For
the second year I joined many other genealogists and accepted the Family History Writing Challenge to
write my family’s history every day in the month of February. Now the month is ending and it is time to
evaluate what I have accomplished.
Who
to write about and how to write were early decisions. I could have selected my
father’s family. I have already written a book on my father’s mother’s family, ‘The Mark Family Story’, set in Pennsylvania, Ohio & New York with a cast of
wonderful characters like William Mark who liked to shoot off his Civil War
rifle each year on the 4th of July and Rephenia (Gruissy) Nichols
who moved away to Michigan where she and her husband collected shells to be
made into buttons.
My
father’s father’s family story is yet to be told. I have been gathering facts
for several years. It is relatively easy to research because they have been in
the USA for several generations so I can learn a lot without leaving home. I
have tons of relatives who I can harass for stories & photographs. I also
have cousins who are anxious to read what I will write.
However,
I decided to focus on my mother’s family. She was half Irish Catholic and half
Austrian Jew. Irish records are sparse and I have not yet learned how to
research in Austria. There is no family clan to share stories with me. My
mother was an only child. She had only two first cousins and their descendants
are elusive.
Why
did I want to focus on my mother’s roots when my father’s family would be much
easier? Why do I want to write a history that will have only a handful of
readers? Because I am the only one who
can tell this story. I was very close to my mother, Alberta Joy (Gardner)
Brown, and her mother, Helen F. (Coyle) Gardner. They were strong women who
enjoyed life and loved their family. I want future generations to know them.
This
month I pulled out the folders for the Brady, Coyle, Mullane &
Gartner/Gardner families and dusted off my binders for research in Ireland.
Because I had not worked on these people in some time the writing was slow
going. I had to stop to find a death certificate or a page from a city
directory.
What
did I accomplish? I updated the organization of my resources; made an outline
for the book; assembled a detailed time line for each family; and I wrote four
strong chapters, complete with accurate footnotes, one chapter each for Brady,
Coyle, Mullane and Gartner/Gardner. I feel good about accomplishing this much.
The
month and the challenge are ending but I am not done with my mother’s story.
The next part of my book, ‘Remembrances’, is telling the tale of how these
families came together; how they met, married and moved into present day. I am
not sliding the binders back on the shelf or snapping closed the top of my laptop.
I know I have a long way to go but I will tell this story.
