![\"\"](\"https:\/\/e-gen.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/emigrantstatue.jpg\")
<\/a>Larry with Emigrant Statue in Port of Londonderry, from which most of our Scots-Irish ancestors sailed<\/p><\/div>\n
One of the greatest privileges of being a teacher is the opportunity to travel and visit various libraries. In earlier articles we\u2019ve mentioned trips to nearby Pittsburgh and the great open genealogy room at the old Carnegie Library<\/a> in Oakland and the sacrosanct closed stacks at the new Heinz History Center<\/a> in Lawrenceville. At the first, one finds an entire wall of works about Pittsburgh area families shelved by surnames. The sad thing is that there are almost as many crumbling books piled vertically waiting to be rebound as there are references on the regular library shelves. Such is the state of affairs with most public libraries. At the Heinz, one is impressed by the prevalence of computer access to sources but disappointed by the strict rules for actually handling those sources, i.e. no pens of any kind are allowed in the reading room. If one isn\u2019t familiar with the regulations, he can be embarrassed when the librarian tells him to \u201cPlease put that away.\u201d Even so, my goal in this life is to have some of my writing in these prestigious locations for future generations to consider. But, the question in the back of many information specialists\u2019 minds is, \u201cWill paper resources become a thing of the past?\u201d It\u2019s comforting to me, at least, that all of these E-gen articles began as electronically generated pieces, distributed via e-mail and published on my Internet website, with the idea of someday possibly complementing the words with pictures and sound through the CD-ROM format. Unfortunately, all media have threats to their longevity: paper will eventually oxidize and CDs are vulnerable to heat and electro-magnetics. Fortunately, these media both usually outlive us humans, and who knows what storage systems are yet to be invented. We\u2019ve come a long way from the simple oral tradition where the old and learned of the tribe memorized the songs and stories of their ancestors. The music and rhymes in which the narrative was embedded made memory easier and listening more fun. Or have we come so far? According to the Wycliffe Bible Translators<\/a>, only half of the world\u2019s languages have a written component even today. Some linguists believe that ancient people had larger brains in which to store information. One thing is certain, our modern Western society could do better in venerating our older citizens and the retelling of their experiences. Many of the problems in the world today can arguably be blamed on the youth culture\u2019s immediate gratification mentality. Perhaps the best part of administrating this website is hearing regularly from “cousins” around the world, each with their own stories and questions pertaining to family history.<\/p>\n Aunt Edna Gray One of the elders whom I admired greatly was the late sister of my mother, Aunt Edna (1920-1997)<\/a>. the Gray family historian, worked her entire life in the offices of public education and spent much of her leisure time in the Butler, Pennsylvania, Public Library. I recently visited the genealogy room there and found it to be, like so many other local libraries, user-friendly. In addition to the usual state and county history journals, there were the accounts written by and about local families. But, what caught my eye and gave me the idea for this article was the large number of books about how to write family narratives. I have already offered a list of Internet sources in this series [see \u201c42 Electronic Resources for Doing Genealogical Research\u201d<\/a> or how I got started in the opening remarks of the Introduction: Pearce<\/a> page], but I have avoided most of the unlimited number of books about genealogy. They seemed so dry and academic and perhaps out of date to one who grew up with computers. However, this list deals more with the \u201cstory\u201d aspect of genealogy rather than just the dates and facts. As I tell my writing classes, \u201cIf you\u2019re afraid of making a mistake, you\u2019ll never write anything. Get your memories and ideas down on paper where you can deal with them. You can always fix the problems later.\u201d I love to quote from Donald Murray\u2019s Shoptalk: Learning to Write with Writers<\/em> (1990), a source of ideas, tips, and 3,000 quotes from professional writers. For example, Edward Albee said, \u201cI write to find out what I\u2019m thinking about.\u201d Flannery O\u2019Connor said, \u201cI write because I don\u2019t know what I think until I read what I say.\u201d My favorite is Ernest Hemingway\u2019s, \u201cAnyone who says he wants to be a writer and isn\u2019t writing, doesn\u2019t.\u201d I hope that you\u2019ll consult one or more of these sources and begin preserving your family\u2019s narrative for the future. If you find a helpful book, let me know and I\u2019ll add it to the list:<\/p>\n Baker, Russell<\/strong>, and William Zinsser<\/strong>. Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoirs.<\/em> Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1987. Banks, Keith E.<\/strong> How to Write Your Personal and Family History<\/em>. 2nd ed. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1989. Daniel, Lois.<\/strong> How to Write Your Own Life Story.<\/em> Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1985. Dixon, Janice T.<\/strong> and Dora D. Flach<\/strong>. Preserving Your Past: A Painless Guide to Writing Your Autobiography and Family History<\/em>. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977. Gouldrup, Lawrence P.<\/strong> Writing the Family Narrative<\/em>. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Neubauer, Joan R.<\/strong> From Memories to Manuscript: A Five-step Method of Writing Your Life Story.<\/em> Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994. Selling, Bernard.<\/strong> Writing From Within: Step-by-step Guide to Writing Your Life\u2019s Stories.<\/em> Claremont, CA: Hunter House, 1988. Thomas, Frank P.<\/strong> How to Write the Story of Your Life.<\/em> Cincinnati: Writer\u2019s Digest Books, 1984. Chances are that neither your local bookstore nor library will have all or any of these. Why not buy online through Amazon.com<\/em>, Varsitybooks.com<\/em>, or some of the other Internet bookstores? Perhaps just Google the author or title. Give one to a young, aspiring writing in your family for Christmas or birthday. While you\u2019re at it, give a few to yourself. With or without a book, you can begin today to jot down memories and ideas. I sometimes use my little $18 cassette tape recorder from Walmart to \u201ctalk through\u201d past events while I drive. My wife often asks questions and provides feedback. I\u2019ve taped my parents and family many times as we re-live the past. The key is to transcribe the important things \u2013 get them into a more useful form as soon as possible. This is true for whatever medium you choose: pencil and paper, tape recorder, or memory. And, I generally save everything in multiple ways: notes in a folder; rough drafts printed out, punched, and placed in a binder; and the numerous final products and scanned pictures on a floppy or more spacious zip disk. As with any household records, it\u2019s a good idea to store them in separate places in case of fire or other catastrophe. Obviously, I\u2019ve e-mailed them to the most important people in my life, you, and posted them on my website, but these means may not be available to everyone. I believe that the most important thing is to tell your family what you are doing and why you think it\u2019s important. Someday, they\u2019ll be glad you took that time to share your knowledge and experiences, even if they can\u2019t sell the rights to a movie studio. Good researching, good writing, and let me know how you\u2019re doing!<\/p>\n LIST OTHER HELPFUL GENEALOGICAL WRITING RESOURCES HERE OR IN THE INQUIRY SECTION BELOW: As an afterthought, may I suggest that you check some of the many “E-gen Tools”<\/a> on the bar atop each page? Also, I have recently discovered the site, RootsTech.org<\/a>, associated with the free platform, FamilySearch.org<\/a>. Both are connected with the LDS Church and Ancestry.com<\/a>. RootsTech has a multifaceted family history conference each year to which the organizers invite artists, historians, and genealogists from around the world to share their crafts in person or virtually. The best part is that all this information is free and\u00a0 available online in the months that follow on all sorts of topics in many languages. Simply register at RootsTech.org, where you’ll sign-in and have a myriad of choices of everything from an orientation to a personal “playlist” of sessions to a visit to the “Expo Hall,” a list of products and services to make your new hobby easier. I have a more complete explanation of RootsTech forthcoming and how it helped me in my research and writing. You may click this link [coming] or the one under “E-gen Tools” above.<\/p>\n Finally, you may find something of interest in my new series, “Family History Book Review.”<\/a> This is a collection of authors and titles ranging from Winston Churchhill’s scholarly four-volume, A History of the English Speaking Peoples,<\/em><\/a> to Kay Cornelius’ easy-to-read, four-part historical fiction account, Pennsylvania<\/em>. I am in the process of providing a relatively brief synopsis for each item in this growing collection as well as sources through which to obtain them. Good reading!<\/p>\n Last revised 4\/2\/21<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Larry Pearce 1\/10\/02 One of the greatest privileges of being a teacher is the opportunity to travel and visit various libraries. In earlier articles we\u2019ve mentioned trips to nearby Pittsburgh and the great open genealogy room at the old … Continue reading <\/a>
(1920-1997)<\/p><\/div>\n
\nThese journalist and linguist authors get into the fine points of what to include and what to exclude when writing about you and your family.<\/p>\n
\nPreserving what\u2019s important to you is the core of your legacy for the future.<\/p>\n
\nThis step-by-step guide is for the non-professional writer.<\/p>\n
\nJust what you need \u2013 a reader and writer-friendly help in writing.<\/p>\n
\nThis book and 160-page workbook of the same name is available through the Mormon Church (LDS) or any of their websites.<\/p>\n
\nThis LDS source includes: Research, Organization, Writing, Editing, and Printing\/publishing.<\/p>\n
\nMany of these tips are field-tested and have become the basis for tapping memories in the writing classroom.<\/p>\n
\nThe author explains \u201cmemory sparks\u201d and \u201cfree association skills\u201d used by many English writing teachers.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n