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Blog Entries: 1 to 10 of 12
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Writing Suggestions for December 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13th from 1-3 pm (PT). Due to the Holiday season, we WILL NOT be meeting in person in December. Please join us online for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder and the zoom link prior to the online meeting in December.
The December theme is ‘back-to-basics’: Holidays and Celebrations
- What birthday do you remember the most from your youth? What kinds of parties did your parents give for you? Did the gatherings include neighborhood friends, school friends, or just family? Did you ever have a surprise party? Can you name one gift that outshone every other gift you received? Did you have a sweet sixteen party? A quinceñera? A Bar or Bat Mitzvah?
- How did you celebrate Christmas? Did you have a fresh tree or an artificial tree? Did you hang stockings? Was your tradition to open gifts on Christmas eve or Christmas morning? Did your family serve traditional foods at the holidays? Did you attend Christmas services, pageants, plays, or parades?
- How did you celebrate Hanukkah? With whom did you share the holidays? Describe your holiday traditions and special foods. Did your family put up special decorations? Did you attend services?
- In addition to the holidays mentioned above, which of the following are ones you celebrate? Fourth of July? Halloween? Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? Easter? Passover? Valentine’s Day? New Year’s Eve? Any others? Explain how you like to observe these festive occasions.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for November 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th from 1-3 pm (PT). Due to the Thanksgiving season, we WILL NOT be meeting in person. Please join us online for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder and the zoom link prior to the online meeting in November.
The November theme is ‘back-to-basics’: Childhood/Neighborhood
- How was your neighborhood configured? Describe the layout of your neighborhood. Who was your best friend? Did you play at each other’s homes, in the streets or on a playground? What do you remember about your friend’s family? Was there a neighborhood bully?
- What sidewalk/playground games did you play? Which did you enjoy the most or least? Did you play with friends and/or siblings? What indoor games did you play on rainy days?
- Did you have chores around your house? Did you receive an allowance? Did you earn money outside the house by babysitting, mowing neighbors’ lawns, pet sitting, newspaper route, etc.? How did you spend your allowance/earnings? Did you have a ‘young savers’ account at the local bank? What did you spend your savings on?
- Did you experience a natural disaster during your childhood? Flood, tornado, snow storm, earthquake, or major fire? How did this affect you and your family and friends?
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for October 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25th from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder on October 7th. All are welcome.
The October theme is ‘back-to-basics’:
- What were your parent’s names? What were your grandparent’s names? What were your great-grandparent’s names? What did you call them? Any special nicknames? Are any of your family names reflective of your ethnic background?
- Where were your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents born? If not in America, what circumstances brought them here? Were there people here whom they knew, or were they the first to arrive? Did they join a community with a common background, or settle in a separate location? What do you know about their method of travel?
- Were you named for someone in the family, a family friend, or is your name original to you? How do you think your parents chose your name? Did you have a nickname? Who gave you your nickname? Did you like or dislike your name/nickname?
- Do you remember any special stories your parents or grandparents told you? Have you passed any of them on to your children or grandchildren? Have you written them down? How are these stories special?
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for September 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder on September 9th. All are welcome.
The September prompts are:
- What drew you to genealogy? Explain how and why you became interested in documenting your family history. Who or what inspired you? What do you plan to do with all of your research?
- What has been your biggest challenge in life? Describe the challenge and how you approached a possible solution. Was someone or something a key to your success?
- During your genealogical research, who stands out as the most fascinating character in your family tree? Explain why this individual has captured your attention. Did this person live during trying times or lead a distinguished life? Did they rob banks for a living or just quietly succeed against all odds? Tell why their story so fascinates you.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for August 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23rd from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder on August 5th. All are welcome.
The August prompts are:
- Choose an ancestor and finish the following: If I could meet _________, I would ask him/her _________.
- Family names and family origins: Going back several generations, compile a list of surnames you have found including various spelling variations. Using your favorite search engine, look up what each name means, their derivations, and where those names historically originated. Do these clues help or hinder your understanding of your ancestry? How do your findings compare to your DNA results and paper research?
- Wills and Probate records: Have you found an old will or probate record and discovered new information that eventually lead to new avenues of research? Details, please.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for July 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, JULY 12th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, JULY 26th from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder on July 8th. All are welcome.
The July prompts are:
- Write your own story by interviewing yourself. Begin by answering all the questions that you would ask an ancestor. Include practical as well as personal details and be sure to cover school years, dating, marriage, child rearing, job training, and occupations. Continue with memberships, hobbies, interests, and skills. Don’t overlook religious upbringing, political views, military experience, achievements and awards, favorite foods, friends, illnesses, pets, and vacations. Round out your interview by writing about events that affected you personally and explain how these events shaped your life.
- Write a story about one particular family group in your tree. It is usually not practical to write a story that encompasses your entire genealogy, so choosing one family group to cover is a way to narrow the scope. Determine how you want to organize your information – as a biographical narrative or a chronological study. Choose the form what works best for you. Allow your writing the mimic the flow of your research.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for June 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28th from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder prior to June 14th. All are welcome.
The June prompts are:
- Ancestral nicknames. Determining a female ancestor’s first name can be a challenge, given how diverse nicknames for women have been throughout history.
- Have certain nicknames been handed down over the generations of your family tree?
- Write about the various nicknames you have found while doing your research
- Tell a story about how you linked a nickname to a specific female ancestor.
- Family connections with famous events.
- Have you found a direct or collateral ancestor who participated in the Boston Tea Party, the Suffrage Movement, the landing of the Mayflower, the Battle of Bull Run, or other significant event?
- Tell how you found your link and describe their involvement.
- Which DNA tests have you taken and how have they helped you to expand and explain your family history research, or changed the direction of your research?
- Autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-DNA tests cover different segments of a person’s genetic history.
- Explain how the use of one of these tests has supported or disproved your research.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for May 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, MAY 10th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, MAY 24th from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the meeting reminder email of May 6th. All are welcome.
The May prompts are:
- How tall are the tall tales in your family? Do you have a ‘rags to riches’ or ‘riches to rags’ story, a famous personage who turned out to be more infamous, or a ‘skeleton-in-the-closet’ story that was passed down through gossip? As a genealogist it is up to you to evaluate the truth of these tales. Write about your search to separate fact from fiction.
- Did you have a saloonkeeper in your family? How did you find them? What sources have you used to document their occupation? Did your tavern keeper and his family live on the premises? Document your findings with census records, maps, tax records, newspaper reports, city directories, and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
- Write a story about your most recent immigrant ancestor. Include immigration, naturalization, occupation and residential records where possible. Check for changes in name spelling and how this may have come about. Include photographs of important documents and family members. Write about how you would feel traveling to a new country with different customs, languages, and expectations.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for April 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26nd from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the email with the April 8th meeting reminder. All are welcome.
The April prompts are:
- Choose one of your ancestors and create a timeline of their life by following them through the use of censuses, city directories, birth, marriage, and death records. Once you have completed the timeline, flesh out the story of your ancestor by adding in historical events, newspaper articles, and personal anecdotes.
- Focusing on one of your female ancestors, how have DNA results confused or clarified your knowledge about her pedigree. Have you found unexpected connections or discovered new areas to research? Analyze your findings and develop a research plan to explain your results.
- Have you found an ‘embarrassing’ ancestor during your research? Some areas to look for information include: mental hospitals and asylums, work and poor houses, and prison and court records. Experiment on different ways to tell the story about your embarrassing ancestor, realizing that nobody is perfect.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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Writing Suggestions for March 2023
The WAGS Life Story Writing Group will have a ZOOM meeting on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8th from 1-3 pm (PT) and an in-person meeting at PARNELL PARK on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22nd from 1-3 pm (PT). Please join us for friendly sharing and discussion.
Current Writers Group members will receive a reminder before each meeting. The Zoom link will be included in the email with the March 4th meeting reminder. All are welcome.
Our March prompts are:
- Using maps and photographs, trace the migration of one of your ancestral families from their earliest time in America. Take advantage of the free information, antique maps, early exploration, etc. found on Google® to show the progress of their moves. Check through County Histories for more details. What reason(s) for their movements can you surmise from the available records?
- For those of you who have Irish ancestors, March is a great time to explore that branch of your family. Many genealogy websites offer free access around St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th. Write a brief story about your son or daughter of Erin.
- Write about an uproarious account from some period of your life and make it funny! Not everything in life is serious, sad, or intense. Joyous stories can reveal the real you.
As always, if none of these prompts are of interest, feel free to write about any topic that interests you. Whether you’ve written anything or not, feel free to join us for friendly sharing and discussion at any of our Writers Group meetings!
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