Dear Logan County Cousins, I have spent this evening trying to recreate briefly the lives of my following ancestors. James Harley Brown and Nancy Celite Toler Stephen Browning and Lucinda Brown Hiram Grant Burgess and Lena Mae Browning. Why didn't I do this years ago? Most of you are smarter than I. If you have not written a brief history of your parents, grand parents, and great grand parents you should. It is a very therapeutic excercise. We talk so much about being genealogist, we should at least recreate their lives in writing so that our grand children know a little about them. I have been keeping a personal journal for about 30 years. I write what I have done for the last week usually on Sunday mornings. Takes me about 5-10 minutes. I have been adding these stories into my journal. God Bless Each and Every Member of this List. Jim Burgess

Amen, Jim. I began writing in 1995, shortly after my mother's first stroke and paralysis. It was recommended by a therapist. Back then, there was no such thing as care giver therapy or support groups. We just went and did, sometimes til we dropped. What I found most painful was the lack of friends and family to listen to the saga of mom's slow demise. It seemed I was the pariah of Death, instead of the life-helper. No matter how positive and upbeat I tried to be, I was greeted grimly as folks awaited the latest in the bad news. Hospice taught me there is a notion among some that death is contagious. Time with mom, later with my great-aunt and then my beloved aunt and cousin, meant long hours in hospital rooms, doctors' waiting rooms, in line at the pharmacy or treatment centers, or at their homes. I took my notebook and when they could not recall what they'd had for lunch or if we'd had lunch, they could recall stories of their youth, their grandparents, funny things. All went into the notebook. Always, they said, "I don't know why you'd want that old stuff for," or, "I can't remember any of that." "Where were you when the war was over?" brought nothing. Yet, trigger questions like: "Were you still married to John and in Whitesville when you heard the war was over?" brought forth an hour's detailed memories. I put the stories into the computer. Some 11 years later, I've finally arranged them into a semblance of time order, gotten other family members' recollections of the same events, and added those. My Will clearly states this is a work in progress and if I croak tonight, go to "x" document in Word, print it out and send it to [include a list]. A lot is semi-sensitive, but hey - I'll be gone. If it were my blood line and family, I'd want to know the truth. So, sue me. Luckily, a pal is literate. When I finish a chapter, I ship it to her. She cleans it up a tad, then stores it on a disk. If my house gets hit by a Katrina and takes my computer, the info is safe. As are the old family photos. I found by doing a time-line of events, including the births of their children and deaths of their parents and siblings, you can form a short biography of most any family member, even those you know so little of. It doesn't take rocket science to overlap history with your family. If Sherman's Army was marching towards Milledgeville in the fall of 1864 and your Jonesboro family disappeared off the map only to appear in the next census in Arkansas Territory - duh? A lawyer boss once told me it felt presumptuous to write of his own life. What a life he had to write about! So full of adventure and encounters with the famous and infamous. I have no fame or fortune to write of, but I've had my adventures, as have you. Your grandchildren will be grateful for the smallest, silliest stories. I've told my children tales of my childhood all their lives. Did they listen? Ha. Only now, as adults, do they say: Granny, tell Kit about the time the alligator attacked you when you were arrowhead hunting. As I tell it, I realize they see me now as a member of the eldest living generation, and they are listening also. I write for them all. Simple things now trigger my ancient memories also. My only hope now is I can remember the story by the time I reach the computer room, and remember why I was headed there! Sue At 09:22 PM 6/6/06 -0700, you wrote: >Dear Logan County Cousins, >I have spent this evening trying to recreate briefly the lives of my >following ancestors. > >=========================== >Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the >areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx

That's really inspiring, Sue! Thanks for sharing that. Vanessa

Sue, You should have been around for Job when he was receiving all the advice and analyses of his problems from his three friends. He probably would have been helped much more if he could have recounted the many good times when God was blessing him instead of having to listen to the bad diagnosis and indictments from his wife and friends. My point is that the patient was being served as well as yourself in getting them to talk while you listened; a real win-win situation. STAN On Wednesday, June 7, 2006, at 05:58 AM, suebod wrote: > Amen, Jim. > > I began writing in 1995, shortly after my mother's first stroke and > paralysis. It was recommended by a therapist. Back then, there was no > such thing as care giver therapy or support groups. We just went and > did, sometimes til we dropped. > > What I found most painful was the lack of friends and family to listen > to the saga of mom's slow demise. It seemed I was the pariah of Death, > instead of the life-helper. No matter how positive and upbeat I tried > to be, I was greeted grimly as folks awaited the latest in the bad > news. Hospice taught me there is a notion among some that death is > contagious. > > Time with mom, later with my great-aunt and then my beloved aunt and > cousin, meant long hours in hospital rooms, doctors' waiting rooms, in > line at the pharmacy or treatment centers, or at their homes. I took > my notebook and when they could not recall what they'd had for lunch > or if we'd had lunch, they could recall stories of their youth, their > grandparents, funny things. All went into the notebook. > > Always, they said, "I don't know why you'd want that old stuff for," > or, "I can't remember any of that." > "Where were you when the war was over?" brought nothing. Yet, trigger > questions like: > "Were you still married to John and in Whitesville when you heard the > war was over?" brought forth an hour's detailed memories. > > I put the stories into the computer. Some 11 years later, I've finally > arranged them into a semblance of time order, gotten other family > members' recollections of the same events, and added those. My Will > clearly states this is a work in progress and if I croak tonight, go > to "x" document in Word, print it out and send it to [include a list]. > A lot is semi-sensitive, but hey - I'll be gone. If it were my blood > line and family, I'd want to know the truth. So, sue me. > > Luckily, a pal is literate. When I finish a chapter, I ship it to her. > She cleans it up a tad, then stores it on a disk. If my house gets hit > by a Katrina and takes my computer, the info is safe. As are the old > family photos. > > I found by doing a time-line of events, including the births of their > children and deaths of their parents and siblings, you can form a > short biography of most any family member, even those you know so > little of. > > It doesn't take rocket science to overlap history with your family. If > Sherman's Army was marching towards Milledgeville in the fall of 1864 > and your Jonesboro family disappeared off the map only to appear in > the next census in Arkansas Territory - duh? > > A lawyer boss once told me it felt presumptuous to write of his own > life. What a life he had to write about! So full of adventure and > encounters with the famous and infamous. I have no fame or fortune to > write of, but I've had my adventures, as have you. Your grandchildren > will be grateful for the smallest, silliest stories. > > I've told my children tales of my childhood all their lives. Did they > listen? Ha. Only now, as adults, do they say: Granny, tell Kit about > the time the alligator attacked you when you were arrowhead hunting. > As I tell it, I realize they see me now as a member of the eldest > living generation, and they are listening also. I write for them all. > > Simple things now trigger my ancient memories also. My only hope now > is I can remember the story by the time I reach the computer room, and > remember why I was headed there! > > Sue > > > At 09:22 PM 6/6/06 -0700, you wrote: >> Dear Logan County Cousins, >> I have spent this evening trying to recreate briefly the lives of my >> following ancestors. >> >> =========================== >> Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and >> the >> areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >> Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > > > > ============================== > View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find > marriage announcements and more. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx >