With the advent of summer comes the event that many family historians look forward to each year: The annual family reunion.
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While many of the activities genealogists pursue inspire from their family members huge sighs, eyes rolled upward and “oh, no, not another cemetery,” reunions offer something for everyone. Children find playmates, adults find folks with similar interests, wives (and sometimes husbands) exchange recipes and, in general, “a good time is had by all.”

Experienced family historians realize that such events are a grand opportunity for them.

The first thing that comes to mind, of course, is the sharing of information among family researchers. The novice researcher can glean volumes of information from more experienced family historians. Beyond the “bare bones” statistics (birth, death and marriage records), one can hear stories passed down from generation to generation and often may even be able to interview older family members and learn otherwise inaccessible information.