St. Patrick’s Day was always special in our house growing up because my mom is Irish. We always wore green and ate traditional corned beef and cabbage. St. Patrick’s Day has seemed to evolve beyond celebrating the saint himself and moved to a general celebration of Irish history and culture.
I always thought both of my mom’s parents were of “pure” Irish descent, but just found out as an adult that my maternal grandfather’s name was actually Scottish! This is probably not surprising to anyone who regularly studies genealogy, but it sure was to me. Talking to my great-uncle about old family photos uncovered a wealth of information. He was able to fill in so many details, giving context about what was shown in each photograph. I got to know him better and learned so much about that part of my family.
If you are interested in researching your family history, a great way to start is by asking questions of older family members. Be sure to document what they say – either by writing down, audio recording or taking video. Here are some books that can help kids get started on this process:
Carol C
Dianna
erica
Miss Heather
Dawn
Kris
Mary
Miriam
Marra
Becky
Sara
It is always nice to find out a little more about your family and where everyone comes from.