How to Tell The Story

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Tree of Life by lilipilyspirit.deviantart.com

Not All Stories Need Words

Art can speak to us in photos, plays, poems, skits, dioramas, quilts, songs, photographs, even maps and diagrams. 

Family trees are stories, too. When you view a timeline of an ancestor's life, does a story spring to mind? Those who think they can't write, can record their story on their phones, or computers. Both Word and Google Docs have voice transcription power.  

Tell Your Own Story

The magic moment is when a person realizes that they have a story to tell. Is it one of walking hand in hand down a dusty road with great-grandmother? Whether or nit she told her story, your memory is yours; tell it! Sometimes it is the little moments, such as after the ghost story is told around the campfire, when all the kids suddenly feel the urge to get back to the cabin and out of the dark night. Or the feeling after catching your first fish, proudly walking past the crowd to clean it so you can eat your catch. Sometimes, a listener says, "you have to tell this story." Heed that request!

Some Stories Reach Out to Us

Real Sad Story by ArtifyxCollective1: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives Works 3.0 License


Some Must Be Reclaimed 

As genealogists, we know that some stories have to be dug out, and the work can feel like archaeology. In truth, research is one way to unearth those stories. Just this past week, South King County Genealogical Society started a new Research Study Group: https://skcgs.groups.io/g/Research-Group. If you are interested in joining, it's not too late.


If your stories are already bubbling onto the page, perhaps our new Wikitree-Users group will be of use. Last Thursday night, we met with members of the Mason County Genealogical Society and shared screens, links and tips with one another. Wikitree is unmatched as a place to build a well-sourced tree with ample opportunity to share photos, document images and transcriptions, room to share biographical stories clothing the facts, and linking the FAN club (Family, Friends, Associates & Neighbors) members into the narrative. 

No matter how and where you tell your stories, share them!

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Send your stories to m.strickland@skcgs.org

 
 

Comments welcome!



Valorie Zimmerman




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