The Adventures of Cowboy Bob: Texas Tricks and Trouble Stories are a powerful way to connect to the past. The trick is finding a way to share them that conveys the emotion and passion of the original telling. My dad had a childhood filled with adventures and he loved to tell them to his children and grandchildren. But how to pass those treasured tales on to future generations? To preserve them in a way that will speak to his posterity, I’ve chosen to fictionalize those tales. Enjoy this step back in time to Texas about 1933. Texas Tricks and Trouble...
Do you know a memory keeper? The person in the family who captures a moment in time with a photo or video, sharing and displaying, collecting and keeping? I have the good fortune to be the daughter of a memory keeper. As long as I can remember, my mother, Anna Mae Kelsey, had a camera in her hand, snapping photos of birthday parties, family vacations, babies. Those photos went into picture frames and albums. Her simple 8 millimeter movie camera, purchased in the 1950’s, captured priceless footage including this clip of me as a toddler with my grandfather, Edward Raymond Kelsey. He...
Sometimes a gem of story can be discovered from clues in our family histories. My parents recorded my grandfather telling his life history in the 1970’s. After relating the basic facts of his life story, Grandpa began to loosen up and with his memory jogged, he started to tell some of the most memorable events of the early years. His tale of the snake and my dad’s bluetick coonhound should have been one I recognized, but my dad didn’t include this story in his history. However he did write about coon hunting, so I combined the two memories into this fictionalized...
Memories are fleeting. Why do we remember some things in vivid detail and others not at all? As I’ve been writing stories based on my dad’s memories, I’ve realized that the stories he recorded were those that made an impact on him. Enough of an impact that 70 years after the event, he still recalled them vividly. Seeing the wonder of snow through my Arizona grandchildren’s eyes, I gained insight into my dad’s memory of a big snowstorm. Here is my fictionalized telling of that event. The Big Snowstorm By Diana Elder, based on an account by Bobby Gene Shults....
Have you thought about what it must have been like for your ancestors who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930’s? My dad’s family experienced the Dust Bowl, the era of incredible dust storms that choked the plains of Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas from about 1932-1938. He told of the drifts of sandy dirt on the roads and breathing through a damp handkerchief in the midst of a dust storm. The third in my series The Adventures of Cowboy Bob, here is a fictionalized telling of one of those storms. Dust Storm By Diana Elder, based on accounts from...
Do you have a great family story, one that passes Bruce Feiler’s campfire test with the emotion, the passion, and the pain to endure? Reading and writing about Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls inspired me to try my hand at writing my dad’s stories. Growing up during the depression in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and California he had plenty of adventures. My dad found the humor in every story and usually told them with tears running down his face from laughing so hard. I want to preserve those stories for his posterity, so each month I’ll be sharing a fictionalized account of one of...
How much do you know about the military service of your family members? Do you wonder about the events that shaped their lives? How can you honor their sacrifice? In the next few weeks we have several opportunities to consider their part in preserving our country’s freedom: Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. Like most World War II veterans, my dad didn’t talk much of his war experiences. When he passed away five years ago, all that remained of his military service were his sailor pants, some photos, his discharge papers, and a couple of paragraphs in his personal history outlining...
How do you help a child who has lost a beloved parent or grandparent? In our own grief do we sometimes dismiss that of our children? This week I wrote about dealing with the loss of loved ones by creating forget-me-nots, memorials to help keep our loved ones present in our lives. I thought of my sister, Nancy, and her son, Ty. He was just twelve when his grandpa died and he really suffered from the loss. Nancy created a shadow box for his bedroom wall that helped him remember his grandpa and heal. Here is their story, told by Nancy. My...
Do you have a difficult ancestor? One that just won’t stay put in one place? Are records difficult to find in the location you finally have him pinpointed? Have you been more interested in finding names and dates than discovering the what, where, and why of your family? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, maybe it’s time to take a step back from searching for specific records and put your ancestors in their place. Below are three research tips to get you started. To learn more about the genealogy research process and the importance of understanding...
“It’s impossible not to love someone whose story you’ve heard.” This truth was spoken by David Isay of StoryCorps during his keynote at the Friday Opening Session of the RootsTech conference. The message of StoryCorps left a lasting impression on me as Isay beautifully illustrated how hearing stories of even strangers creates a connection. Most of my ancestors are strangers to me – but through their stories I feel a deep connection to them. “Every story matters.” -David Isay, StoryCorps Do you believe that every story matters? I sure do. Stories have always been my favorite part of family history. When I first really delved into...
