{"id":27041,"date":"2017-11-22T10:22:42","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T15:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=27041"},"modified":"2025-11-21T08:42:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T13:42:06","slug":"where-were-you-documenting-family-history-and-the-kennedy-assassination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/where-were-you-documenting-family-history-and-the-kennedy-assassination.html","title":{"rendered":"Where Were You? Documenting Family History and the Kennedy Assassination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 to mark the 54th<\/sup> anniversary of the assassination \u2013 \u00a0Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about recording family memories of the killing of President John F. Kennedy. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Today marks the 54th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy\u2019s assassination (22 November 1963). For those who lived through that event, its impact is lasting. I know when I ask audiences \u201cWhere were you when Kennedy was shot?\u201d they can instantly conjure up that memory.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination. Also in the presidential limousine are Jackie Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nellie, 22 November 1963. Credit: Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those of us who were too young at the time to remember the assassination now \u2013 or born in the years after \u2013 may learn more by watching a movie, viewing the newly released assassination files<\/a>, or reading a book. In addition, you may have an older family member who can provide a more personal look at that event.<\/p>\n

Do you remember the day Kennedy was killed? Write down that experience and share it with your family. Are you too young to remember? Interview family members about that day and record it for future generations. Why? Family history is more than the pursuit of names, dates, and places \u2013 it\u2019s also about examining how history impacted our families.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), 23 November 1963, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One way to enhance our family history is through social history: how everyday people experienced historical events. Learning more about our family\u2019s connection with historical events also provides much-needed context. My kids had no idea who in our family was alive during the Kennedy assassination \u2013 so hearing the story from my mom, their maternal grandmother, gave them that context.<\/p>\n

My mom was a high school student when President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. My kids had read articles and watched movies about the assassination, but it was more impactful to hear their grandmother talk about her experiences as a teenager. She recalled her teachers crying when they heard the news. She discussed her reaction two days later, watching Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV \u2013 and how shocking that was. This gift of living history was an important part of my children understanding that historic event and how their grandmother fit in with that.<\/p>\n

Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Need some ideas about what to write about or what to ask your family? Consider the following questions as you document your family\u2019s remembrances of that day:<\/p>\n