes presented are very good and the fun of the conference and meeting new friends is a wonderful experience. Arlene will again give her lectures on Southern Research, some of her best! Lisa Bratton will present a class geared toward researching a historic slave family and Leland Meitzler will offer "Finding Your Civil War Era Ancestors". Many others will be presenters for this Expo and several of the classes will center on the Southern area. Wish I was going again just take Arlene's classes and to brush up again and to pick up some new guidance as she delves a bit deeper into Southern Research.

My recipe for learning includes some suggestions for everyone now that Winter is upon us and today it really feels like it is here with snow in the forecast. Brrrr....The time has changed and with more dark and quiet evenings we can surely find more of that time for quietly sitting and reading; to study the important historical aspects that certainly affected our ancestors. I do look forward to winter only for the slowed time that comes with it and the additional time to learn more about genealogy!

Get in the car or on a plane and visit an Expo in your area. If you can not do that then at least set aside some personal learning time for yourself on these cold evenings. Sit back with a hot cup of tea, a good book, or a class syllabus, this is the perfect time of year to relax and energize your genealogical batteries with knowledge. Order "Genealogical Resources of the Civil War" by Dollarhide through Leland Meitzler's Family Roots Publishing Co., or Arlene Eakle's "Tennessee and Kentucky, Twin Gateways to the South" from The Genealogical Institute, Inc. They are the next best thing to attending a Family History Expo in person. How lucky we are to be experiencing this wonderful place and time in history when knowledge surrounds us within many venues. Your computer, a book, a museum, or even a conference: pick one or all and never stop the learning -maybe you too will become famous!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Celebrating Families

On Thursday, October 28th, I was delighted to take part in a celebration of family ... mine and others. It was sponsored by the Heritage Seekers, a Box Butte Co., Nebraska genealogy/history group. The celebration was held in the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska. By late afternoon sixteen tables had been set up to accommodate the displays people were creating in celebration of their ancestry.

There was everything from quilts to ornate family trees. Photographs of loved ones lined the walls and tables and reminded me that they are never forgotten. People proudly stood back admiring their displays and those of others, while cameras flashed to preserve the moment. By early evening people were filing into the museum and the chatter began. One lady found a relative on another's big pedigree chart. Others had fond memories of somebody in a photograph and stories were exchanged.

Do you remember the Blizzard of 1949? If you were alive and living in Nebraska in 1949, you undoubtedly remember the blizzard. Traffic by rail and vehicle stopped, lives were lost and cattle suffocated in the huge snow drifts. There were photographs of the blizzard, some showing children building igloos in the storm's aftermath.

Several genealogists brought scrapbooks of family photographs and memorabilia. They are talented individuals who artistically create colorful pages, making it easy to read and learn about their ancestors. Others brought reunion books, family albums and family recipe books. There was limited time to study and read everything.

As people visited, munched on cookies and drank coffee, the sun went down. The floor to ceiling bank of windows across the back of the room provided a view of the night sky and stars. I was pensive in thought, hoping our loved ones knew we were celebrating them, honoring them ... not just that night but always.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby