Our first family get together in 30 years

[Ladkyis]

My cousin and I have started to organise the first real family get together for 30 years. He is doing the important stuff like organising the venue and I get the easy stuff like thinking up what to say in the letter and how to display the family tree and what we want the family members to bring with them.
I have the right connetion to be able to get a BIG tree on one sheet of paper to go on the wall but I think we should have copies - smaller ones - to give to everybody. I would like everyone to bring family photographs or at least bring copies of them so we could scan them to send to those family members who can't get there on the day.
I am sure there are lots of things that would be really good to do or to display but my mind has gone blank for the moment. I know there are people on this forum who will have wonderful ideas and I hope that someof you will share.

Ann

[Geoffers]

I am sure there are lots of things that would be really good to do or to display but my mind has gone blank for the moment.
For me, the enjoyable part of researching family history is not having everything presented to me as a complete work, but rather to delve into records and work things out for myself (I hate the book-style reports on FH programmes).

This is only a suggestion and depends on how many turn up - but - why not print off personal family trees for each of those who say they will attend, tracing a basic line (parents-grandparents-gt.grandparents) back just to 1901. Then give them lots of paper and the challenge to work out how they are related to everyone else - maybe buy a bottle of plonk as a prize for the best effort - if nowt else it should at least get everyone talking to each other.

You will need some space and several tables on which to layout photocopies of census returns, certificates, photos, transcripts of parish registers etc and maybe a short note with each group of records saying what they do. Set a fairly short time limit (30, 45 or 60 minutes) to avoid it dragging on. You might also think of having a complete family tree which you can reveal to show the 'right' answer.

Hope you have a nice day for the get-together.

Geoffers

[Guy Etchells]

[QUOTE=Geoffers]For me, the enjoyable part of researching family history is not having everything presented to me as a complete work, but rather to delve into records and work things out for myself (I hate the book-style reports on FH programmes).

Here I am slightly at odds with Geoff, having been researching my family for most of my life I can state that one lifetime is not long enough to research a family tree therefore the more help given the better.
I suggest burning cds of your research so far onto cds and giving thses to the family members.
It will act a a starting point for many more decades of research for each and every one of them if they so wish.
Family history is a hobby with no boundaries one can never say ones research is complete.
Cheers
Guy

[Ladkyis]

I just knew that there would be some good ideas. I like the idea of a bit of a competition but there were two mothers in the family so the ancestry of half the family is different to the other. Between you you have managed to get me thinking again - Thank you all so much.
Ann

[Trish]

Ask everyone whether they are attending or not to bring/send a typed or written favourite memory, perhaps of someone departed or that they were told long ago. Stuck on a notice board they will probably set off more memories and may even give you more leads on people you have lost

AnnieGreat idea, Annie. To expand on that, it could be very illuminating to have people write down family stories that have been passed down through several generations.

My aunt has a quite different recollection of a family story about a murdered great grandfather and piracy on the high seas from what I remember being told by a great aunt years ago. Of course I'm sure my version is right but, even so, hers is pretty intriguing.

You could have some interesting tales -- sort of like playing telephone or post office or whatever it's called -- you know, that game where you whisper a message to someone at one end of a line of people... they pass it to the next person in line, etc. and it comes out as something altogether different by the time it reaches the other end.. er, well, sort of, anyway.

Enjoy your family reunion, Ladkyis.

Trish

[Geoffers]

I just knew that there would be some good ideas. I like the idea of a bit of a competition but there were two mothers in the family so the ancestry of half the family is different to the other. Between you you have managed to get me thinking again - Thank you all so much.
Ann
If you are combining a get-together for inter-married families, then as an alternative to getting folks to create a family tree from copies of documents. Set them a challenge to locate three, five, or ten different facts - you can make the clues as cryptic or clear as you like; again it's just something to get things going.

Geoffers

[Jo Simpsons]

May be an autograph book that they could write a little note and sign?

I just hope you have a brilliant time :)
Jo

[Procat]

I attended a reunion some years that was really well done. It was big - some 300 people as there were a number of inter-related families involved.

People were asked to bring along copies of any photos they had and also any newpaper clippings or other memorabilia - if possible laid out on a board of some sort with descriptions of who and where etc. Most of the people who did this used cardboard sheets covered with clear plastic serving a dual purpose of keepings thing in place and also protecting them.

If people were willing to have copies made for others they put their contact details on the board as well.

It was amazing the information that was brought along.

There were family trees laid out for each branch on trestle tables around the walls of the venue and the photos etc were placed next to the tree.

There were photographs taken of each family group, then each of the lines and also a group photo and orders could be placed for copies - a bit confusing at times.

Also each person had a name tag with the line they were descended from.

People were asked to fill out an information sheet with their own family and working back as far as they knew.

This was all collated by the organisers at a later date and put into "books" that had been ordered and paid for on the day - privacy issues may arise here for still living people of course.

It was a great event but enormous work was put into it by the organisers.

[AnnB]

You could ask people to bring along any old autograph books or diaries they may have which relate to the family. It is the sort of thing people don't think about, but I have diaries of one of my great grandmothers and an autograph book of a great aunt and they are a wealth of names and information. Yes, there are many names (especially in the autograph book) which are causing problems, but it has set me off on many happy sidetracks...... :)

Best wishes and have fun
Ann

[Ladkyis]

So many good ideas you are all wonderful and my cousin and I thank you very much.
We are getting together this week to sort everything out and design the invitation/notice. I will keep you posted if you are interested

Ann

[Ladkyis]

The afternoon went really well. Squeals of recognition interspersed with laughter against a background hum of conversation. We had asked everyone to bring along any photographs of family groups, especially ones with people they couldn't identify. Everyone was rendered helpless with laughter by Yvonne who showed us the pictures she needed help with.
"I think this might be Nanna" she said and held up a picture of a woman's legs. One of those pictures you take accidentally.
"This could be Nanna's sister, what do you think?" This one was female too - with clothes of course but no head or legs, they were cut off by the photographer. There were several other pictures along these lines by which time the whole room is laughing. The smaller children were looking at their grandparents in amazement never having been subjected to the full force of the family before.
the next picture was the best. "This one is the family last Christmas" she said and showed us a postcard of the painting of the last supper. The roar of laughter was so loud that two men in the carpark outside came to the door to see if everything was alright.
She had, of course, stuck literally to the wording of the request and as an icebreaker it worked wonderfully. Another meeting is being planned for the summer and the results of the corrections to the "Big Tree" are going to be sent out to everyone.
The highlight for me was when I was shown a picture of my grandmother taken around 1910. We had thought that there was only one picture of her so seeing her on another one was fantastic.
We are putting together a newsletter thingy and it has been suggested that we put it in PDF and put it on CD cos this is easier to send abroad than pages and pages of stuff.
there are a couple of relatives that don't have a computer so we can print it for them
If anyone else is thinking of doing this I say go ahead and book the room.
Ann

[Ladkyis]

Not in the June edition because that goes to the printers this week. I am working on the first part of the "Gibbon Gazette" as my daughter called it. I have also had a chance to go through the photographs that were scanned - my usual effect on technology this weekend, the scanner would scan but when I tried to look at the pictures the laptop refused to let me see what I had scanned and then wouldn't let me print it either!

I now have another picture of my grandmother AND two pictures of my step grandmother as well. I sat and stared at them for ages and then decided to print them, big mistake. the printer is now not talking to the ink cartridges so if you want black ink find another printer - brand new cartridge does not work old cartridge works sometimes AAARrrrrrgggghhhh
But I have photos of Nanna and my grandmother |woohoo|
Ann

[Procat]

Well done Ann.

Sounds as though it was a roaring success.