Fellow family history junkies, Another day, another idea :^) A lovely lady on the Allison surname list was speaking of the many times the name "Rose" came up in various families in her lines through the generations & it reminded me that I'm sure we all have come across many similar names in our family history work. I'd like to share with you a way in which I have tried to make these "finds" meaningful to my children & granddaughter. Whenever I find a common name that someone in the family trees shares with my children & granddaughter I make particular note of it. I then include pages about the people & relationship in that "child's" memory book / scrapbook album. For example little Kelsey Elisabeth Rich's pages have photos of her Aunt Erin Elisabeth, my grandmother Mary Elizabeth Hayward Ryan & my sister Betty McMackin Cooley etc etc, plus notes about how she is related to all of the Elizabeths & derivitives throughout the family tree. I also try to write on one of the pages about any traits I know about the person, like "Aunt Betty was an accomplished ballet dancer & grandmother Mary Elizabeth loved to garden and do needlework". FInding things in common with ancestors has always made both my family & the clients I work with on the memory books feel more connected to those relatives. My teen age daughter Kathleen's list includes me: Susan Kathryn; my mother Ellen Catherine Ryan, my aunt Kathryn Welton, my grandmother's aunt Kate Kennedy etc. The kids have told me that it gives them a sense of continuity & of belonging, even if most of the people are those who have been passed away for many years. Also I make note of how surnames such as ALLISON are used as given names, such as my father Jay Allison McMackin, cousin Allison Anthony, & how my grandfather Tim RYAN's name is also used - my son Ryan Reynolds, my cousin's son Ryan McCabe etc etc. I encourage each of you to think about how you can make your family names mean more to the future generations by doing something similar. Any other ideas out there on how to build better connections with our offspring & those who came before us? Warm regards, Susan Susan McMackin Reynolds in Lewes DE, "the first town in the first state" Connect to me & others at the Surname Genealogy Web Project at http://www.PlanetAll.com/main.asp?cid=966275&gid=114084&s=194 @>~~,~'~~~~~~~'~,~<@ "Being Irish, I have an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustains me through temporary periods of joy." W.B.Yeats