May 14, 2006

Tips from the Pros: Contacting Funeral Home Directors

Thinking of approaching a funeral home director for help with your roots? Not all are keen on genealogists (and some have privacy policies), but many are very helpful. Try calling first to learn the basics – whether they respond to requests, what details are needed to conduct a search (their records might be organized by name or date, and they often have a card or computer file that leads them to more detailed records – a multi-step process for them), and any fees that might be involved. Then follow up with a letter as instructed – and be specific about what you'd like. It used to be common practice for funeral homes to place obituaries, so some have family fact sheets on the deceased, but they're not apt to send a copy unless you request it. At a minimum, ask for the cemetery involved, names of survivors, and the person who paid for the funeral.

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Kids and Family History

My daughter is out of school this week for spring break and one day when we took my husband to his physical therapy, I decided that rather than wait in the office doing my Sudoku puzzles while my daughter fidgeted, I would take her to a Veterans' Memorial that is nearby. I had visited it the week prior and was taken with the displays and the vivid history that they depicted. Since it was a beautiful day, we got a nice walk and I got to sneak in a history lesson--and a little family history.

The memorial, located in Munster, Indiana, begins with the years leading to WWI and as you follow the path, year and event markers pave a timeline of the various conflicts. With each conflict, there are plaques with narratives, and for more information, you can push a button and listen to information about that conflict. The narrative explains the symbolism of each monument and gives more history.

I was very pleasantly surprised by her interest in each piece of history and as we visited each section, we talked about family members who were in or affected by each conflict. She was surprised to learn just how many members of our family had served. She didn't remember that the Edwin Dyer (from the photograph of the Dyer children) died from the residual effects of gas poisoning in World War I; that my uncles served in Korea and that one of them, whom she has met, was shot in that conflict; and that her grandfather served as a Navy Seal in Vietnam. This gave her a greater understanding of these facts.

Of course, it also made me greedy for more experiences like it. With time flying by and summer vacation looming (yes, it's only a month and a half away!), I thought I'd look at some other activities that might help to both keep her occupied, and develop her interest in history and in our family history. Maybe there's a child in your family (big or little) who may enjoy some of these ideas.

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