genealogy

A new genealogy kit for kids

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As the owner of a small publishing company, I’m always on the lookout for new product or brand opportunities. The EasyGenie brand is in fact an offshoot of a book we published two years ago, Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes. The author, Shannon Combs-Bennett, mentioned how paper genealogy forms can be a great tool for organizing and recording family data. I took that idea a step further, launching a package of high-quality genealogy forms for amateur researchers. It did extremely well, but it was just for adults. Today, I launched a new EasyGenie product, a genealogy kit for kids to enjoy. Here’s a shot of the first shrink-wrapped package coming off the printing press:

EasyGenie genealogy kit for kids

Designing this product was quite unlike the other EasyGenie packages I’ve released in the past. The obvious difference is it’s intended for kids, not adults. Earlier this year, I conducted a brief survey of the genealogy for kids marketplace and was surprised to see how limited the products were, not only in terms of the range of products available, but the quality of the materials. In many respects, they were scaled-down versions of genealogy paper forms for adults, printed on cheap copier paper.

I realized that there was an opportunity to provide something more dynamic, that was not only made better (all EasyGenie products use archival-quality paper, and larger formats are printed on an offset press in the United States) but was also made with kids in mind:

  • The forms recognize kids’ natural curiosity and willingness to apply their own creativity
  • They encourage discussions with adults, rather than on-screen research
  • Explanatory annotations help guide them through concepts
  • Recognition that kids have diverse backgrounds, including blended families and ancestry in multiple continents.

EasyGenie kit for kids map sampleThis last point is driven home by recent government data on the nearly 74 million kids in the United States (“In 2016, 51 percent of U.S. children were White, non-Hispanic; 25 percent were Hispanic; 14 percent were Black, non-Hispanic; 5 percent were Asian, non-Hispanic; and 5 percent were non-Hispanic, All other races.”) So, the kids genealogy kit includes maps showing nearly every country and territory in the world, and encourages kids to decorate or annotate the maps with locations where their ancestors came from.

As with many new design-oriented projects I am involved with these days, I used the Lean Media framework to develop ideas with members of the creative team (thank you Janice, Malgorzata, and Julie) and solicit feedback during the production process from potential customers and users. (Not the same! Parents are the customers, children are the users.)

One other big difference is the packaging. Kids are not the neatest and most organized people in the world (I say this as a parent), so this kit comes in a sturdy three-ring binder which not only makes it easier to store the contents, but also helps to preserve what’s inside.

I want this new EasyGenie product to succeed, but I also hope that it sparks interest in a rewarding hobby and helps children and their families preserve information for future generations.

Learn more about the kids’ genealogy kit.

Using paper forms for family genealogy

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Last month, my company launched Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes: The quick guide to creating a family tree, building connections with relatives, and discovering the stories of your ancestors. Professional genealogist Shannon Combs-Bennett wrote the book, which explains basic concepts of interest to anyone researching family origins. As you might expect, the book has sections about family trees, interviewing tips, genetic genealogy, and different type of source records. As an amateur genealogist myself, I expected Shannon to delve into these issues when I read the manuscript. However, I did not expect the topic of using genealogy forms to track research to come up, except perhaps in passing. Instead, it took up the better part of Chapter 4, “Tracking and sharing your research.” Here is how she introduced the topic:

“Tracking includes everything from creating good source citations to outputting data to a chart or tree. Along with preserving research (which we will cover in Chapter 5), it’s one of my least favorite tasks. After the initial excitement of making easy discoveries, it’s so frustrating to deal with tracking and filing and storing all of the information and papers you have found.

On the other hand, charts and other summary documents are a great way to share findings to family members. When you bring a complete pedigree chart to a family reunion, it will attract attention and prompt lots of questions. Be sure to bring copies to give away!”

Part of the reason I was not expecting to see such a deep examination of tracking research using genealogy forms relates to the fact that I use genealogy software to track my own research. The software lets me generate family group sheets, pedigree charts, and other pre-filled forms from my computer.

Not everyone uses family tree software for research, though. They prefer paper, and use blank genealogy forms to enter names, dates, and other information. In addition, as Shannon noted in the book, computers have drawbacks, including the risk of a crash or some other disaster that wipes out the data. Paper genealogy forms provide some reassurance on this front. They also do not require a power outlet!

Shannon and I discussed providing some free resources on the companion website to Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes. Besides blog posts and tips, I have created a free genealogy forms starter kit that contains a free five-generation pedigree chart:

The pedigree chart contains fields for recording birth, death, and marriage information, and goes back to great-great-grandparents (all 16 of them!). Names are numbered for easy cross-referencing.

UPDATE July 2018: Since this post was written in October 2016, my company has created other genealogy forms, including a kit that brings genealogy for kids!