Family Reunion Planning Tips

Planning a successful family reunion is no easy task.  That's why it's usually a group effort with many people taking responsibility for different projects.  If you're in charge of gathering family data and preparing a genealogy chart for display at your own family reunion, here are some tips that will help. 

Collecting Data For A Family Reunion

If you've been actively pursuing genealogy for any length of time, you already know that it can sometimes be more difficult to get information from living relatives than it is to get information about ancestors who have long since passed away.  Everyone experiences this at some point, and it is especially bothersome when you're trying to prepare a family tree chart in time for an upcoming family reunion.

This is one of the reasons we designed our own family data sheets and ancestral data sheets to collect information from our relatives.  By simplifying the forms and making them easier to complete, we were able to increase our own response rate.  Both of these free data collection sheets are in PDF format making them easy to use as an e-mail attachment, or to print and mail.

Protecting Your Family Tree Charts

Depending upon how you plan to display your genealogy chart at your family reunion, accidents can happen, so it can sometimes be a good idea to protect the edges from tearing.  Often times we will wrap clear 2-inch wide Scotch packaging tape around the edges of our own genealogy charts to prevent any accidental rips or tears if someone mishandles the chart.  We have found that it works best to use small pieces of tape that are about 10 to 12 inches long, and then repeat the process along each edge, rather than using a single long piece of tape for each side.  It is far easier to evenly fold and wrap the tape to the back side of the chart without having wrinkles when you're using smaller pieces of tape.

If you don't protect the edges of your genealogy chart in advance, consider bringing a roll of clear 2-inch wide Scotch packaging tape to your family reunion in case of an accident.  Repairing your chart after an accident will only take a few minutes and will save the day.  It's like packing a needle and thread emergency sewing kit with you when you travel.  Your family tree chart, like your clothing, will probably never rip, but you want to be prepared just in case it does. 

Displaying Your Genealogy Charts At  A Family Reunion

If you plan on displaying your family tree chart on a wall rather than laid out on several tables, you should give some consideration as to how you will be mounting your chart to the wall.  If you're going to be in someone's home or a rented room at a hotel, they probably won't want you to use tape or thumbtacks.   We have found that the best solution is to use a removable adhesive.  Many companies sell this product for temporarily mounting poster board or paper to any type of wall.  Product names usually sound about the same, and include Fun Tac, Tac 'N Stick and Poster Putty.  A single package will cost about $1.50 or less.  If you have a big chart, buy three or four packs.  The blue colored putty works better than the white in our experience.

Depending upon the size and weight of your chart, make sure that you use enough putty to securely hold your chart to the wall.  One package of putty will hold a 1-pound chart in place according to the manufacturer's packaging.   We typically put a small dot of the putty about the size of a dime about 8 to 12 inches apart on the back of our own charts.  When it's time to take your family tree chart down, the putty easily comes off the chart and the wall with just a simple rolling motion without leaving any marks or residue.

Gathering Information & Photos At Your Family Reunion

It's the unfortunate reality of family reunions that you're not going to be able to get complete family information from everyone prior to your family reunion.  This means you're going to have missing names, dates and locations on your genealogy chart.  So, be prepared for this and decide in advance how you want people to add or update their information.  Do you want them to simply write it on the chart, or do you want to have a supply of our family data sheets and ancestral data sheets placed near the chart for folks to use?  Whichever you decide, it's a good idea to place an instruction sheet conspicuously near the chart that tells everyone exactly how you'd like them to provide you with any missing information.

If you like to include photos on your future genealogy charts, make sure you have your camera with you throughout the entire event so that you can be taking lots of individual and group photos.  My wife recently attended a small family reunion of relatives that she hadn't seen for over 25 years.   In addition to bringing a few different genealogy charts of the particular family with her, we also went through some old photos and put together a gorgeous 2-foot by 4-foot collage of photos from family reunions that took place over 47 years earlier (shown below).  When coupled with the the family tree charts, the photo collage really helped set the tone of the get-together.  Your descendents will probably treasure the group photos that you take at your family reunions as well.

We're so sure you'll love our genealogy printing services that we confidently provide a complete money back guarantee on all family tree printing orders.  We look forward to being able to print your chart for your next family reunion.

Please call us at 630-653-8400 or e-mail us at sales@ancestryprinting.com if you have any questions about printing your family tree charts or submitting your order.

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