Happy Holidays From the Ancestors         The Latest AncestorNews from Nancy Hendrickson         More Computer-Related Genealogy Advice           .         Ethnic Toolkits Web Exclusive Forms Bookstore Soundex Code Generator Resources Writing Workshops Newsletter       Receive weekly research tips and leads on new resources via email.		AncestorNews: Happy Holidays From the Ancestors by Nancy Hendrickson If you're like me, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years Day is so busy, your genealogy research is put on the back burner. But this year I decided to incorporate a little genealogy into my holiday festivities. How? By creating an ancestral greeting card. The idea came to me when a friend told me about the family photo she included in each year's holiday cards. I thought it would be fun—and informative for other family members—to put an old family photo on the front of the greeting card, then write what I've learned about that ancestor on the inside. The first decision was picking the ancestor. Since my family has so few old photos, my choices were limited—but in the end, I went with my Great-great-grandparents Frank and Josie Faulkenberry. I created the card's cover using Photoshop Elements 2.0 www.adobe.com, and then put together a short biography of the couple to tuck inside. You can use any image editing software to do the same. As you can see from the photo, I also added a small clip art tree, just to balance my design. In retrospect, I wish I'd added a red border or frame, but perhaps next year! If you'd like to make your own ancestral cards, and don't have any old photos, that's not a problem. You can always include a photo of the family homestead, a vintage postcard from the town where your family lived, a favorite family flower, the ship that carried them to America, a scan of their immigration papers or a shot of a family heirloom. Use your imagination—after all, this is for fun! Here are a few suggestions for finding free clip art for your holiday card: • Free Genealogy Clip Art genealogysearch.org/free/clipart.html • Christmas Clip Art www.myfreeclipart.com/christmas.html • Hanukkah Clip Art webclipart.miningco.com/library/candle/blhan1.htm • Kwanzaa Clip Art webclipart.miningco.com/library/kwanz/blkwan1.htm Nancy Hendrickson is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine. She also is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of the new book Finding Your Roots Online. Visit her Web site or e-mail her at stjoemo@pobox.com.
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