From our COO, Bob Ives:

With all the unsettling things going on in today’s world, I find it comforting to be able to think about something other than the current events of the day. Yes, that can be hard if you are wondering what tomorrow may bring or you are sequestered or quarantined. Focusing on something that can be calming and uplifting is harder to do.

May I suggest family history. But, you say, “I can’t get to my local library or family history center or visit my cousin in Poughkeepsie. How am I supposed to get anything accomplished?” There is a way to focus on the calming effects of searching out our ancestors, and finding those events and stories that they lived through, and how they might apply to us today.

Today we have a myriad of worldwide resources available to us at our fingertips. The Family History Guide can take you around the world or across town without leaving the comfort of your home, without having to worry about quarantines or travel restrictions or tests. You can search the archives of Lancashire or Auckland or Birmingham. Go anywhere you want via Google. Learn how to use another feature of Family Search or MyHeritage or Ancestry. Browse through hundreds of fun and engaging family history activities. Or just pop some corn, settle back and enjoy a family history video. Maybe you’d like to communicate with other stranded family history searchers via email. The world is at your fingertips, using resources like The Family History Guide!

So, what are you waiting for? Get out of the house (virtually) and go exploring using The Family History Guide. No tickets needed.

The Family History Guide Association is especially grateful to healthcare workers around the world who are working hard to treat and prevent the spread of the disease. Of course, it’s up to all of use to be thoughtful and considerate in our interactions with others, to do our part as well.

Like many organizations, The Family History Guide Association has had its share of disruption to events. For a complete list, see our Events page. We are confident that some or most of these event will still happen at a later date, as interest in what The Family History Guide offers remains high.

The work goes on, and we’re still standing!

PS: We are also grateful in the timing of RootsTech 2020 this year. If it had been scheduled a few weeks later, it almost certainly would have been canceled, and a huge family history opportunity for so many of us would have been missed.