Summer is coming! I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait. While the blackflies are keeping you from getting out to enjoy it, make some plans to include genealogy in your summer. It’s not too late to organize some kind of family reunion or gathering. If you have family history in Maine, these tough economic times are a good excuse to vacation in Maine and get your family involved. It is no accident that Maine is a prime tourist destination in summer, and just about every town is doing something to get people involved and interested.
This is a great time to get your kids or grandkids involved, especially if you live within a day-trip distance from your ancestors’ hometowns. Go take photos of the places your ancestors lived, or even the places that were important in your own lifetime. Do you have a photo of the first school you attended? Show your grandkids where you played as a child, maybe even play with them the games you played with your childhood friends. How else will they learn how to play “Red Rover”?
If you want to introduce your family to cemetery visitations, I’d suggest visiting very old, interesting, but impersonal stones before bringing them to the stones of people you have personally known. If you want to clean up a family headstone, check the Maine Old Cemetery Association website for some great tips. Remember to finish a trip to the cemetery by telling your family how much you treasure every day you share with them.
Now is a good time to get in touch with chambers of commerce, and remember that many places are changing their hours for the season, so be sure to check before you travel. Historical and genealogical societies are planning tours and events, most area schools are hosting alumni events, and even a local parade may introduce you to a new organization or give you an idea for new research avenues.
Editor’s note: This regular column is sponsored by the Aroostook County Genealogical Society. The group meets the fourth Monday of the month except in July and December at the Cary Medical Center’s Chan Education Center, 163 Van Buren Road, Caribou, at 6:30 p.m. Guests and prospective members are always welcome. FMI contact Edwin “J” Bullard at 492-5501. Columnist Nina Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft has been doing genealogy for over 30 years, is a freelance genealogy researcher, speaker and teacher. Reader e-mails are welcome at ninabrawn@gmail.com.
