I recently had the opportunity to meet up with some of my cousins, and their children, for lunch, which was lovely - so often, as we get older, it seems as if the only time we get together with our more distant relatives is at funerals!
One of them has also been researching his family history, so it was good to chat about his progress, DNA successes, and experiences with some of the older documents we delve into. (Although most of my own lines are only traced back into the 1700s, the research I have been doing into a local historic building has involved some documents that are written in Latin - a frustration for me, since I don't understand it!)
Although most of my cousins are not specifically interested in researching, they are now of an age where they have given up work, and have a bit more free time (theoretically!) and, for those who have members of the previous generation still alive, they are also realizing the importance of asking questions 'now', before it's too late.
This, of course, has prompted discussions about things my parents, who are no longer with us, told me, as opposed to the versions their siblings remember.
All of which has reminded me of the need to focus on my own family history again - the unwritten stories, the wider research possible now that record availability is so much better than it was when my parents began their research in the 1980s, the opportunities that DNA provides in tracing more distant or 'lost' relatives....
And the need for getting all of my own research and paperwork organized, so that it is in a good state to pass on to my next generations!
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