Threebee

[biggerbirdbrain]

It feels like such a wasteland, to be sure!

So is your schedule pretty much up to you? Sounds like you do freelance work. I was interested in the research you mentioned earlier about genealogy. In your area, there must be a wealth of places to access directly, and the history is quite rich.

I recently wrote about a man who photographed pictographs left behind by Cherokees during the 1600s in the Trans-Pecos area of Texas. Later, when the Army was escorting settlers, they took along a group of "Black Seminoles," as they were called, who used the pictographs for target practice and actually scratched their names graffiti-like onto the images. One of those pictographs was named Albert's Bird, because it looked like an eagle, but across its chest, was the man's name etched into it. There are tours there, I understand. The pictographs, I believe, were in caves and on rock faces. Very interesting. I might go out there sometime to see for myself.

[rogue_mother]

I get to determine my own schedule, which isn't always the best thing.  This area is incredibly rich with research facilities, which is probably why I ended up doing this.  We've got the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters Library, plus numerous universities, public libraries, and courthouses.  Within two hours drive we have Richmond, Baltimore, and Annapolis -- no end of opportunites.

I'd love to see some pictographs some day.  I understand that scientists can roughly figure out how old they are, and some of them are pretty ancient.

[biggerbirdbrain]

I've been to the DC area, many years ago, and wish I'd been as keen on the old history then as I am now, ironically, living far away.

One of the high points of a recent trip back east (in '04) was visiting Philadelphia, where we have a family cemetery. We threw coins on Ben Franklin's tomb, rode the "duck" tour through the streets of town and then straight into the river, saw Independence Hall and the bell, and so much more. I miss those old cobbled streets ... ate a Philly cheese steak at Jim's on 6th Street. It was wonderful!!

I, like your sister, do work at a small-town paper, and though the pay is paltry and the recognition only local, it's a great job. I'm always learning something new (since I must know what I'm talking about, I must be quick to absorb information), and meeting so many people. I feel like I'm making a small contribution by printing stories about the people, both good and bad, and getting the truth out as best I can. Is her paper a weekly like mine?

[rogue_mother]

No.  I forget if it is five days a week or seven.  Probably five.  Besides writing stories, she is an assistant editor.  She left for a while because the hours were affecting her health.  They wooed her back by agreeing that she could work 9 to 5; they were pretty desperate!

[biggerbirdbrain]

That's tough work!

The luxury of a weekly is that you get a chance to develop stories in better depth. The downside is that the obits are often too dated, and funerals generally are over before they get to press.

I do miss the resources of a place such as yours, but nowadays, it's a bit easier with the Internet -- although, I'm sure you know better than I, that one must be VERY careful, as often family names/lines are not entirely reliable and you can't always trust the sources.

The series I've been doing on old settler families has been extremely rewarding (up to #81 already -- one a week since January '06), but the task can be daunting, as people cancel or postpone interviews, some are reluctant to talk, etc. I've done several on Native Americans -- one whose ancestor was at the Battle of Little Big Horn (Greasy Grass, they called it) -- Chief Gall who fought vs. Custer. It also tied into the Trail of Tears and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", so the story was very compelling. Another was about a white German boy captured by Apaches, who lived with them for 9 years (part of that time with Comanches, too) and was even adopted by Quanah Parker. He returned into white society, but could never quite re-integrate. I met his 83-year-old niece and interviewed her. Wonderful stuff!!!

[rogue_mother]

Fascinating!  Mostly I dig around in the military service records and pension files for people, also court martial records.  They can't get those online.  One time I had a request to look at a petition that members of the 7th Cavalry had signed in support of Major Reno when he had been court-martialed after the Battle of Little Big Horn.  I felt very privileged, because that is a document that is kept in The Vault.

[biggerbirdbrain]

What a treat -- seeing those old documents!!

I've been trying to get into our local university's library that contains some old letters and now that school's back in session, the director should be available to help me. They have lots of historical items like that in their archives, which they've been trying to get scanned and digitized.

The man I met doing this week's story (he's an automotive designer for GM and Ford--himself an interesting person) sold me an old deed from the 1880s that had some very interesting language in it regarding the bounds and meets of the property, which caught my attention.

Part of it reads: "Beginning at a Rock on the bank of the Guadalupe River, the lower corner of Survey # 673 a cypress 4 in. in diameter (giving the NW location in varas) ... whence west at 120 varas crosses a spring 2012 varas. A stake and mound. ... Whence S. 1780 varas to a pile of rocks in the bank of the river ..." What a description!!! Rocks, small trees and a spring!

The other interesting thing, if you don't know about a vara, it is a measure of distance, but before they had become uniform, the distance could mean anything from 34-43 inches. Rather an arbitrary system, eh? Now that's what I mean about this being a real education!!

[rogue_mother]

That's the great thing about genealogy.  The learning never stops.  History, geography and detective work are all rolled into one.

All land back here in the East is described in metes and bounds, although the different points are now described in terms of degrees, minutes and seconds instead of rocks, trees and posts.  Quite a different system than in the public land states, where everything is in townships and ranges, sections and quarters.

[rogue_mother]

Bye for now.  Talk to you later!

[biggerbirdbrain]

I also just love the drama. Getting the families to talk, though, is the real trick. You have to get them to trust you, esp. if the stories are getting to print for the general public. Many dead bodies litter the landscape, but getting the ghosts to reveal their secrets is always a challenge.

I try to make the stories real...have the ancestors come alive. In some cases, you have to really coddle the descendants, and let them know, that we want to tell what really happened. The tragedies and triumphs, not just dates, names and places. And, that whatever may have occurred in the past is just that -- the past. It helps if you can enlist the help of other family members who sometimes can prod the reluctant ones to open up -- then it's a nice victory! Once that happens, often they just start pouring it all out. They've given me little souvenirs, like family books, photos, and other things as keepsakes. I even had a woman send me a box of cookies taken from her great-grandmother's recipes as a thank you, after I'd mentioned them in the story! It was really fun.

[biggerbirdbrain]

All right, then -- fare thee well. Chat again soon -- I really enjoyed it!

[rogue_mother]

Threeb, you are a national treasure for what you are doing!  It takes a special kind of person to get people going like that.  Sounds like you're the right person in the right place at the right time.

[biggerbirdbrain]

High compliments from you, R-M, although I hardly can feel quite so elevated!  But I do thank you, that was very kind. 

Probably the strongest motivation is that people tell me every week that the first thing they look for is the next story -- I've signed up dozens of new subscribers based on that interest.

As of today, I'm still needing to set up the interview for the coming issue (we publish every Thursday), so the hunt begins. Although I have a list of prospects, getting the appointment is the first big step, and many are either tired, retired, busy, or say they're still trying to put more data together.

Eventually, the stories will get compiled into some kind of compedium, perhaps a book or very special limited edition of the paper that will be a collectors' item. We've had lots of inquiries about doing that, too. It's just a matter of funding, now, and the particulars of the layout, etc. etc. 

[rogue_mother]

Nothing succeeds like success.  Whatever you are doing is working just fine.  I agree that this should all be collected into a special edition or book, perhaps with a CD version.  I've gotten some great family stories collected by others like you in other parts of the country.  You'll just have to accept my thanks in their stead.

[biggerbirdbrain]

Doing a CD version is a wonderful idea, R-M!

We're somewhat "low-tech" so I'm not sure if the publisher (a personal friend of mine, ha, ha!) has even thought of that option. I'll be sure to pass it along.

Perhaps eventually (whenever it does come to fruition) I might be able to wheedle a copy for you so you could add it to your collection as well. The more this kind of information gets distributed, the better all our resources become.