NOTE: I accepted the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge headed by fellow genealogy blogger Amy Johnson Crow. The idea behind this challenge is that you will receive email prompts, a word or phrase, every week, and you find something about your research or family history to write about. Click HERE to read my first 52 Ancestors blog post in 2019.
I have been talking about and using the FAN Club principles for years now. Honestly I was using them long before I ever knew they were an actual thing in genealogy research. Through the past few years, I have written blog posts about the FAN Club. I even have a whole blog series devoted to my family’s FAN Club. I also have recorded podcast episodes on the subject as well. I’d have to say that the FAN Club Principles are right up there with funeral programs on a level of importance for my research.
So what is the FAN Club Principles? I’m talking Friends, Associates, and Neighbors used by genealogists as a research technique to help break down brick walls and help you learn more about your ancestors lives and their communities. This principle is the brainchild of genealogist, Elizabeth Shawn Mills.
I grew up in the same town as my grandparents and parents. So our friends, associates, and neighbors all went to the same schools, churches, and social organizations. My friends were the children of my parents. So when I started this research, I didn’t have to look very far for my FAN Club. They were literally right across the street from my Dad’s childhood home, in my childhood church, or in the school that I graduated from.
So for me, my FAN Club is very much personal. It’s like taking a walk down memory lane. Oftentimes finding out information about my family that I would never find in census records, deed records, or vital records. It is when I use these principles that I learn the most about my family’s lives and stories.
Click HERE to read more about my FAN Club
Click HERE to see photos of my FAN Club
Journey Through the Generations 
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