to Glasgow and Leeds and visited some of the fami- ly. Three years later, when Eli and I were married, one of these cousins from Glasgow, Braham Taylor, attended our wedding. Braham later became a mem- ber of the Glasgow reunion committee." By the time Robinson was putting together the fam- ily tree, she already knew there were cousins through- out the United States and had made contact with a few. "I knew there were seven children in my great grandfather's family, five brothers and two sisters. The possibility of there being more family members that I didn't know persisted in my thoughts. To put together the family tree meant research, long distance phone calls and letters. The result was I was able to list relatives under each of the seven branch- . es , representing my great-grandfather and his sib- lings. When I completed the tree I gave members of the seven branches of our family copies of the family tree for Chanukah." Today, the computer has a major role in compil- ing the information for family trees. Not only do people research their family history on the Internet, but they can also locate family members. Moreover, there are a half-dozen software programs that can help organize a family's history, including maintain- ing the members of the different family branches. Robinson didn't have the benefit of a computer or program. The family tree she put together was achieved painstakingly by hand, by questioning aunts and uncles, and by making calls to perfect strangers whose last names were similar to the fami- ly's. The result was 40 linear feet of paper chroni- cling the history of seven generations. "My mother was born in Glasgow. Fleeing from the pogroms, her grandfather and his brothers opted for England because they recognized their skills as tailors would make them a living. Interestingly enough, their last name is Taylor. My mother's fami- ly moved to Canada when she was 7. Her husband, my grandfather, was born in Leeds, England and he also came from a family that made their living as tai- lors. In fact, my grandfather knew my grandmother and her family when he was younger. My grand- mother's oldest brother and my grandfather attended school together in Glasgow." Robinson and her husband Eli continue their close ties with Canadian relatives. "The Canadian cousins and our family kept in touch throughout the years," says Robinson. "I made other contacts putting together the family tree which expanded as relatives I knew told me about other people in the family that I didn't know. A few years ago a cousin from Philadelphia contacted me because someone had given him our family tree. That was the first time I even knew about him. Then we attended a family bar mitzvah in New York where a cousin told us about another relative in South Africa and suggested a family reunion." After some discus- sion, Robinson and her cousins decided to organize a pilot trial-size family reunion with rel- atives from the states and Canada. About 40 members of the Taylor family attended the 1999 event in Toronto. "It was a good thing we had this dry run," said Robinson. "There were lots of glitches. For example, we never knew how many people were going to attend because some never responded. The best part was that the younger adults in the family were introduced to one another and are making the time to stay in touch with one another." The committee for the Glasgow reunion planned the event for two years. Their hard work resulted in 120 members of the Taylor family attending the July event. Everyone made flight arrangements to Glasgow. The Taylor reunion rented a hall for the two-day event and the family members lodged at a country inn near the outskirts of Glasgow. Each person had a name tag color-coded to match his branch of the family tree which was posted horizontally along the width of one wall. "It was an exceptional experience, very emotional, but very memorable," said Robinson. "I was so excited, my husband Eli ended up taking all the photos. I was an only child, a depression baby, and there weren't plan:, people my age. Keeping in touch with relatives was one way my mother extended our family, and I've maintained that effort. Our next reunion is planned for 2002 in Toronto." FAMILY REUNION TIPS SELECT one person of the family to track. It's too difficult to start with both your mother and Ether. Do one at a time. START recording information about your family. • Start with yourself - what you know. • Talk to your older relatives and record their movement. • Family get-togethers, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs are great places to gather interesting and fun information. COLLECT old papers and photos. • Identify as many events and people with names and dates and branch of family. ORGANISE a family reunion committee. (You can't take this on by yourself) • Determine which side of the family you're honoring. • Break up into subcommittees. • Decide where to have the event. • Choose food for the event, housing, transportation, meals. LOCATION! LOCATION! Select one near a major airport so it's easily accessible and offers service from a variety of airlines. • Choose an area that offers sightseeing and lots of activi- ties. There may be family members who want to extend their vacations beyond the reunion. • Choose an area that will give you a price most farm lies can afford. • Cruise ships and resorts are popular because of their all-inclusive pricing packages that include meals, activi- ties, and entertainment. • Depending on family size, you'll want a place that can hold at least one large reunion dinner. • When selecting a date, consider families with chil- dren who may find it easier to attend during the sum- mer or over a long weekend holiday • Make sure someone reliable is taking photos to cap- ture all the moments. CONTACT a local travel agency for help. They can pro- vide information on locations, accommodations, trans- portation and group discounts. • You also should consider the local chambers of com- merce or tourist centers. WEB SITES AND SOFTWARE • www.family-reunion.comierganizer • www.leisterpro.com (Developer of Reunion for MAC) • Mister Spiffy's Reunion Planner www.farnilyreunion.com • www.famware.corn Genealogy software • www.genealogysoftware.corn • www.sierrahome.com BOOK Family Tree Makers for Dummies (First< Edition 12/15 2000 G2