Facebook and Genealogy
Meet my great, great-grandfather. This is the first picture I have ever seen of him and I had not heard any stories or anything about him until a week ago when my second cousin posted this picture on Facebook. Immediately after my cousin posted this, other family members began to leave comments about their memories of him. Things like “he had a big white mustache and every time he ate breakfast he would get oatmeal in it” and “he lived in the house on the highway next to the creek” and “the train went right past his house”. These are small details, but I feel like I have a small glimpse into his life. And it is all thanks to Facebook.
Facebook has given my family such a great way to get to know one another and to share stories, pictures, and our family genealogy. I have never met my cousin who posted this photo, but I feel like we know each other quite well because we are friends on Facebook. She recently found a lot of old pictures and has been scanning them in and sharing them with us on Facebook. What a remarkable thing it is to be able to virtually share memories and our family history with each other!
I’d love to hear how Facebook has helped you with your genealogy!
February 7th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
This is a great idea. I think I might post a picture of my Grandpa or Great Grandpa on Facebook and have family members write down their memories.
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I found a comment on my uncle’s facebook wall a few days ago and started contacting people on his friends list. I am amazed to discover that there was an entire side of the family that I didn’t know existed! As soon as I can afford the fee I intend to sign up for the LDS genealogy database to see what else I can discover!