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Faces of NextGen: Meet Murièle Gadaut

Murièle Gadaut, 45, France

What five words would you use to describe yourself? Curious (very!), Passionate, Stubborn, Independent, Imaginative

Why genealogy? Why genealogy…? Well, well, well… When I was around nine years old, my father used to be our village’s mayor. I loved joining him at the city hall where I spent my time flipping through the very old registers of births, marriages and deaths. I loved everything of it: smell, beautiful handwriting, and all those stories I could imagine… I suppose that my very first interest in genealogy comes from those beautiful moments. I have always been very curious about my family history, always asking many questions to my grandparents and great grandparents: they told me many stories about WWI, WWII, the way they used to live in the East of France, they showed me old pictures. It was fascinating to me and I always wanted to know more.

Then, when I was fifteen years old, I discovered in a book that “genealogist” was actually a real job and I decided to choose that profession. But unfortunately, I had not made the right school choices and could not apply to a History School as I wanted. I had read that Law was useful so I studied Law in France and Spain. I never forget about my initial project. Finally, to make that story short (!), after working as a Communications Director and travelling quite a lot, I jumped at the opportunity to become a professional genealogist in 2013. This is one of the best decisions I made for myself and my life. I just love my job and genealogy!

What’s the coolest discovery you’ve made? It was for one of my clients, an old man from Chile whose roots were in the south of France. He wanted to check if he had cousins in France and if this was the case, if they would know something about that common ancestor they had. Luckily, I found out he has cousins and could arrange a meeting in France. That was just extraordinary.

What are you working on this week? I am doing research on a Parisian actress named Geneviève Lantelme for a journalist planning to write her biography. More precisely, I am looking for descendants of her sisters with the objective to have access to private papers, documents or objects that belonged to their incredibly beautiful great-great-great-aunt. I also work for an American woman interested in learning as many things as possible on a painter – Julius Delbos – whose family lived in France. Both stories are just incredible and drive me to unexpected archives.

What’s the number one secret to your success in genealogy? Passion and curiosity combined together!

What superpower would you want to help you uncover your family history? I would love to be able to travel to the past and to meet some of my ancestors. I know, it is crazy!

What are we most likely to find you doing when you’re not researching family history? I am quite busy taking care of my family but when I can, I enjoy a lot watching TV shows on history or reading a good book.

Anything else you’d like to share? I am proud and glad to be part of the NextGen community. I would be very happy to get in touch with members interested in French genealogy.

The NextGen Genealogy Network is made up of young genealogists with diverse backgrounds, interests, and experiences. Faces of NextGen will showcase a different member of our community each month. If you would like to be considered for an upcoming feature, simply complete our questionnaire and submit a selfie.

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Education Hangout: Finding Places to Lecture

Have you ever wondered how you can get started speaking about genealogy? Where can you find places to lecture? How can you develop your skills as a public speaker? Shannon Combs Bennett of the NextGen Genealogy Network’s Leadership Team shares inspiration and advice for aspiring genealogy lecturers in the April/May Education Hangout:


Don’t forget to bookmark our YouTube Channel and listen in for fantastic, friendly advice on a variety of topics relevant to the young genealogist!

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Teaching Young Children About History Through Travel

Over spring break, my husband and I took our two children, ages four and seven, to visit Washington, D.C. While there, we saw many school groups also visiting the historical sites and museums. For the most part, the groups consisted of teenagers, teachers, and parents. Some of the kids were genuinely interested in the monuments and museums, but many others were obviously bored, constantly looking at their phones, and wondering when they’d be done. For a lot of these kids, this trip came too late in their educations. Kids need to experience historical places at early ages.

Why travel to historical places with young children? Young children are naturally curious and they ask questions without hesitation. Because young children learn best through utilizing all of their senses, experiencing historical places first hand is an important way to develop their basic cognitive understandings of history. Children will come to enjoy learning about history if it is taught by combining interesting stories with real places.

Child enjoying historical monument

Kids need to experience historical places at early ages to gain a full appreciation of their significance.

How young should you start taking your child to historical places? Believe it or not, the toddler years are a great time to begin. Vocabulary development during this period is explosive, and it is a time when children are learning about the world around them by associating spoken words with tangible objects. When my son was two years old, we visited the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida and Ft. Pulaski National Monument in Georgia. During both visits, we told our son we were in a fort, which was a new word for him. Better still, he was able to associate that word with a real place in real-life dimensions. A fort was not just a blanket-covered table to play under or some toy; a fort is huge, and made of stone or brick, which he was able to physically touch. A fort has room for lots of people and supplies inside and special spaces and windows made just for large cannons – another new word he was able to associate with real-life objects.

As children grow into preschool and elementary ages, the vocabulary associated with historical places can be built upon with stories. Visiting historical places makes the stories of history come alive for kids. For example, we visited Ford’s Theater while in Washington, D.C. While in the theater, we told our kids the story of President Lincoln’s assassination (another new word for them). We could literally show them where the “bad guy” came into the Presidential Box, shot Abraham Lincoln, and jumped from the balcony onto the stage. We told the kids he broke his leg when he fell, but still got away. Our daughter remarked, “He must have hopped,” which showed me that she was actually picturing it happening! These days, so many historical sites have character actors who young children just love to interact with, and who are able to make learning about the history of a place enjoyable and engaging for all ages. So, don’t hesitate to travel to historical places with young children – they will enjoy it more than you think!

Emily Kowalski SchroederEmily Kowalski Schroeder is the author of the blog Growing Little Leaves, which is dedicated to sharing ways to educate young children about family history. Learn more at GrowingLittleLeaves.com.

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Faces of NextGen: Meet Caitlin Gow

Caitlin GowCaitlin Gow, 24, Australia

Why genealogy? I just love it! I love knowing who my ancestors were and where they came from. I love finding out their story. Doing genealogy has also made me feel closer to my Grandma who died before I was born. She was the genealogy queen in our family.

What’s the coolest discovery you’ve made? I solved the 100+ year mystery of my Great Great Aunt Jeannie Gow. That was pretty amazing. You can read the story here.

What are you working on this week? I’ve been researching my best friend’s family history for a couple of weeks now. A few years ago I discovered that we have a connection. We’re not cousins, but there is an odd connection! Her family history is very interesting.

What superpower would you want to help you uncover your family history? The power to travel around the world without any restrictions – I guess that means flying! I could go to cemeteries and ancestors’ hometowns whenever I wanted.

What are we most likely to find you doing when you’re not researching family history? I’m either reading, watching a few of my favorite TV shows, or spending time with family and friends. If you asked me last year, I would have said studying at University, but I just graduated. Woo!

The NextGen Genealogy Network is made up of young genealogists with diverse backgrounds, interests, and experiences. Faces of NextGen will showcase a different member of our community each month. If you would like to be considered for an upcoming feature, simply complete our questionnaire and submit a selfie.

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