A Perfect Gift for Father’s Day
Many articles have been written about how to take meaningful family history trips with your family. It is worth a reminder that a “road trip” might just be the perfect gift for Father’s Day!
My dad was famous for his road trips. He loved taking us to ghost towns and while they didn’t have much to do with our own family history, he planted seeds for road trips and looking into the past. As we grow older, we understand why my dad loved those road trips. Spending time together and remembering our past is a precious gift.
FamilySearch has created many opportunities for us to “travel” into the past. Taking a road trip with Dad can be memorable and meaningful when we include our family’s history. Here’s how to plan a fun road trip with Dad this Father’s Day.
“Map My Ancestors” is a feature of the FamilySearch app for your mobile phone. Once you have downloaded the app, find the “more” button. Tap on that and a menu will appear. “Map My Ancestors” can be accessed from here. As you can see from the map on my app, we could spend a full day tracking down the places where my ancestors lived and were buried. If you tap on the blue dot on your map, it will open a list for your ancestor which includes their vital information and oftentimes their place of residence. With a little more digging into historical records, perhaps you might find their addresses, too.
Another resource for finding a route is a feature that one of my fellow Thursday consultants, Karen Andrews, pointed out to us recently:
familysearch.org/campaign/cemetery
You will find more great ideas from Angelle Anderson’s blog post from the Family History Guide:
https://www.thefhguide.com/blog/the-transformative-power-of-family-history-field-trips/
A road trip for Father’s Day can be fun, memorable, and perhaps even healing! Happy Father’s Day and safe travels!
-Janet Helland, Temple and Family History Consultant, Granite FamilySearch Center