writing family history – Family Locket

“The Thread Collectors”: A Fictionalized Civil War Novel Based on Family History

Jun 27, 2025

We often have family stories that have been passed down through the generations to us. How much truth is in the story we may never know, but in the novel, The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman, we have an interesting example of weaving a tale from historical research and a thread of a story. The authors collaborated on this novel. Shaunna has African-American ancestry, and Alyson has Jewish ancestry. They combine...

RLP 360: “The Indigo Girl” – Eliza Lucas Pinckney in 18th Century South Carolina

Jun 2, 2025

In Episode 360 of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, Diana and Nicole discuss Eliza Lucas Pinckney and her contributions to 18th Century South Carolina. They focus on Eliza’s life, detailing her early years in Antigua and England, her move to South Carolina, and her management of plantations. They highlight Eliza’s interest in botany and her successful cultivation of indigo as a valuable export. The hosts describe Eliza’s marriage to Charles Pinckney and her...

“The Indigo Girl” – Eliza Lucas Pinckney and Her Contributions in 18th Century South Carolina

Mar 22, 2025

Reading historical fiction based on fact allows us to follow an engaging story and learn history simultaneously. The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd fulfills both possibilities. Who was Eliza Lucas Pinckney, the woman the novel is based on? She is credited with learning to grow the difficult crop of indigo in South Carolina in the early 1700s, which was a challenging task, especially for a woman in Colonial America. We’re reading The Indigo Girl for...

Review of Leaving a Legacy: Turn Your Family Tree into a Family Book

Mar 30, 2024

Do you have a goal to write family history books to preserve your research and have something tangible to share with your family? Perhaps you’ve been intimidated by the many details and experience needed to create something worth sharing. If so, Rebecca Shamblin’s new book, Leaving a Legacy: Turn Your Family Tree into a Family Book, might be the resource you need to make your goal a reality. Learn more about the author and book...

Researching and Writing Your Family Story: Review of “The Things We Cannot Say”

Mar 24, 2024

Every family has many stories that could be told. Some stories are easy to write, and others are difficult. Sometimes, you may need to travel to the location and immerse yourself in the history and land. Such is the case with Kelly Rimmer’s The Things We Cannot Say.” Rimmer faced the same challenge that many descendants of family members who lived through World War II face – a lack of family stories. Rimmer’s grandparents were...

Researching Historical and Cultural Context – This Tender Land

Dec 16, 2023

Some books can draw you in from the first page and keep you entranced until the last page. This Tender Land is that type of book. Set in the midwestern during the 1930s, we meet a host of characters – some good and some evil. As family historians, reading historical fiction provides us with a look at an era our ancestors lived through. We can gain new perspectives into the challenges they faced. This Tender...

RLP 277: How to Start a Family History Blog to Share Stories

Oct 30, 2023

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to create a family history blog to help you share family stories. Whether you want to write family stories, recruit DNA test-takers to help with a particular research problem, or connect with distant cousins to collaborate on research, a free blog can help you. Learn about free blog platforms, how to organize your blog posts, setting a schedule, and reading other family history blogs. Transcript...

Writing Family History: Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of An American Family

Jul 22, 2023

Do you have a fascinating ancestor who is also a historical figure? What if family stories, DNA, and research found that ancestor to be a different race than expected? Researching and imagining their life could lead to asking hard questions and writing their story. Rachel Jamison Webster discovered her ancestor, Benjamin Banneker, was a brilliant mathematician who surveyed Washington D.C., and wrote almanacs. He was also African American, and her branch of the family had...

RLP 255: The Education of Bobby Gene Shults

May 29, 2023

Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s 52 Ancestors post in response to the prompt about an ancestor who was the first to graduate from high school or attend college. Diana wrote about her father, Bobby Gene Shults, the first of his ancestors to graduate from college. We review Bob’s autobiographical life story and discuss his schooling from the 1930s to the 1950s. Bob made use of the GI bill to help...