Have you read These is My Words – The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner yet? I featured the novel based on the author’s own family stories as a book club selection in July of 2017. Because I’m fascinated with the writing of family history, I contacted Nancy to get her perspective on the world of genealogy and family history. She graciously agreed to answer my questions and share her thoughts. Four generations of Prine women: Nancy’s mother, grandmother -Minnie Mae (Prine) Belcher, great grandmother – Sarah Agnes (Reed) Prine, great great grandmother – Roxanne (Stockman) Reed If...
How do you go about writing your own life story? Do you stick with the dry facts or do you delve deeper into your memories? Reading how someone else has shared their stories can give you ideas on what you could write. A Girl Named Zippy, Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel is the quirky reminiscing of a small girl in a small Midwestern town. Haven Kimmel writes of her family relationships through the perspective of a young child. The normal ups and downs of family life are depicted in humorous fashion, with hints of deeper currents. Have...
Do you need a great summer vacation book? One to lose yourself in? If so, then These is My Words – The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner is the book for you. I first discovered this book several years ago and recently reread it with an ear for the family history included. The author wrote it in the form of a diary, based on her family memoirs, so it’s a perfect fit for our July book club selection. These is My Words is historical fiction and a wonderful example of putting an ancestor in her place...
What would you do if you discovered a huge family secret when you were ten years old that shook your world? Paul Joseph Fronczak learned from old news clippings that he had been abandoned in front of a New Jersey store as a toddler. FBI agents determined he was the missing child of a Chicago couple whose infant had been kidnapped from the hospital two years earlier. Reunited with his supposed parents, Paul grew up wondering if he really was the son of Chester and Dora Fronczak. Fast forward forty years, when Paul’s own child was born. What was the...
Would you like to multiply your genealogy research and preservation efforts? As a parent, do you need tips in bringing out the best in your children? Could you improve your interactions with colleagues? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll want to discover the world of multipliers and diminishers and how it relates to family history work. Liz Wiseman, researcher, executive adviser, and author set out to discover why some leaders in the business world get so much out of their employees, while others squash talent and initiative. Her team’s findings became Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone...
Have you ever discovered a family secret and thought, “this would make a great novel?” Beverly Scott did and the result is her first work of fiction: Sarah’s Secret: A Western Tale of Betrayal and Forgiveness. As an avid reader and a family historian, I am always on the lookout for interesting books based on family stories so we’re featuring Sarah’s Secret as our May book club selection. If you’re ready to step back in time to 1911, why not come along for the adventure? Bev previously shared her genealogical journey to uncover the truth about her family secret. She visited several locations...
What is the value in keeping a diary or journal? What will be of interest to our descendants a hundred years from now? Whether we write daily or once a year about the happenings in our lives, it is important to record something. Perhaps by examining the first-hand account of a life lived two centuries ago we will gain insight into what we should write. We’re reading A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary 1785-1812 for Women’s History month.¹ This is an opportunity to celebrate our female ancestors – the ones who aren’t listed in the land,...
How do you go about finding an unknown grandfather? What if the only information you have is a name and a country: Samuel Lowe from China. With a combination of hard work and a bit of family history serendipity, Paula Williams Madison finally put to rest the gaping hole in her family’s history. She relates her journey of discovering her Chinese family in her book Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem. It’s a tale any family historian will find fascinating. This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. Thanks for the...
What would you do if you promised your grandfather at age 15 to write his story? If you were Jackie Dougan Jackson, you’d eventually gather up all 70 years worth of letters, documents, and assorted papers stored in the attic; interview hundreds of people, and publish the story of The Round Barn, one hundred years after it was built. It would include not only the building of the unique round barn W.J. Dougan designed to house his dairy operation, but also stories of the family, workers, customers, and even the cows! We featured Jackie in our spotlight, Family History is For...
Do you have a Christmas memory that stands out as particularly significant? Maybe an incident involving a family member or friend or maybe the year you learned giving was better than receiving? It could be a hodgepodge of memories centering around a family tradition. Have you shared that memory about a Christmas past? We’re reading the classic “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote for our December Book Club selection. Capote wrote this short story in 1956. He tells of one Christmas when his seven-year-old self and an elderly cousin celebrated in their humble, simple way. A poignant, beautifully written story,...
