{"id":6028,"date":"2012-08-10T15:23:01","date_gmt":"2012-08-10T21:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ldswomenofgod.com\/?p=6028"},"modified":"2025-04-15T12:06:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T18:06:47","slug":"personal-history-workshop-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reliefsocietywomen.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/10\/personal-history-workshop-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal History Workshop 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Combining Historical Research with Family Lore<\/h1>\n

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Go Back to Lesson 8.<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Even though this is a writing course–and hopefully will get you to write your thoughts down in a pleasant, non-threatening atmosphere–this<\/a> lesson calls for a little more than just sitting down and writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Where did your family legends come from? Is it true Abraham Lincoln slept in your mother\u2019s uncle\u2019s mother-in-law\u2019s childhood bed? Maybe you\u2019re just curious about all of the people that lived in the house you grew up in. Or maybe you grew up with stories about a relative who fought valiantly in a war. Learning, and writing, about non-family history, as it relates to your own family history, can add flavor to your writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Much history is on the Internet, and with little effort, a quick search can explain what was happening at a certain period of time. Matching these events with the story you know about your family can be an interesting exercise. It will either show you that the story has been stretched \u201cjust a tad,\u201d or it will validate it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Family History Library, or Stake Research Centers, offers personal family records, as well as historical documents, that will help you paint a picture of the life and times of your family. County Courthouses, libraries, etc., are additional places that can give you facts to add to your personal storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Is there a cousin, friend, missionary companion, who can tell a family story from their point of view? Wouldn\u2019t it be interesting to write about each side of the story?<\/span><\/p>\n

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There is no need to dig deep (unless you want to), but this kind of research can fill in the holes of your life story, or help you understand yourself better. You may not find much usable information, but then again, you may find just enough history to make your writing become rich with color.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Challenge:<\/span><\/h3>\n

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If you know a family legend that mentions a war, a business, a historical event, a famous person, a famous time and place, do some research and add those findings to your family story. Even if the story doesn\u2019t quite line up, or maybe turns out to be completely false, or maybe it is validated through your research, write down, and share your findings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Places to look:<\/span><\/h3>\n

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