When I read stories about pioneers or life sketches of my ancestors, I am usually vaguely dissatisfied at the end because the people seem two dimensional to me. I want to know the rest of the story, not just the bare facts.
Well, my brother has come to the rescue! (enter Superman music...)
He has been putting family history stories into booklet form and publishing them for the members of our family. Each story comes with carefully researched photos from the time period and lots of neat additional information to give an overall picture of the era. Since he's a writer by trade, his story line makes great reading.
I've known about my Great-Grandpa, "Whit", and how he served in World War One, but he wasn't real to me until I read this booklet. I learned he was to go to the forests of France to cut lumber for the army, but on the journey over they were hit by a uboat. Many of the men were killed, but my Great Grandpa was miraculously saved.
Clark finishes the story by saying, "As for Whit, he and the rest of the Engineers finally did make it to log the forests around Castets, France, where they were stationed for the remainder of the war. The unit returned to New York on May 23, 1919. On seeing the Statue of LIverty, facing the incoming ships, one lumberjack was heard to remark, "She'll have to turn around if she ever sees me again."
That proved to be true for Grandpa. He returned home to Sugar City, Idaho, where he married Vera and raised a family of six children, never setting foot on a ship again."
Keep 'em coming, Clark!
When I read stories about pioneers or life sketches of my ancestors, I am usually vaguely dissatisfied at the end because the people seem two dimensional to me. I want to know the rest of the story, not just the bare facts.
