Are you a human being? Congratulations, you have a family history! Whether you're an avid genealogist or a curious beginner, Family History Month is a great time to celebrate and share your family's past. Here are a few suggested activities for Family History Month, and ways the Alachua County Library District can help you with your family history every day of the year.
Do Genealogy Research
The library has several resources that can help you on your quest to learn more about your family tree. We have a subscription to Ancestry, which you can use, for free, just by coming into one of our twelve branches. We also have HeritageQuest Online, a great resource for primary source documents. If your family have been locals for generations, you can check out our Heritage Collection, a series of digitized photos from around Alachua County, or the Gainesville Sun collection. Our Headquarters Branch also has a reference collection of genealogy resources, including old Alachua County Records, city directories, and census records on microfiche.
Interview a Relative
Do you have an older relative who you just know has some great stories or insight on a historical event? Use Family History Month to finally get their stories recorded. Talking to older relatives, or even neighbors or community leaders, is also a great opportunity to involve children in learning about local and family history.
Nine out of our twelve branches have private study rooms where you can gather for a story-telling session, and our Library Partnership Branch has a StudioSpace that you can use if you want to get your relative's stories in their own words. You can also explore oral history to inspire your interview; search for oral history books or check out the University of Florida's Joel Buchanan African American Oral History Archives.
Digitize Family Photos
Digital cameras only started to overtake traditional cameras in popularity in about 2008; for most of us, that means our digital archive of photographic memories is, at most, 15 years old. Preserving and updating your family's history by digitizing old photos is a great way to reconnect with lost loved ones, resurrect forgotten memories, and make genealogy research come alive in a new way. All of our library branches have upright scanning stations, and the Headquarters Library, Alachua Branch, Millhopper Branch and Tower Road Branch all have large-format flatbed scanners, suitable for more delicate photos and negatives. Our ScanStations can upload scans to a USB stick, e-mail, and many cloud-based services, extract text from old documents, and even translate text (results may vary).
Cook Ancestral Food
No matter the size of your family tree, food is a universal part of our family history. Even if your family tree only has a few branches, you can gain a rich understanding of your family's past through recreating recipes. Our library collection has a rich selection of cookbooks from every corner of the planet. You can search our catalog for the food of your ancestors, and don't forget to look on Libby for e-cookbooks. If your family has taken DNA tests and been surprised by the results, this is a great way to connect with parts of your genetic identity that you weren't raised with. On the other hand, it's also a great way to enhance your family's traditions--try looking up side dishes to add to your favorite family recipe, and share feast of remembrance with your loved ones.