Family History Television Shows

"Discovering who you are can be an exhilarating and satisfying experience. Discovering who you are can create the anchor you need to live in the sea of humanity. Of the roughly 7 billion people in this world, you can discover that you are, indeed, a very unique and special person."  familysearch.org

Hi everyone!

Welcome to this week's installment of the Welby 2nd Ward Family History Moment!  Spend just a moment and check out this tip to help with your family history.




This week I thought it would be fun to look at Family History shows on television.  I'm sure you've seen or heard of a few of them, but likely not all!  It seems like it would be a great experience to sit down with your family and watch one of these to help teach them about the importance of family history.  I particularly like the ones that focus on ordinary individuals - but there is always the celebrity story if that's your interest!



My favorite by far is The Generations Project shown on KBYU.  The series explores the family histories of everyday people to uncover extraordinary stories.  They cover people from across America, and a wide range of life histories.  There are 38 archived episodes available online, so you can go and watch them anytime!  Pick one out to watch on your next lunch break!  The next time to catch it on TV is June 6th at 8:30AM, 830PM or 11:30PM.

The Generations Project

www.byutv.org/thegenerationsproject

Another show put out by BYU is Ancestors.  This was their original family history series focused more on the "how's and why's" of family history.  The website is a little more difficult to navigate, but the right side of the page has a link to watch some episodes online.  There are also MANY clips on research topics that incorporate the stories of individuals and how they have found family history information.  A good page to bookmark for some research leads?  Definitely more "hard core" than some of the network shows.

Ancestorswww.byub.org/ancestors

Next we have 2 shows put out by PBS.  Faces of America (with Henry Louis Gates Jr.) gives you a view into the family histories of prominent people, and features celebrities such as Kristi Yamaguchi, Stephen Colbert, Yo-Yo Ma and Eva Longoria.  Fun and entertaining!

Faces of America (With Henry Louis Gates Jr.)
www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica

African American Lives is similar to Faces of America, but is focused exclusive on African American history.  Check out Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Tina Turner, Morgan Freeman and more!

African American Lives
www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives

Need a little Paula Dean, Martin Sheen or Reba McEntire?  This series is probably the most well known.  Who Do You Think You Are started in England, but is now in several other countries. 

Who Do You Think You Are?www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are

I think the best thing about any of these shows is that it gets you excited to discover your own personal heritage.  Your story is just as exciting (if accompanied by a great soundtrack!)  So put on some music and find out something new about yourself this week also! 


Next week's topic:  Intro to Research Wiki

Happy watching (make sure to limit your screen time!) and have a great week!!