Many genealogists should take the time to create a family history story about their ancestors. Most genealogists gather the vital facts, but never seem to be interested aobut their family history. I believe people are scared to learn about their ancestors, or maybe they had a bad family incident that may reflect badly on their parents or grandparents. However, I believe these are the key elements in making stories even more interesting and have a deep appreciation of the times.
I don’t recommend writing about your parents or grandparents misfortunes if it causes problems in your family, but you can certainly write about the good times or humorous times as a tribute to them. The further back you go in time may reflect on the times and hardships for many ancestors. The Great Depression or World War experiences were felt by many and it can certainly be used in a positive manner to reflect on those times. I have collected many stories from relatives and newspaper articles that made a story come alive.
To find the facts and interesting stories on ancestors requires deeper research, looking at old mementos and artifacts, talking to close or distant relatives, finding old photos that tell a story, digging into the newspaper archives, browsing the Internet databases and message boards, visiting the local archives, and visiting the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or the local library for existing family history books.
~ Bob Larson is a regional speaker, genealogy and family history instructor for the Larimer County Genealogical Society and volunteers at the Old Town Library. Visit our society’s website at lcgsco.org or our Facebook page at facebook.com/lcgsco to learn more about genealogy research and our many programs and free classes.