Have you promoted WikiTree at a family reunion? Would you?

Question

I've been thinking about family reunions over the past couple of days, and thinking that I should be going to some (at least the ones I'd be eligible to attend) and try to use the opportunity to:

1. gather more information about my assorted family lines, and
2. spread the word about WikiTree.

So the thought occurred to me to ask whether anybody has been doing that. Have you ever attended a family reunion "with intent"? What have you done? Carry around a notebook, smartphone, tablet, or computer, and ask everybody questions? Set up a table and fill in information on WikiTree that people provide for you? Wear a WikiTree T-shirt/hat/button/whatever? Posted a family tree chart? What works? What interests people? What has gotten you valuable information? What doesn't work? What offends people? Inquiring minds want to know! 

Answer 1

I was at a rather small family reunion this summer. I recruited two new members among them.

Actually the only thing I did was to bring my mobile. If anyone was having a hard time figuring out how we were connected I just opened a descendant list, and showed my impressed distant cousins from which sibling the others came.

Comments

Ah. I've been thinking of getting a smartphone (one of the larger variety, since, as a former boss once put it, "You have hands the size of hamhocks!") That sounds like a good use for it.

Answer 2

I once prepared a powerpoint and made a little presentation with a few celebrities that appear on some of our lines. After that I wanted to get a bit of help with labeling some old pictures and a cousin of my father said: "We hardly knew our grandma, how should we know the other people?" Oh well....

Comments

I'm sorry that happened, Jelena. You put in all that work, and that's the thanks you get....

Answer 3

The few times I’ve gone to a family reunion, I’ve sometimes taken my computer for my genealogy software, and but always hard copy reports I’ve generated for specific people. I always take a notebook for recording new information.

I have found when you can give people something tangible, the response is much better.

Comments

Good point. Showing that stuff to my mother on-screen didn't impress her much, but when I gave her printouts of the profiles for her parents, then she got interested.

Answer 4

A number of years ago, I organized a family reunion for my paternal family. This was the early 2000's so digital information was not what it is today. Using the book feature of FamilyTreeMaker, I created a book and brought the families up to date. For the ancestors I included family group sheets and a lot of photos. I also created a large wall chart showing the branches down through the newest generations. It was a big hit as was the book.

I had a sheet of questions asking one question about each cousin - something unique about that person's activity or accomplishment and everyone had to guess who it was. There were seventeen cousins and I had a board of baby photos numbered and everyone had to guess who they were. Both of those were big hits!

In the ensuing years I have had a lot of questions about the ancestors and information has been forthcoming. Good luck with your reunion endeavor. Just find what works for you and what you think will spark interest and conversation with your own family.

Comments

Heh. I once played that game with my workmates. I called it "Bizarre But True", and collected the most fascinating stories about people. One was chased off the roof of the Sydney Opera House by security, one attended Mother Theresa's funeral, one had a black belt in Tae Kwon Do...

Answer 5

I do not reserve promoting Wikitree to only family reunions.  I do it year-round.  We have a family Facebook Group on which I write short blurbs about historical topics providing a link to the featured ancestor.  I have also translated and published a number of the entries from my great-grandfather's 1954 journal in this group.  Right now I am sharing Christmas cookie recipes popular in the eras in which different ancestors lived.  These activities create connection points for the living family members so they can relate to ancestors they may have never met.

Answer 6

In November 2022, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we had a small "Dowden-Richardson " family reunion.  I had my smartphone so I could photograph family members, and other connected people.  We sat around a big round table and discussed our connections using Wikitree.

But no one has really followed up since then.

Sad, but true.

Answer 7

I just met with family and have provided the Wikitree link to my sister-in-law who turns out to be a Mayflower descendant.

I also met with my daughter's paternal cousins and am sending them their tree. They have a number of ancestors from Scotland are are related to furniture maker, Duncan Phyfe, whose furniture graces the Green Room at the White House.