Famous Relatives and Who Do I Look Like?

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Family Home Evening is a great time to do some family history.  But most people think it is a lot of research and not very fun.  FamilySearch says – not so!  They have provided quite a few fun things for us to do with our families.

To find these activities, log into your FamilySearch account and go to the tab bar next to the FamilySearch logo on the top left.  Move to the right and click on “Activities”.

In the drop down list, choose “All Activities”

What you will see are all kinds of activities to explore with your family. Below are examples of just two activities to peak your interest. 

We have a visitor this week from out of state and she was telling me that she is related to many interesting and famous people.   As I was thinking about what she said and looking for inspiration to write about for this week, I noticed the box entitled “Famous Relatives”.  When I clicked on it, the following categories appeared:

                Leaders                                Inventors and Scientists                                Entertainers and Artists

                Church Leaders                 Church Pioneers                                               Trailblazers

                Athletes

After each title was a number in parenthesis ( ) that showed how many of these people were in my line.  When I clicked on a person’s photo, I saw my relationship with that person and a lineage chart to show the connection.   This was soooooo cool!  I had no idea that I was related to such notable people – people who forged this country, the beginnings of the church and were involved in exciting world events!

Not only was this a really enjoyable activity, but it helped fill in some blanks in my tree.  For example, as I followed the lineage up from me to my parents and onward to the famous person, FamilySearch showed the direct connection from child to parent, to their parent, to their grandparent, etc. and then eventually to sibling or spouse or child to the famous person.  I found some names in the line that were very familiar to me.   I also found some names that had eluded me for quite some time.  It was a great way to fill in some blanks in my tree and connect more people.

Next, check out who you look like in your family tree.  Click on “Compare-a-Face”. 

Choose to Take A New Photo or Get Started.  (If you have done this before you can choose Upload a New Photo).  If you choose to take a photo, your computer camera will take one of you.  You can accept it or take another one.

If you choose to Upload a New Photo, the computer will take you to your files and you can upload one that is already on your computer.

Once you have a photo, FamilySearch will analyze it.  If you are adding a new photo, you will need to accept the FamilySearch terms for using the photo.

The next screen will show you the family members in your tree that have photos attached to them.  As you scroll over each one, the percentage of “common features” will appear.

Try using photos at different ages – for example 8 years old, 15 years old, 28 years old, etc.  How much have you changed?  Do you still look like the same family member or have you developed facial qualities of another?

When I was a young girl, people who knew my dad said I looked just like him.  Now, though, when I compare my face to my mom, I am 47% like her, but only 22% like my dad!

Wouldn’t you like to know who you are related to and who you look like?    

Family history is gathering our families together so we can be one in the eternities, but no one said it can’t be fun too!   We hope you enjoy these activities and others with your family as you continue to create your eternal chain.   Brother and Sister May