In the United States, March is Women's History Month. What better way to celebrate than to spend a few moments honoring women of history. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
Pick one of the women mentioned in one of these proclamations and trace her family tree, using one of the many useful databases on the Internet.
Honor a female genealogist with a genealogy gift basket. Include pens, a pack of distinctive pencils (for taking on archival jaunts), a gift card to an office supply store (to purchase paper and supplies), or perhaps a copy of the newest genealogical book.
Pick out a female ancestor and write her biography. Use social history to fill in areas between life events. Tell about the kinds of clothes she might have worn or how she prepared food.
Learn more about women of accomplishment. Can you name anyone from the Women's Hall of Fame? Look at this site to check your answers http://www.greatwomen.org/.
Learn more about social history. In order to understand the role of women in history you must understand social history--the culture and social life of people. Spend some time this month sharpening your mind by researching social history. Women are central figures in social history.
Find who you are by learning all you can about your mother. It may be that like Alice Walker, "In search of my Mother's garden, I found my own." Start a journal detailing the conversations that you share with your own mother.
Send a thank you note to a woman who has been special in your life's history. It might be a teacher, a neighbor, your sister, or a friend. Take the time to appreciate their impact on your life.
Honor yourself. Remember, that if you are reading this article, most likely you are deeply interested in genealogy. You are making a substantial contribution to history by preserving it. You deserve a reward. Treat yourself to that database subscription you've been wanting or take a genealogical getaway. Or, as I'm going to do, reward yourself with a day at the archives.
Source Information:GenWeekly, New Providence, NJ, USA: Genealogy Today LLC, 2007.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Genealogy Today LLC.
*Effective May 2010, GenWeekly articles that are more than five years old no longer require a subscription for full access.
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