Are you researching your family history? If so, do you keep a research log? I do now, but only after learning the value of them the hard way—by not having one. I had been researching my ancestors for about fifteen years, having a grand old time uncovering all sorts of details about generations past—discovering not […]
Have you ever thought about the legacy you might leave for others, or the legacies passed down to you by previous generations? Whether or not we have direct descendants, or know our ancestors, our lives and stories have the power to connect with and impact others in numerous ways. Last week, I had the opportunity […]
Over the years, I’ve read a lot of books about researching and/or writing family history. Some of my favourites have been published here in Australia including these three: Family History for Beginners & Beyond, 16th Edition, edited by Danny O’Neill Whether you’re just starting out on researching your family history, or you’ve been on […]
What are your memoir or family history goals for 2021? Is it actually making a start on researching or writing your family history? Perhaps it’s interviewing an elderly relative before it’s too late? Or finding a way through the dead ends and brick walls of your research so far? Maybe it’s finally starting to turn […]
Although these prompts could be done any time, the beginning of the year seems a great time to reconnect with your memoir or family history project. You may still be in holiday mode, or just trying to motivate yourself to get going again after the Christmas break. None of these involve much writing, but all […]
I’ve recently been running a series of workshops on writing memoir and family history at the City of Vincent Library and Local History Centre. In our first session, I led participants through a series of activities to help them stare down the blank page and start writing. It was fabulous to see just how many […]