Passing It On

Tend your family history like a well-kept garden

Starting a family history project is a lot like gardening: you jump in enthusiastically, hit it hard for awhile and then summer arrives, with its heat, weeds and other distractions. If you stick with the plan, you reap the harvest. But if you don’t stay with it, things can get ugly in a hurry.

That’s the true test: your ability to see it through to the final reward. And the rewards of doing family history are great. It’s truly a win-win situation when done properly: you enjoy doing it as much as your readers enjoy what you’re doing. Family history helps connect generations in unique and powerful ways.

Here’s some proof:

• Why do it? Genealogical blogger extraordinaire Randy Seaver shares his reasons for preserving his family’s history in this post.
• Are you one of those people who thinks your life has been nothing special? Then you should read this essay about “we” and our accomplishments. You may change your mind.
• Dr. Lyman Beecher’s family stepped in to help him save his family stories back in the 1860s. Their methods are just as valid today. Try them.
• Is there a generational communications gap in your family? Maureen Taylor offers some tips on how to bridge that gap with family history.

Remember, stick to your family history project. You can get there from here. Work smarter, not harder. Don’t give up.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people write their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Flickr photo courtesy of billaday.

Even the most capable among us need help sometime

Even if you follow the advice of my previous post about focusing your family history project on one topic at a time, you may find yourself in what we personal historians refer to as “one fine mess.” Whether it’s an overabundance of material or a serious shortfall, don’t despair. Help is available.

We all need help sometimes. Whether it’s to fix a leaky faucet, keep our vehicle’s engine purring along or clean those nasty-looking carpets, we sometimes have to swallow hard and dig deep into our wallets to right the ship. Isn’t your personal history project just as valuable?

Should you hire a professional personal historian or genealogist, you should be able to find one who will work within your budget to keep your project on track. Check the Association of Personal Historians web site to find one in your area. Most offer free consultations.

There’s plenty of free help available online, too. You can Google around to your heart’s content and uncover thousands of sites, each offering various levels of assistance in just about every area of family history. Or, you can just click on these three to get started:

• Shades of the Departed by footnoteMaven. This guest post by Kim O’Neill Screen is chock-full of great ideas for working with photos. If you have lots of cool photos and want to move beyond scrapbooking, this is the spot for you.
• Everything Guide to Online Genealogy by Kimberly Powell. I haven’t read this new book yet, but Kimberly, who blogs at the About.com genealogy site, certainly has the credentials to put together a book with such an audacious title.
• Alltop’s guide to genealogy blogs. I hesitate to reveal that I am not the only personal historian/genealogist operating in the blogosphere, but it’s true. This huge list bears that out. A nice feature is that headlines of the five most recent posts of each blog are listed, ripe for the clicking.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people write their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Aaron Lehmer helps his family on moving day (Courtesy of Larry Lehmer)

KISM makes learning your family history possible

Another Family History Month is almost over. Before it slips away entirely, I’m offering up a few “back to the basics” posts this week.

Let’s face it, writing a family’s history is a daunting task by any measure. Whether writing your own memoir or working with the stories of others, the first obstacle is often simply where to begin. The mere thought of trying to collect and save decades (or centuries) of family lore can be paralytic.

Many of you may be stuck in this phase. For you we offer KISM – Keep It Simple Monday. By breaking your humongous task into more manageable pieces, you can break through that pesky Wall of Enormity.

The first thing to do is to figure out what exactly you want to accomplish. For instance, you may want to write about your own childhood or the life of a great grandfather. Narrow your goal to one thing, preferably something that’s within your current level of expertise. By concentrating on one achievable goal, you have a much better chance of getting there and doing it well in the process.

What do you need to do to reach your goal? Poke around cyberspace? Interview relatives? Dig through old photographs and documents? Make a list and tackle these things, one at a time. Stay on task; don’t get distracted. Stay with it until you have what you want. Then pick something else and work on that.

The key element here is to stay focused on one goal at a time before moving on to another. There’s no way you can wrestle a family history project to the ground all at once, so don’t even bother trying. By working on one goal at a time, you’ll be much more effective. You’ll learn more, keep your project moving forward and you won’t be overwhelmed or burned out by frustratingly impossible goals.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Flickr photo courtesy of @t..

Are you like your grandparents?

How much are you like your parents? Your grandparents?

As I was growing up, my answer would have been simple: not much. As I get older, though, I’m discovering that I’m more like them than I realized in my more formative years.

I always knew that my family was an industrious lot. One of my great-grandfathers was a blacksmith who even made his own tools. His sons and grandsons grew up to be independent, skilled handymen. No household task was beyond them. They replaced water heaters, installed plumbing, wired walls and turned trees into boards. My own father even built a complete house from scratch.

A big night for my paternal grandfather and grandmother consisted of sanding down some baseboards or painting a ceiling before heading off to a friend’s house where they would laugh and sing, maybe even cut a record. On weekends, they’d take a drive in the country, spend a couple of hours picking gooseberries then come home where Grandma Jessie would stem them, bake a pie and make jelly before bedtime.

I know this because I’ve been reading the nearly 30 years of journals that my grandmother kept. In all honesty, I see little of myself in the above. I’m a capable handyman and know my way around a kitchen, but am nowhere near as ambitious or accomplished as my ancestors.

Nevertheless, I was astonished to find some striking similarities when I recently was given access to some of my Dad’s personal records.

For instance, my Dad was a reporter for his high school paper. I don’t recall his ever mentioning that, even as I launched my own journalistic career as a reporter. Then there are the lists. I guess I sort of knew that we were both list-makers, but I didn’t know about the records.

Phonograph records, that is. In the years before he married and before he joined the armed forces, Dad spent a good chunk of every paycheck on phonograph records and added them to a list. Guess who did the exact same thing 25 years later? I don’t recall him ever mentioning that, either.

Bottom line: The influences of our ancestors are sometimes more subtle than we realize.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Jessie Lehmer with her hard-working kids - Calvin, Phyllis, Agnes and Jack, (Courtesy of Walter B. Lehmer)

They like us, they really like us!

My, my. You people that are interested in family history are a diverse lot. And, judging by the turnout at our Family History Open House in Urbandale, Iowa, on Sunday, there are plenty of you out there, eager to dig into those family roots.

Frankly, we didn’t know what to expect when the handful of us that make up the central Iowa contingent of the Association of Personal Historians put together the event to commemorate Family History Month. What we got was a steady stream of amateur genealogists and family historians, most of who appeared to be very intent on saving their family stories for future generations.

Here’s a sampling of what I heard from folks in my 2 hours of non-stop chatting:

• Lots of people who are designated the family historian by their relatives find themselves awash in family mementos, often more than they can comfortably handle. Their concerns centered on how to sort through piles of “inherited” stuff and what to do with it once it’s sorted.

• How do you go about interviewing relatives? Is there a set list of questions you should use? How do you get them to open up (or, in some cases, shut up?)

• I had one good discussion on the plight of local historical societies. It seems funding is becoming harder to get and there aren’t enough young people queued up to take the place of groups’ senior members.

• More than one person asked me about writing classes. There appear to be plenty of people in town who would love to write their own histories, but need a little guidance. (I’m actually working on setting something up now in the Des Moines area. More later.)

All in all, it was a lively, enthusiastic and inquisitive group. I hope they took away something positive from our little get-together. I know I did.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people write their own family histories. To learn more, check out his web site or send him an e-mail.

Flickr photo courtesy of G.Hotz Photography.

Don’t forget the stub tracks of your family tree

When I worked for the railroad, we had some short tracks where we temporarily parked rail cars. We called these “stub tracks.” You could push cars in, but you had to pull them out since they were blocked at the opposite end.

Our family trees have stub tracks, too. These are the never-married, non-propagating relatives whose branches end with them. Over a couple of generations, their stories usually wither away.

In my dad’s family, his Uncle Ray occupied one of those stub tracks. Born in North Bend, Neb., in 1900, Ray was what was euphemistically called “slow.” His father, Cal, was quite protective of Ray, who spent his life doing simple tasks, such as sweeping out boxcars for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.

But, as Cal got on in years, he worried about what was to become of Ray. On Dec. 26, 1945, he wrote a note to his four sons and stuck it in a small envelope that read “to be opened after my death.”

In his note, Cal wrote how he had tried to put away some money for Ray’s future since “we all know his condition.” According to the note, that amounted to a sizeable-for-that-time $7,000, a sum large enough that Cal considered (and rejected) setting up a trust fund.

“Whatever you do, look after him and guard his money so he won’t be abused and be a tramp when I am gone,” Cal wrote. “You know he don’t know how to handle money and so it will be up to you boys to see that he is protected.”

After Cal died in 1948, my grandfather, Harry, took Ray under his wing, setting him up in a small trailer at the rear of his property. After Harry died in 1959, his widow, Jessie, continued to look after Ray. Jessie died in 1982 and my dad took care of Ray, by then in a nursing home, until his death in 1985.

As a youngster visiting my grandparents’ house, it was always a treat to see Ray. Within minutes of our arrival, we were at his trailer, sitting at his small dining table where he graciously shared a banana or apple. Conversation was understandably light, but Ray always had a smile on his face and was genuinely glad to have the company. We absolutely loved him.

But the ranks of us who knew Ray are dwindling. With no sons or daughters to carry his legacy, it is left to the side branches of the family tree to honor his memory. It’s a task often overlooked in some families. What are you doing to preserve the stories of those from the “stub tracks” of your own family tree?

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Ray Lehmer celebrates his 67th birthday. (Courtesy of Walter B. Lehmer),

Would great-grandpa vote for Obama or McCain?

Do you know how your ancestors voted?

Voting, of course, is a very personal matter. There are myriad factors a person uses in deciding where to mark that X on the ballot. But the biggest factor for many of us is that we are firmly rooted in one political party, voting the same way our grandfathers and great-grandfathers did.

Louise Mohler, for example, has voted for every Republican presidential candidate since 1948 – Dewey, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1, Bob Dole and Bush 2. But Louise faces a dilemma next month – she recently found out that she’s a distant cousin of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

"You can tell this man is really brilliant," says Louise, acknowledging that her lengthy streak of GOP voting may soon come to a halt.

I’m not absolutely certain how my grandparents voted, but I have a pretty good idea. I don’t recall any overly heated political disputes in my own family, but I had plenty of friends in the 1960s whose political views were in direct conflict with their parents’ in quite visible, often bitter, ways.

In the current political climate, it’s interesting how some families are inadvertently drawn into the fray. Take the original Mavericks, for example. This Texas family has a lengthy history of supporting progressive issues yet its name has been co-opted generically by the McCain campaign as supporting its anti-liberal brand. Also, some non-Republican McCains around the country have banded together to form their own McCains for Obama group.

How about your family? Do you know your family’s political leanings? How did they affect the family dynamics?

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Flickr photo courtesy of Just-Us-3.

Four easy ways to jump start your history project

As part of our never-ending quest to help people save their family histories, the staff here at Passing It On has come up with four easy ways you can jump start your own project during Family History Month.

No. 1 on the list is the free Family History Open House a group of us are putting on at the Public Library here in Urbandale, Iowa, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19. We’ll have personal historians, genealogists, videographers and other good folks on hand to answer your questions, show you examples of our work and give you lots of helpful goodies to take with you. There will also be drawings for family history items beginning at 3 p.m. It’s all free.

If you can’t make it to the open house, you might try No. 2: a new book by Kimberly Powell entitled “The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy.” While checking this book out, check out some of the other books on the topic that are available.

No. 3 on our list is Maureen Taylor’s webinar, “Saving Family Treasures,” on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. EDT. You must register for this event which will provide valuable information on how to store things without busting your budget.

No. 4 is Elyse Doerflinger’s cool blog post on how to organize your genealogy. Elyse is a college student whose space is very valuable so she practices what she’s preaching.

If you find yourself with a case of genealogical overload this month, I suggest you click on over to this post from Terry Thornton at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi. Terry’s photo essay about an “unwanted guest” is sure to bring a smile to your face. (Hint: think Howdy Doody).

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Thomas girls-Lorie, Annette, Vickie (Courtesy: W.B. Lehmer)

Do you need bad news to get moving?

P.J. O’Rourke is a funny man. His ability to find humor in just about any situation served him well when he was diagnosed recently with cancer.

O’Rourke’s cancer – a malignant hemorrhoid – is highly treatable with a 95 percent survival rate. The humorist asks “What color bracelet does one wear for that? And where does one wear it?” He also writes of the irony that Teddy Kennedy has brain cancer “and I should have cancer of the ass ... Well, I’ll say a rosary for him and hope he has a laugh at me. After all, what would I do, ask God for a more dignified cancer? Pancreas? Liver? Lung?”

We all have friends and relatives who have received dire medical prognoses. It’s got to be among life’s more gut-wrenching moments. Breaking the news to patients has to be one of the more difficult tasks a doctor faces. You never know how a person will react to grim news.

Some people get angry. Others wallow in self-pity. Some people reassess their lives, mend fences and take those trips they’ve always wanted to take. Some people simply put their affairs in order and treasure each day, often wondering why they haven’t done this all along.

We find inspiration in those who rise above their own interests and well-being to reach out to others. This is why The Last Lecture by the late Randy Pausch has been such a phenomenal success. A former colleague of mine, columnist Rob Borsellino of the Des Moines Register, was just as inspirational in his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

I’m not sure that knowing you are going to die soon is a good thing, but it does tend to bring a person’s life into a tighter focus. How do you think you would react to such news? Now consider this: Given the unpredictability of our time on earth, is there any reason why we shouldn’t live each moment as if it were our last?

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: P.J. O'Rourke courtesy of Broussardish.

Dealing with a windfall of photographic riches

As I noted in an earlier post, snapshots are visual portals to our past. I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately visiting some of my family’s visual portals.

In conjunction with my parents’ move from a house to an apartment, I’ve come into temporary possession of a significant portion of the family archives, including hundreds of photos and slides dating back to the early 20th century.

It’s been an absolute delight, reviving memories of long-forgotten events and people. Fortunately for me, I’ve still got my parents and brothers available to fill in some of the gaps where my own recollections come up a bit short. Eventually, I intend to distribute the scanned electronic images of the cache far and wide throughout my own family tree in hopes of learning even more.

The central people and events captured on film are valuable enough in themselves, but it’s what’s lurking in the background that makes them priceless to a family historian. That old sled supporting a long-gone ice chest. That tree you used to climb before it was felled decades ago. That gravel road before it was paved in your youth. It’s these bonus details that help put photos into a personal, historical context.

But dealing with a windfall of riches like a box of family photos can be a daunting task. How do you know what to keep? How do you organize and store it? Sally Jacobs, aka The Practical Archivist, has some tips on deciding what to keep. (Hint: When in doubt, throw it out). Guest poster Kim O’Neill Screen over at Shades of the Departed has some great ideas on how to effectively display your photos. In this digital age it’s easier than ever to share photos, as they show at Photo Sharing Blog.

Emotional connections often complicate and sometimes paralyze the sorting process. If this is true for you, consider using someone without those emotional connections, such as a professional personal historian, to make the hard choices for you.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Photo: Determined Larry Lehmer prepares for a big 1959 baseball game (Courtesy of Larry Lehmer)