Author Archives: Linda Coffin
Genealogists and personal historians have a lot to learn from each other. The first thing a personal historian should realize is that genealogy isn’t just about family data. It’s also about finding clues to stories hidden in the historical record. For instance, trolling through the census might uncover a hidden story. Why was Henry listed as the elder… Read More »
Have you ever looked at a photograph of an ancestor and formed a strong impression of who they probably were? Do you really know if your impression is accurate? The existence of a memoir or family history may tell that person’s story in a way that opens up and expands on what you know about their personality and… Read More »
When I visited my grandmother as a child, the room where I slept had a huge barrister bookcase with a separate glass door for each shelf. At my eye level stood a beautiful set of books – the complete works of Charles Dickens, illustrated by the famous Cruikshank and published in 1881. As a teenager, I read several… Read More »
Family history is one of the most popular hobbies among American adults today. Most amateur genealogists regret that they didn’t start earlier, “when Grandpa was still alive” or “before Mom’s memory began to fail.” They worry that their careful research will go to waste because younger generations don’t see the point of learning about people “who are already… Read More »
Genealogists and personal historians have a lot in common, but they don’t know it. Instead they have a tendency to distance themselves from each other. Personal historians, who interview individuals and families to record their stories, may think that genealogists care about nothing but dates and places that relate to dead people. Genealogists, who document family history through… Read More »
