Saints, Souls & Sugar Skulls: A Magic Birthdate For A Genealogist

Have you ever felt like certain dates hold a special kind of magic? That some coincidences are too perfect to be just chance? As someone born on November 1st – All Saints' Day – I've spent a lifetime discovering how my birth date might just be the universe's way of nudging me toward my calling as a family historian.

The timing feels especially significant as we enter this season where so many cultures believe the veil between worlds grows thin. From Halloween to All Saints' Day, from All Souls' Day to Día de los Muertos, these autumn days seem to whisper stories of connection across generations.

From Halloween Parties to Sacred Ground

Growing up, my November 1st birthday often merged with Halloween festivities. (Let's be honest – what mom wouldn't take advantage of a ready-made party theme?) My ninth birthday even featured a slumber party where we watched "Watcher in the Woods" – a Disney movie that still haunts me to this day!

But everything changed on my 18th birthday. What started as a romantic cemetery picnic (because apparently that seemed perfectly normal to my date) turned into something far more profound when we discovered recent vandalism among the headstones. Standing there, surrounded by damaged memorials, I had my first real understanding: these weren't just spooky Halloween props – they were sacred spaces of remembrance.

The Whole Story

If you haven't already heard my birthday stories, take a moment to listen:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• How I was almost born in BYU's Cougar Stadium (thanks, Dad, for wanting to finish watching the game!)
• My journey from Halloween-adjacent birthday girl to cemetery preservationist
• The profound impact of experiencing Día de los Muertos in Mexico City
• How working on Disney-Pixar's "Coco" deepened my understanding of ancestor connections
• Why I believe there are no coincidences when it comes to family history

The Power of One Story

Mexican tradition teaches that we die twice – once when we take our last breath, and again when our name is spoken for the last time. This profound concept perfectly captures why family history matters so much. Every time we speak an ancestor's name, share their story, or honor their memory, we keep them alive in the most meaningful way possible.

Your Story

While we can't all be born on All Saints' Day (though I must say, it's quite the conversation starter!), each of us has unique connections to our family's past. These connections might reveal themselves through coincidences, family traditions, or even the dates that matter most to us.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Parents/Grandparents: "What beliefs or traditions about connecting with ancestors were you taught growing up? How have those shaped your understanding of family?"
2. For Siblings/Cousins: "Do you remember any moments when you felt especially connected to our family's past? What triggered that feeling?"
3. For Children/Grandchildren: "What family traditions do you think are most important to preserve? Why do those matter to you?"
4. For Extended Family: "Have you ever experienced what felt like a sign or connection from a deceased family member? What was that experience like?"

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. Take a few moments to write up a few sentences about any special cultural or religious observances in your family as it relates to your deceased family members. Do you put up an offrenda for Día de los Muertos or take flowers to the cemetery on Memorial Day? Include what you know about who in your family started this tradition and how it has changed over the generations. Understanding these observances can provide context for family stories and traditions. Upload this remembrance to your family tree and attach it to anyone mentioned.
2. Does your mom or your aunt have a collection of funeral programs or memorial cards? These often provide a unique insight into how your family has honored and remembered their departed. Scan them with the Ancestry mobile app and upload to your online tree.  Then, attach those images to anyone mentioned.
3. Autumn is the perfect time to visit the cemetery. But, we don’t all live near where our ancestors are buried. Create a virtual cemetery on Find a Grave to collect all of your ancestors into a single page so you can quickly “visit” their tombstones in remembrance. You can then share this virtual cemetery page with family members who might want to join you in remembrance.
4. Look through your family tree on Ancestry for birth dates or death dates that coincide with significant holidays or family celebrations – these connections often lead to meaningful stories about how families honored their loved ones. If you uncover those stories, add notes to your ancestors’ profiles in your Ancestry family tree to preserve the emotional connections.

Whether you celebrate All Saints' Day, Día de los Muertos, or have your own unique ways of remembering those who came before, these autumn days remind us that the connections between generations remain strong. Sometimes, they're as simple as a birthday that falls on a particularly meaningful day.

Ready to explore more stories about family connections across generations? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode resonated with you, please leave us a rating and review – it helps other family story seekers find us.

© 2025 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.