Passing It On

When's the best time to share your stories?

Filling out a family tree or researching a family's history takes time. For some, it can be a very long time. Projects often morph into something quite different from the original intention.

Most of us have some idea of where we're headed when we enter into a project, if only vaguely. But how do you know when a project's done? When do you share what you've learned?

There are some among us who are eager to share what we find as soon as we find it. This team-building approach encourages collaboration, often inspiring others to prod their own memories and resources to become active participants in your project.

Others choose to wait until they've reached a certain stage in their process, sharing only when their documentation is complete and their research results extend into their personal comfort zones. This can take years.

I'm reminded of a cartoon a few years back showing a tired and perplexed man sitting in front of a computer screen bearing a message to the effect of "You've reached the end of the Internet."

Can you imagine reaching that point in your own family history work?

Flickr photo courtesy of Buck Fever.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Where did you keep your Shinola?

It started as a simple question from my brother David.

"Do you remember where we kept the shoe polish?"

He sent this picture, which was supposed to be a clue. Sadly, I didn't have a clue. I recognized the bag in the picture, but only vaguely.

Owning up to my ignorance, he answered his own question with an e-mail response.

"This is the bag that Dad kept the shoe polish and all the brushes, daubers, and buffing cloths in.  It was in the bottom kitchen drawer left of the sink.  (you'd have been more familiar with it if only you'd have polished your shoes more often) <grin>."

Now, I remember. I also remember where we kept the bread (also in a drawer near the sink), cereal and applesauce (that's a story only the family can appreciate!).

If it hadn't been for my brother's prompting (and visual clue), this part of my history might have been lost. I doubt that my kids care to know how often I shined my shoes, but they may find it interesting that my resourceful parents saw no need to plunk down their hard-earned dollars for a fancy shoeshine kit that's going to be stuffed in a drawer out of sight most of the time.

Often, it's the stories of others that trigger long-forgotten memories of your own life's journey. The best thing you can do is pay attention.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Snaring those flitting, random gifts of family history

You never know when or where your personal history will bubble up. Does this post by Scott at Haberblab sound familiar?:

"At odd times all sorts of personal history comes swimming to the surface. Making me think 'Oh yes, I forgot all about that."'only to have the memory float down again."

That sort of thing happens to me all the time. Something will pop into my head and when I try to remember it later, I can't.

Recognizing the situation, I try to carry with me a 3x5 writing pad and pen so that I can document these things as they occur rather than relying on a balky memory. Of course, I often forget the pad and pen.

Still, it makes sense to find a way to snare those random gifts of family history before they flit away. It also works for shopping lists, appointments and any of those other pesky details that test our memories.

What's your system?

Flickr photo courtesy of TizzyandMona.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.