At the conference this past weekend, I met a number of geneaologists and family historians, none of which considered themselves scrapbookers. One even shared with me that they hate scrapbookers because they cut out all the important references. I thought that was interesting, maybe because I always teach folks to trim clutter or dead space, but to leave what may be an historical reference point to later generations. My view of the two classifications of historians is that while there goals are similar their presentations are just different.
Most geneaology compilations I see are three-ring binders full of documentation (census records, marriage & birth certificates and etc). I pull together my family history using those same documents, but I weave in the story, I try to put the documents into context. For instance I just shared with my cousin Dawn last night, that one of the historians had her GREAT Grandmother's obituary from 1931...see it was just a newspaper clipping in a binder, but add to it who her children were, where she lived and how she was related to the coal industry it becomes a more interesting story.
A family of geneaologists researching the African American coal miners from Whitsett. I Can't wait to connect with them again, to work with them in recruiting other Fayette countians to preserve their family history too.
Thanks for the perspective, Lisa. As a personal historian, I tell people all the time that the format they choose to save their stories in is not as important as saving their family's legacy before it disappears.
Posted by: Larry Lehmer | March 21, 2007 at 10:32 PM