General Chat

Was reading a link for the Ancestry page on FB earlier today and it seems that people in America regularly have family Reunions and they do lots of things, like every family takes a plain White apron and somebody takes permanent fabric pens and everyone signs the aprons as a momento of the day. When I go on main pc later I'll copy some of the ideas and post them for you.

Thank you all for your ideas....they are very good, I like the idea of everyone bringing a photograph of themselves....can add them to my files!

Regards
Dee

I organised one last year. It was supposed to be a cousins reunion, but dads family ended up with my eldest cousin growing up with my youngest 2 aunts, so they all got muddled up, and we ended up with 3 generations turning up. The most popular 'exercise' was when people turned up with photos of relatives or friends who they did not recognise, so everyone got involved trying to identify people.

Now we have 'photo borrowing' from each other, so those of us with computers can scan borrowed photos and also their identity. This is also keeping the older relatives visiting each other more, and the old forgotten stories from years gone by are starting to surface again for younger generations to hear, sometimes for the first time.

Ask all your guests to put their name, address, phone number and e-mail address on a list, then there is a central list of everyone.

Enjoy your day, and make it an annual event. I did that and this year some relatives drove over 100 miles to turn up. We exchanged family history information with those interested, and had a good chat to those who were not.

Regards,

Hazel

You've said not all are interested in the family tree so you have to try not to alienate those people. Do you have photos of when you were all young that you could put on boards with dates etc for people to look at?

My guess is that people will want to chat and not be organised, but the memory box is a good idea.

Have a Quiz on your family history.
If something is said you don't know about, make a note of what was said and by who. That way you can phone them or see them at a later time and ask about it.

Beverley
Like the idea, but doubt my lot would go for that, could make it a game later as a topic of conversation....thank you.

I thought I might print some trees of the particular branches so that they could take them home. Some of them are interested in the family tree, others are not.

Sadly, I don't have many photographs of one branch, and they don't either....apparently when their brother moved out of the family home, he had to downsize and burned all the family photos and documents! His sisters have been asking me and my siblings for any photos we have! If my brother had done that.....he wouldn't be able to show his face! What a shame...all those memories...gone!

print off basic photos pin them up ,they are bound to be asked about then say youll send copies and tree info later that way youll keep in touch...you may even get a tree buddie on board..!

have some files of certs placed about so they can be looked at....just keep it simple as to a novice its hard to grasp all the ins and outs..

Yes, I had thought about printing the family tree and putting it on view - somehow, not sure how I can achieve this.

Print off some basic easy to follow tree charts with a little write up on them.or give them all a note pad and you grab attention and talk it though..

print off some old family photos and pin them round rooms,a good talking point.

OK, my side of the family have lost touch with our cousins on our fathers' side. we saw alot of each other when we were kids but growing up and having family of our own...you know how it is.
We met up again last year at my sisters' funeral and said the usual....we should all get together again.
So....I am organising a reunion, at my house in early July. I am making it a long day from 2pm through to the evening so we can have a real good catch-up. nothing too special, putting a buffet on and "bring your own drinks and chairs" There are going to be about 60 people I am estimating at the moment.

Can anyone give me any ideas as to making it a nice event?
Thank you
Dee