From the Colorado Family History Expo: What Instrument Did Your Ancestor Play?

We made it to Colorado! And the Expo is great! Holly Hansen and Kimberly Savage have been working nearly round the clock to make this genealogy extravaganza particularly eventful . . . there is even a twitter cafe (whatever that is).

And our booth is set up in a back corner, where we can make music with making as little disturbance as possible. We are doing short, 5-minute "sets" of live music to interest people in the banquet presentation tonight. The question keeps coming up: What does music have to do with genealogy? Well, in my family, they played their own music when they wanted entertainment (this being pre-MP3 player). Besides, if the courting couple was playing music in the parlor, their hands were being properly occupied . . . it was when the music stopped that mother came in to see just what they were up to.

So, what instruments did your ancestor play? Mine played mandolin, violin, banjo, piano (called a piano-forte back in those days; literal meaning: "soft-loud"), and harpeleik. I still have all those instruments in my collection (we did not bring the piano on this trip, however).

If you are here in Colorado, come by booth #316 and say "hello" and answer the question: what instrument(s) did your ancestor(s) play? (If you aren't in Colorado at the Expo, just respond here at this blog and let's see how many instruments we can come up with!)

History Immortalized in Song

I am going to go out a limb here and state that most, if not every, major event in World History has been immortalized in song. Now, some of those songs might not survive much beyond the event, but many are retained in the annals of folklore for centuries. Almost before the dust had settled (will it ever settle?), 9/11 was the subject of a number of ballads, most providing some sort of solace or therapeutic means of dealing with the horrific event. At least 2, that I know of, are still being performed. Singing about an event helps people remember the lessons learned, the feelings felt, and the specifics of the situation. In years past, school teachers used songs to teach the details of history to their pupils. I remember making up songs about historic events to remember the dates and names (then would sing them in my head while taking a test . . . unfortunately, I have always had a bad memory for lyrics and such an action did not guarantee me a good grade in history by any stretch of the imagination).

Next weekend (12-13 June), Family History Expos will have another one of their amazing seminar events (maybe I should write a song about them?); this time in Loveland, Colorado. I am honored to be their banquet presenter and, with my saw-playing husband Butch, we will do a musical "walk through history," highlighting events that formed our country and then were made more memorable as ballads. Not all songs will be traditional (created at the time of the event by people now nameless); some just remind us of the historic account. So, if you are coming to Colorado or are already in Colorado, come to the banquet and hear songs about our country's beginnings, wars, sad times, triumphant times, and more! Check this out at and, even if you aren't able to attend the banquet, stop by booth #316 and say hello!