Creating an interesting narrative to accompany genealogical research is such a daunting task. I love my research, and sometimes love the findings, and I really want to wrap up one side of my family and work on the next. But...YIKES! How to begin?
I usually begin with photographs. I love photographs. They have such story-telling power. Especially the older ones. My sister and I are the ones left to tell much of the story. We have lots of questions, and we share our remembrances and we come up with a semblance of story. But photos are our biggest helpers.
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| "The Cottage" August 1963 |
This photo, for instance, was lifted from a scrapbook - the kind where we used to glue them to the page. VERY difficult to work with as I compile my favorite photos. But this tells such a great piece of the Trerice story. I would have been about 10 years old, making my wee sister about 7. Isn't she an imp in this pic? This porch was one of my favorite places to be at my grandparents cottage. We spent a LOT of time there. There's my grandfather, at the head of the table, and Grandma is front, left. Next to her is my mother (her daughter), then sis. Across from them are my dad, front right, then my lovely great aunt and uncle. Grandma's sister. Everyone in this photo, with the exception of my sister, have long-since passed away. When I look at it...all sorts of warm, summertime memories come flooding back.
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| Family Reunion circa 1930 |
From the other side of my family tree we have this Dadson family treasure. My dad is sitting on the ground in front, between the legs of his grandfather, great-grandfather Dadson. Far left, in the back, my own grandfather, Kenneth Paine. Seated in the second row, 2nd from the right, is my grandmother a Dadson. There are a host of aunts and uncles as well, all on my grandmother's side. My grandpa Paine's family didn't have family gatherings, that I can find, and there are a number of reasons why. More stories. More research. My dad was an only child, but he was surrounded by a large and boisterous family. I wonder who took this photo?
So my search continues, and the writing of anecdotes and the collection of images. I hope to get some closure on at least one side of the family by year's end, creating a family history narrative to gift to my children. We shall see.
What are YOU working on right now to fill your creative bucket?
I'd love to know!
~ Sandy
Comments
My parents were photographers and I was rarely without a camera from my first Brownie StarFlex as a kid so there were plenty from which to choose, along with those that the cousins submitted. I had everyone send their memories and anecdotes and because my mother never threw anything out, I had loads of newspapers clips, letters, and documents to include. I interviewed people who knew my mother way-back-when (we were a local family) and some even remembered my grandparents or her sisters. I researched what life was like during the times of those in generations before -- what farming was like in Victorian times, the confectionery industry in the 1800s, what traveling steerage was like in the 19th century, and what it was like during the war in mid-Michigan. I also included the death certificates because that medical history matters. I suspect you are doing much the same.
Several years ago I wrote about compiling a family history narrative on my family blog. There are lots of tips there and you probably could add a few more from your experience! I can't wait to hear how yours comes out! Here's thee link to that post. https://leathermantree.blogspot.com/