Hello fellow family history enthusiasts! I wanted to take a moment to chat about something that’s absolutely transformed my genealogy journey – the #52Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge created by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow.
Think of it as your personal invitation to dust off those family stories hiding in your research folders and breathe real life into them! Each week, you receive a prompt that inspires you to write about an ancestor or family story. It’s like having a friendly genealogy accountability partner who gently nudges you to keep documenting your discoveries.
In my own genealogy journey over the past 14 weeks, I’ve explored several themes that have helped me connect more deeply with my ancestors:
Letters and Diaries led me to share my grandfather George Dubinsky’s wartime letters from 1945. Reading his words about missing my grandmother Eva while stationed at Percy Jones Hospital had me in tears! Those letters revealed so much more than dates and places – they showed me his heart.
Family Secrets gave me courage to sensitively explore my ex-husband’s grandmother Myrtle’s story of creating a fictional deceased husband in 1929 Illinois. Her choice helped me understand the impossible situations young unmarried mothers faced and the lengths they went to protect their children from stigma.
Breaking Through Brick Walls let me document my exhilarating breakthrough in discovering my great-great-grandfather Sven Mattisson through Swedish church records. That moment when I found the notation connecting him to my great-great-grandmother Sissa had me literally gasping out loud!
Chain Migration became personal as I examined how my Swedish ancestors (Alma, Hugo, and David Svensson-Sten) created pathways for each other from Kristianstad to America in the 1920s. I could almost feel their anticipation as each sibling followed the others across the Atlantic.
Many participants find that the challenge helps them:
- Identify gaps in their research
- Make unexpected connections between ancestors
- Discover new research avenues
- Create shareable content for family members not interested in charts and records
- Build a substantial body of family history writing over the course of a year
You know what I love most about this challenge? It’s turned my research from a solitary pursuit into a conversation. Each post feels like I’m sitting with you at my kitchen table, sharing old photos and stories over coffee. When I write about my grandfather George’s letters or my Swedish ancestors’ journey across the Atlantic, I can almost hear your questions and comments, as if we’re piecing together these mysteries together.
Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just beginning your family history journey, #52Ancestors offers a manageable way to transform your research into meaningful stories that will connect generations. As you can see from my blog posts, I’ve embraced this challenge as a way to bring my Swedish and Eastern European ancestors to life through stories that go beyond basic facts.
And that’s the real magic of #52Ancestors – it’s not just about documenting facts, but about creating connections. Between past and present. Between researcher and reader. Between your family story and mine.
Have you tried the #52Ancestors challenge? I’d love to hear which family stories you’ve uncovered or which themes resonated most with you! Drop me a comment below – after all, sharing our family histories is how we keep these precious memories alive.
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