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Veterans Day is Sunday and we realize at this time
that veterans of World War II are becoming fewer each day. Those who are
left still have stories to tell. Are you recording them in some way?
History that you help to record carries more interest than what you read
in a book.
Lots of people have a grandparent or other relative
who has been promising to write down their memories. Record memories of
women and children of the times, too. Don’t wait for them to do it, you
may risk losing part of your own history. Record the interview on tape
or at least write down their answers. They will probably feel that your
request is an honor. Your time and effort will prove that you take their
memories seriously. A taped interview will also preserve something
unforgettable--their voice, how they express themselves, and a sense of
who they are. My childhood lullabies were cowboy ballads, sung by my
Dad. I have a recording of him singing those songs. This is much more
meaningful that just the written words and music.
Talk to your relatives who appear in family photos,
and ask them five questions: who, what, where, when and why. Record
their answers. If a photo relates to other family information, record
this too. Just don’t write on the photo. Some photos will leave you with
guesses, hunches and new mysteries rather than answers, so save these
mysteries. The answer may be somewhere else in your family history. A
picture is said to be worth a thousand words. It is so rewarding to see
some of your ancestor’s characteristics surface again in you or your
children
War, peace, love, death, recipes, and weather
reports are all part of old family letters and diaries. They will show
you two sides of your history, the remarkable and the ordinary. Letters
of long ago carry ideas and points of view as well as a glimpse of their
times. Try to identify the writer and recipient of family letters, as
well as when and where they were written. Family Bibles, diplomas,
invitations, newspaper clippings, and ticket stubs also will contain
clues of your history. I kept a journal of a trip through Canada and it
tells of the milk cartons being printed in French. It also recalls lots
of picnics, because there were no McDonalds at that time.
Be sure to write a few lines on what you see, read
and hear about--weddings, jobs, scandals, local news, politics. This is
all history, not just facts and figures, but what makes our country
unique. Family recollections matter. It is O.K. to write your own story
too. If one of your parents had written a journal, wouldn’t you want to
read it? Think of all we are learning, even from the Amie Sexton Silcott
letters. She is not even a blood relative to most, but we certainly feel
a kinship.
November and December will bring opportunities for
family gatherings. Record your own history. Help is available. Try the
library, web sites and Historical Society members. The Chronicle will be
interested in what you accomplish.
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