“Benjamin Talks about Family History,” Friend, July 2023, 36–37.
Benjamin Talks about Family History
Benjamin is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. We asked him some questions about family history.
How did you start doing family history?
I started doing family history with my dad. We did it together every Sunday. My dad helped me learn how to use FamilySearch. I had to practice and practice. Now I do family history with my dad or my cousin Jasmina.
What do you like best about family history?
I like finding new people to add to my family tree. First, I find old records. Then I look for my ancestors’ names. I find their birth dates and where they were born. I find other places they lived too.
What have you learned about your ancestors?
I learned that I have ancestors from Italy and Germany. One of my ancestors from Italy has the same name as my brother! My brother’s name is “Santiago,” which is “Giacomo” in Italian. I also learned that our last name used to be spelled differently.
How do you help other people do family history?
I help my grandma use FamilySearch. I taught her how to add memories. I also helped her add missing people to her family tree. Some of her relatives had so many names! It took a long time to put them all in. But I was really happy that I could help her learn to use FamilySearch, just like my dad helped me.
What family history projects do you want to do next?
I want to make videos for my friends and family to help them learn how to use FamilySearch. When I started, I had to learn a lot. I want to teach other people so they can do the same thing.
Illustrations by Laura Zarrin