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Let's Get Family History Month/Archives Month Started



It's officially October, which is also known as Family History Month and Archives Month.

There are many ways you can celebrate working on genealogy during the next 31 days. 

1. Visit a cemetery and fulfill Find A Grave and BillionGraves photo requests (bonus points if you have ancestors buried in those cemeteries)

2. Visit a local archives - it could be its own repository like NARA or the DAR Library, a local museum or even a local library that has its own historical room (much like the one I visited in Steuben County, NY)

3. Contribute to an indexing project. FamilySearch upgraded their indexing tool to be web based so you can work on it on your computer and tablet. No more having to download software and hosting on your computer. FamilySearch is hosting a worldwide indexing event October 20th - 22nd. 

4. Register for an upcoming conference. The conference season is finishing out over the next few months and will pick up again with RootsTech in February. The Shamrock Genealogist will be in attendance at RootsTech as well as the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference. 

5. Prune your family tree. Find sources where you have facts noted, research women's surnames where their married surnames are used as placeholders, look for each descendant each of your ancestor had. 

6. Keep up with your learning. Legacy hosts free and paid webinars that you can attend. You can find a large amount of genealogical webinars free online through genealogical societies. 

7. Look into submitting your DNA and/or gather family members to test. It's a great tool to use in conjunction with research. I've discovered another line of Corcorans thanks to a DNA match I got in touch with. 

8. Scan your family photographs. With the recent hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico we need to make sure we preserve our past. Scan and upload to sites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, etc. 

What are you doing to celebrate Family History Month and Archives Month?

Disclaimer: I am an Ambassador for RootsTech 2018. I provide blog posts (in my own words), and social media coverage from now until after the conference. In return, I have free admission to RootsTech. 

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