Genealogy Day: Celebrating Your Ancestry

Genealogy is more than just a hobby—it’s a journey into the past that connects us with our ancestors, their stories, and the cultures that shaped who we are today. Genealogy Day, celebrated annually on the second Saturday in March, is the perfect opportunity to honor your family history, engage with relatives, and dive deeper into your ancestry.

Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just beginning your research, Genealogy Day is a chance to celebrate, preserve, and share your heritage in meaningful ways. In this guide, we’ll explore fun and educational activities, ways to document and showcase your research, and resources to enhance your family history journey.

1. The Meaning of Genealogy Day

Genealogy Day was founded to encourage people to explore their family history and appreciate the lives of their ancestors. It’s a time to:

✅ Reconnect with your heritage – Discover where your family came from.
✅ Engage with relatives – Share stories, memories, and traditions.
✅ Preserve family history – Organize and document genealogy research.
✅ Celebrate family achievements – Honor ancestors’ lives and contributions.
✅ Educate and inspire – Pass on knowledge to younger generations.

Genealogy Day can be celebrated alone, with family, or within a local genealogy group or historical society.

2. How to Celebrate Genealogy Day

There are many creative ways to honor your ancestry on Genealogy Day, whether you’re exploring your roots for the first time or expanding your research.

A. Start or Update Your Family Tree

If you haven’t built your family tree yet, Genealogy Day is a great time to start. If you already have one, take the day to add new discoveries or verify existing information.

🔹 Use online genealogy databases like:

FamilySearch (familysearch.org) – Free access to billions of records.
Ancestry (ancestry.com) – Extensive paid database with DNA tools.
MyHeritage (myheritage.com) – Great for international research.

👉 Tip: Print your family tree and share it with relatives for input and corrections.

B. Interview an Older Relative

Oral histories are priceless. Take Genealogy Day as an opportunity to sit down with parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles and ask about their memories.

🗣️ Questions to Ask:

What is your earliest childhood memory?
What traditions did our family have growing up?
Do you remember any stories about our ancestors?
What was your hometown like when you were young?
What was an important life lesson you learned?

📜 Recording & Preserving Interviews:

Use StoryCorps (storycorps.org) – Records and archives oral histories.
Try the FamilySearch Memories App – Upload voice recordings and photos.
Use Rev.com (rev.com) for automatic transcription.

👉 Tip: Film the interview or take notes to document your findings.

C. Visit an Ancestral Landmark or Cemetery

If your ancestors lived nearby, take a Genealogy Day trip to visit their old home, a historical site, or their gravesite.

🔹 Things to Do During Your Visit:

Take photos and notes.
Use Find A Grave (findagrave.com) to locate ancestors’ burial sites.
Look for church records or local archives for additional information.

👉 Tip: Bring flowers or small stones to leave as a sign of remembrance at a grave.

D. Host a Family Gathering or Virtual Reunion

Celebrate your ancestry by bringing the family together. If meeting in person isn’t possible, organize a virtual genealogy event via Zoom or Google Meet.

📌 Ideas for a Genealogy Gathering:

Share family recipes and cook an ancestral meal.
Present a slideshow of family photos and tell their stories.
Play “Who’s That Ancestor?” – A fun guessing game with old family photos.
Have a family trivia quiz with questions about family history.

👉 Tip: Encourage each family member to share one family story or tradition.

E. Create a Genealogy Scrapbook or Family History Book

Use Genealogy Day to document your research in a creative way.

📖 Ways to Preserve Your Research:

Create a physical scrapbook with photos, handwritten notes, and records.
Use Shutterfly (shutterfly.com) to print a custom family history book.
Try Canva (canva.com) for digital scrapbooking and genealogy charts.

👉 Tip: Make copies to share with family members as a keepsake gift.

F. Explore DNA Testing & Genetic Genealogy

If you haven’t taken a DNA test, Genealogy Day is a great time to explore your genetic heritage.

🔹 Popular DNA Testing Services:

AncestryDNA (ancestry.com/dna) – Great for ethnic origins and cousin matching.
23andMe (23andme.com) – Includes health insights along with ancestry.
MyHeritage DNA (myheritage.com/dna) – Strong for European ancestry research.
FamilyTreeDNA (familytreedna.com) – Ideal for Y-DNA and mtDNA testing.

👉 Tip: If you’ve already taken a test, spend time exploring DNA matches or transferring results to sites like GEDmatch (gedmatch.com).

3. Share Your Genealogy Day Experience

Don’t keep your discoveries to yourself—inspire others by sharing your journey!

📌 Ways to Share Your Family History:

Start a genealogy blog on WordPress or Blogger.
Post family stories on social media (Facebook genealogy groups are great for this).
Create a private family history website using Wix (wix.com) or TribalPages (tribalpages.com).

👉 Tip: Use #GenealogyDay when sharing online to connect with others celebrating!

4. Genealogy Resources to Use on Genealogy Day

Here are some essential resources to help you celebrate and explore your ancestry:

📜 Genealogy Research:

FamilySearch (familysearch.org) – Free records and family tree tools.
Ancestry (ancestry.com) – Extensive census and immigration records.

🗣️ Oral Histories & Interviews:

StoryCorps (storycorps.org) – Record family interviews.
The Veterans History Project (loc.gov/vets) – Collects and preserves war veterans’ stories.

🖼 Family Photos & Scrapbooking:

MyHeritage Photo Enhancer (myheritage.com/photo-enhancer) – Colorizes and sharpens old photos.
Shutterfly (shutterfly.com) – Prints family history books and albums.

Final Thoughts: Make Genealogy Day a Tradition

Genealogy Day is more than just a one-time event—it’s an opportunity to create lasting traditions, document family stories, and connect with your roots. Whether you’re starting your family tree, preserving oral histories, or celebrating with relatives, make this day a meaningful part of your family’s legacy.

How will you celebrate Genealogy Day this year? Share your plans in the comments!