52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Back in 2014, Amy Johnson Crow issued a challenge to write a story a week about our ancestors. The 52 ancestors in 52 weeks is a great challenge and a fantastic way to get to know more ancestors. It is a wonderful project that will result in the perfect Christmas gift for next year. (nostorytoosmall.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/)

These stories do not have to be lengthy. Some ancestors may only have a few sentences while others may take over 20 pages. Amy states on her blog that it can just be a photograph, a census record, or something that catches your eye about the particular ancestor that you have chosen. Amy also mentions that it is alright to miss a week and you can easily catch up during the next week. The goal is to have 52 ancestors at the end of 52 weeks and how you achieve that is what works best for you. Many have taken this challenge and just by Googling “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” you can find many examples of this challenge.

Amy updated her original post in 2015 to include prompts to help give us ideas of ancestors to include. (nostorytoosmall.com/posts/announcing-52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-2015-edition/) Here are Amy’s suggestions for January. Go to the above link to get the rest of the months. Doesn’t this sound like fun?

Week 1, Fresh start — Seems appropriate for the beginning of the year. What ancestor had a fresh start? What ancestor has been so confusing to research that you’d like to have a fresh start?

Week 2, King — January 8 is Elvis’ birthday. January 15 is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Do either of these “Kings” remind you of an ancestor? Or, taken another way, do you have a connection to royalty? Did you ancestor flee from an oppressive king?

Week 3, Tough woman — Who is a tough, strong woman in your family tree? Or what woman has been tough to research?

Week 4, Closest to your birthday

Week 5, Plowing through —What ancestor had a lot of struggles to plow through? Or take it more literally - It’s up to you.

At the end of the 52 weeks, you will have a nice book that you can give for Christmas. Sharon Simms has an example of a book she did found at blurb.ca/books/5911561-52-ancestors-in-52-weeks. Be sure and post your stories on FamilySearch for all to enjoy too.