Every week when I sit down to write this newsletter, I have to stop and think, “What, or who, am I going to write about?” Picking a topic is especially difficult when I haven’t been elbow-deep in genealogy and just happening across stories. As I get involved in preparing the house for winter, work, vet appointments, and carrying out my end-of-year responsibilities for DAR and other orgs I’m part of, I do less and less work in areas that would stimulate a discussion here.
At that point I have to just toss a dart and hope it lands on an easy target. I currently have more than 12,000 people in my family tree on Ancestry (where I store references and keep things straight as I write). Surely one of those has a story I haven’t told yet!
But just like the shell game, what I think I picked isn’t always what is actually under there. For example, writing about my grandmother inevitably ends up being about her sisters, parents, and my grandfather. Writing about my great-grandmother last week included her brother and estranged husband (both of whom I wish I knew more about).
The easiest posts are the straight lineages - the ‘who begat who’ chronicles. But those are boring.
Or are they?
Sure, a list of a bunch of names and dates can be a boring read if they aren’t relevant to you, but the adventure of finding those names and dates? That’s what it’s all about. And then someone who is looking for that info finds it?
The stories and life events are fun reads - but that information isn’t always available, especially for ancestors prior to the writer’s lifetime. I have my great-grandmother’s diary and I still don’t know much more about her. And I have to be careful not to talk too much about people still living. As we get into the details of vital records and dates, it’s important to retain some semblance of privacy for their safety.
So this week I’m writing about finding a topic to write on. I’m just kicking the can down the street, aren’t I?
Actually, I’m staring dazedly at the number on my Ancestry dashboard. Like, seriously, more than 12,000? A lot of those are cousins, offshoots, other wives, etc. But my lineage books so far are more than 1000 pages of the who-begat-who and family stories, so I shouldn’t be so surprised.
It’s difficult to fathom being related to that many people. Again, though, it makes sense. My father was 1 of 10 surviving children. My mother 1 of 5. These branches alone are likely more than 100 people. An older cousin (one of the more than 20 on my dad’s side) passed away last month and his obituary listed 11 children and 9 great-grandchildren. I had no idea and I just saw him and two of his sons last year!
I could toss the dart at the phone book and probably hit a cousin’s name. It’s a wonder I ever have difficulty finding someone to write about.
It’s the complexity of a life that’s the most difficult thing to capture. So I pick the shell and turn it over. I get the vital facts on that person. I get the list of their siblings. Their children. Their grandchildren.
But who were they? I may never know. And that makes it frustrating when choosing who to write about.
I write up my stories in much the same way. Get the vital statistics together, details of their siblings and children, and hopefully a story develops. I usually check the newspapers to see if there's anything that stands out. It always amazes me who many stories there are to tell.
My family tree has more than 10000 people. My family is Italian and I have lots of couples that had more than 10 children each. So I get what you mean