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Along Those Lines
Establishing Atmosphere in Your Written Family History
by George G. Morgan
Writing a family history is perhaps the most difficult type of writing I have found. If you are a dedicated genealogical researcher, you have invested a great deal of time in researching the evidence of the family members; researching history and geography; combing through archives and libraries; collecting papers, letters, government-produced documents, photographs, family stories, and artifacts that help tell the story.
In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, I'd like to provide a few clues to help you create the atmosphere or environment for your writing, and then suggest a few simple exercises.
Physical Context
Where did the family live? This is the most important question for you to answer before you can begin your writing. Sure, you've collected evidence and documented it with paperwork and source citations. However, have you really examined the geographical location? It is important to learn about the physical environment. If your ancestors lived in Pennsylvania, you will want to study detailed topographic maps to determine exactly where the people lived. You will want to understand the appearance of the location so that you can describe it. Did your people live in a mountainous area? Was there a river, lake, canal, or seacoast nearby? What kind of trees and vegetation grew there? What animals may have shared the area? What was the weather like? What crops were grown there? All of these factors need to be studied in order to truly understand the environment and to describe it for your reader.
Historical Context
I love to study history. What events influenced your ancestor at a personal, local, county/parish, state/territorial/provincial, national, and international level? What were the politics at the time? Were there wars or conflicts that affected or involved your ancestors? You will want to read historical accounts of all types for the periods in which your ancestors lived so that you better understand what events exerted influence on their thinking and their lives. Everything from a birth or death in the family to international wars will have influenced them, and the influences differed depending on where your people lived.
Picturing the Environment
Photographs and portraits are essential illustrations in your family history. However, look deeper at those images. What did the people look like? What were their physical features? What clothing did they wear and how did they arrange their hair? What houses did they live in and what were the architectural styles used in the area? What church did they attend and what did it look like? Are there photographs of the community available on vintage picture postcards, on stereographic cards, and in photographs published from the era your people lived there? If they owned a wagon or buggy, horses, mules, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, or other forms of conveyance, what were these things? Do you know details about them? Did they own pets or livestock? What other possessions did they own? Do you have any of those artifacts? What items may have been listed or described in a probate packet?
Writing Exercise
With these concepts in mind, why not try a little writing exercise. Choose one ancestor or family member of whom you have a photograph. First, determine the name of the person, the date or period the photograph was taken, and what it depicts. Next, determine where the photograph was taken and perhaps the reason why it was taken. Finally, consider the events that are either depicted in the photograph or study local, national, and international history a bit to place the photograph into historical perspective.
The exercise you want to do is to write three of four paragraphs to describe what you see and what you have learned. For example, you might describe a portrait taken of a U.S. World War I soldier in uniform. You could tell his name and, from his World War I Draft Registration card that he was six feet tall, weighed 150 pounds, and had brown hair and green eyes. You could describe the uniform he was wearing in the photograph, and there might be the name and location of the photographer listed on the picture.
You might know that he was married in 1914 and the name of his bride. You may also know that the green eyes were a genetic trait passed to his children who were born in the early 1920s. Your study of his life might indicate that he was born in 1877, the place of birth, and the date and place of his death. If you obtained his military service records, you might be able to tell his branch of service, his unit(s), and ranks achieved. Then you could have traced military histories of unit(s) to determine and state where he served, the battles in which he was engaged, and perhaps other details.
You then might detail his post-military service career, his family life, his religious affiliation, addresses where he and his family lived, relationships with other people in the family and community, activities in which he was involved, his occupation(s), and any number of additional details.
Do you have other photographs of him or the family? Are there photos of the house, pets, cars, vacations, and the community? Can you describe these in words without considering the idea of publishing or showing the actual image?
In the meantime, work into the writing example the historical events of the time in the geographical area. What influence did the Great Depression and World War II have on his life and that of his family? Did the polio epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s affect anyone in his family? Do you know his political party affiliation and his thoughts on world events and politics?
How Successful Is Your Written History Example?
You can read and refine your writing example even more. Consider, however, whether your reader will be able to picture the things you write about without necessarily seeing a photographic image. Will your reader be able to get to "know" the person you have written about? If not, you need to perhaps add more detail or, if you don't have more information to use, start seeking more. The purpose of a written family history is not simply to document names, dates, and locations. You want to bring the details of the people's lives into focus and let them come alive for the reader.
Take a half-hour and try this exercise and I'll guarantee that you, too, will get to know this ancestor even better!
Happy Writing!
George
Visit George's website at http://ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements. Upcoming appearances are scheduled for:
- March 11, 2006
Tallahassee Genealogical Society, Tallahassee, FL
- March 14, 2006
Citrus County Genealogical Society, Lecanto, FL
- March 21, 2006
South Bay Genealogical Society, Sun City Center, Ruskin, FL
- March 23-25, 2006
Muskogee County Genealogical Society Meeting, Writers' Workshop and Conference, Muskogee, OK
- April 11, 2006
Brandon Area Historical and Genealogical Society, Brandon, FL
- April 22, 2006
Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, Virginia Beach, VA
- April 27, 2006
The Villages Genealogical Society, The Villages, FL
- April 28-29, 2006
Ohio Genealogical Society, Toledo, OH
- May 26-28, 2006
Ontario Genealogical Society, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- June 7, 2006
The Association of Genealogical Society Management Conference at the National Genealogical Society Conference, Chicago (Rosemont), IL
- June 7-10, 2006
National Genealogical Society Conference, Chicago (Rosemont), IL
- June 18, 2006
Roots & Branches Genealogy Society, Deland, FL
- August 30-September 2, 2006
Federation of Genealogists Conference
- September 20, 2006--Lee County Genealogical Society presents
("The Genealogy Guys" Podcast LIVE!) -- Ft.Myers, FL
- October 29-November 5, 2006--The Genealogy Cruise 2006, hosted by Fly Away Travel & departing from Port Canaveral, FL
Listen to "The Genealogy Guys" podcast each week at http://genealogyguys.com!
Copyright 2006, MyFamily.com
All rights reserved.
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