Category Archives: story

Metaphors We Live By: Phrases That Capture the Genealogical Journey.

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Family history isn’t just about names carefully plotted on a chart—it’s a lived experience, rich with mystery, challenge, and moments of delight. It’s the thrill of uncovering a long-forgotten story, the frustration of chasing a record that seems to vanish into thin air, the quiet satisfaction of piecing a life together from scattered fragments. Along the way, family historians—whether seasoned researchers or curious beginners—adopt a unique language. We find ourselves speaking in phrases steeped in metaphor and meaning, a kind … Continue reading

Connecting to a Forgotten Past.

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I’ve always believed that the journey of researching and writing about family history is just as important as the destination, but the research will often take us along unexpected paths. Uniting the current generation with earlier generations about a forgotten past is a worthy undertaking, but the project is often complex and can take a long time. Recently I came across a book, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History by Margaret Juhae Lee. Margaret, the author, researched her family’s history … Continue reading

Tell the story – make a connection.

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By Vicki MacGregor So, out there in this big world, who are we related to? Pretty much everyone. Could be someone we pass on the street, sit next to in a restaurant… anyone… anywhere. We’re all connected somehow. Anyone famous? Years ago, I met a young woman from the UK who’s second or third great grandfather was a former one term Republican President of the United States, William Howard Taft. I thought that was pretty cool. So, I did a … Continue reading

What about you?

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                As family historians, we avidly search for details about our ancestors from records about their births, deaths and marriages, immigration documents, electoral rolls and census records etc, and then pad out the details of their lives using various other documents and newspaper articles. If we’re lucky there will be family tales passed down through the generations or someone may even have a collection of photos that they are willing to share. Hopefully … Continue reading

Will Your Photos be Sold?

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    Of course not, I hear you say, but unfortunately there are family photos for sale in many charity shops around the world. They are removed from their albums and all provenance is lost. We have to persuade our families that the family photos have value so they don’t just “clear out the rubbish” when we die or go into a nursing home. How can we do that? We need to tell the story  of the photo. Every photo … Continue reading