10 Ways to Celebrate Family History Month

October is designated in many U.S. States as "Family History Month." There has also been a push in recent years to have it designated at the national level. "Millions of Americans are researching the history of their families," said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, the Utah Republican who first brought the Family History Month resolution before the U.S. Congress. "Experts say that in the United States, genealogy is now the second most popular hobby next to gardening." While the resolution's status has stagnated, genealogists across the United States have still adopted the month of October as their own, sponsoring a wide variety of special events, workshops and activities focused on family history.

This explosion of interest in family history is due, in part, to the advent of the Internet. It is estimated that more than two million separate Web sites are devoted to genealogy. Have you joined the craze? Celebrate Family History Month with your family with these ten wonderful ways to craft and commemorate your past:

1. Get Started Tracing Your Family Tree

If you have been curious about your family tree but just weren't sure where to start then you don't have any more excuses. Here is a great collection of resources and simple advice on how to get started researching your family tree both on and off the Internet.
First Steps: How to Trace Your Family Tree
Free Family Tree Charts

2. Create a Family Cookbook

A perfect recipe for family history, a cookbook of collected heirloom recipes is a wonderful way to preserve memories of favorite meals shared with family. Contact your parents, grandparents, and other relatives and ask them to send you a few of their favorite family recipes. Have them include a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favorite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.). Whether you create a full-blown family cookbook, or just make copies for family and friends - this is a gift that will be cherished forever.
Cooking Up Family History - How to Create a Family Cookbook
Make a Family Recipe Book

3. Record Family Stories

Every family has its own history - the events, personalities, and traditions that make the family unique - and collecting these singular stories and memories is one of the most meaningful ways you and your family can honor your older relatives and preserve family traditions. Recording family stories on audiotape, videotape, or in legacy journals, brings family members closer together, bridges generation gaps, and ensures that your family stories will be preserved for future generations.
Fifty Questions for Family Interviews
Legacy Journals for Collecting & Preserving Family Memories

4. Uncover Your Family Health History

Also known as medical genealogy, tracing your family health history is a fun, and potentially lifesaving, project. Experts state that about 3000 of the 10,000 known diseases have genetic links, and that many diseases "run in families," including colon cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, and high blood pressure. Creating a family health history can be a useful tool to aid you and your medical care provider in interpreting patterns of health, illness and genetic traits for you and your descendants. What you learn now could potentially save a family member's life tomorrow.
Tracing Your Family Medical History

5. Scrapbook Your Family History

The perfect place to showcase and protect your precious family photos, heirlooms, and memories, a heritage scrapbook album is wonderful way to document your family's history and create a lasting gift for future generations. While it may seem a daunting task when faced with boxes of dusty old photos, scrapbooking is actually both fun and more easy than you might think!
How to Create a Heritage Scrapbook
Scrapbooking Your Child's Artwork

Next Page > Five More Projects for Family History Month