Family Genealogy: Incorporating Children

America is a melting pot of culture, heritage and great history. American families can date ancestry back hundreds, even thousands, of years with origins found in countries all over the world. Teaching our children the importance of genealogy research and family heritage, is crucial to maintaining the integrity of our family trees.

Using some simple techniques in genealogy research, your children can support you in your effort to trace your ancestry and enjoy the same peak into the past generations. Because the paperwork and organization involved with genealogy work can be quite tedious, incorporating your children will not only serve to make your genealogy research more efficient but also encourage their involvement in this most important research.

To incorporate your children in your genealogy research and organization, first set aside a specific time and date on which you and your child will engage in the research endeavor. With preparation as a key to optimizing time management, allocating specific days for you and your children, such as a Saturday morning, will help to prepare, mentally and physically, for the challenges and rewards of genealogy research.

So, what type of genealogy supplies should your child is given to help with organizing the genealogy research? Consider purchasing filing cabinets, paper file baskets and start by giving your child a list of ancestral surnames. Show your child how to prepare labels on your home computer and create file folders with surname labels alphabetized. With these labeled file folders, your child can begin sorting important genealogy documents.

In addition to paper file baskets and filing cabinets, purchase index cards ask your child to review each document and make a quick note as to what the title of the document may be, i.e. a probate, land survey or even marriage and death certificates. Purchase sheet protectors and ask the child to sort the documents, especially those which appear to be valuable, aged or important, into sheet protectors. Be sure the sheet protectors are acid-free.

While these genealogy organization tips may vary depending on the age of your child, most children, especially those in late grade school and middle school, will find organizing documents to be quite simple and rewarding as they spend time reviewing the important documents of their ancestors. By incorporating your children, your genealogy research will become much more efficient and enjoyable as you teach your children about not only their ancestors but also in the importance of preserving family genealogy information for future generations.