John Colletta

I spent a wonderful day in Lincoln yesterday attending the Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society program featuring John Colletta, one of the top genealogists in the country. He wrote "Only a Few Bones" which I wrote about here. It was so inspiring to hear him talk about "How to Write a Narrative Family History", with examples of different ways to do it. This part was broken down in to 1: Creating a Reliable Record and 2: Writing a Readable Story. In the afternoon he told us about and showed examples of research in the Library of Congress and also talked about Understanding Archives. Wow. What a wealth of information. He told us he was condensing his week-long class he gives in Utah once a year into a one morning format. Genealogy conferences of any kind are hard to come by in Nebraska so I'm very thankful to the Society for putting this on.

As he talked, I made a new notes about the stories I want to tell. I'm anxious to get started but I'm still putting the house and everything in order from the passing of Jim in May and mom last November. Tons of photos to scan before Thanksgiving, too. Lots to do! But getting away for this wonderful day of family history talk was energizing!

What I'm Reading

Only a Few Bones by John Philip Colletta is a true story of two tragedies that happened to the author's ancestors: a mysterious fire that killed five people, including his great-grandfather, and just a few months later, the wreck of a paddle boat. The fire is a mystery that can never be solved and yet the author takes us on a fascinating journey through the possibilities, starting with a fragment of memory and traveling through sources and records to reach a possible conclusion. And all the while telling the story in a "can't put this book down" style. It is also an excellent example of using all the records a family historian comes across to build a life story of a family. Even though it reads like a novel, it is a true story and there are 82 pages of notes that show his meticulous research. It is a great inspiration to those who have a great family story to tell but are not sure how to tell it. Highly recommended.

What I'm reading

Just finished A Slave No More by David W. Blight. Excellent book. Two slaves wrote manuscripts about their experiences in slavery and their escapes. Both manuscripts are included. The author also follows their lives and those of their descendants to complete their stories.

I recall reading Uncle Tom's Cabin when I was in high school and for the first time realizing that the life of slaves was not as I had thought, not what I had absorbed from the books and conversations I had contact with as a child. Slaves were not singing because they were happy. Masters were never benevolent. The first hand description of one of these men in Blight's book who as a boy in his late teens was taken to the whipping house for running away is too painful to contemplate. The resilience of these human beings to overcome the pain and suffering inflicted by their fellow human beings is beyond remarkable. I have no words to describe my sorrow at their treatment and my admiration for their courage.

It is coincidental that I read this during Black History Month. I have also enjoyed these books: Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball, The Hairstons, A Family in Black and White by Henry Wiencek, and the first book I read related to African American genealogy, Somerset Homecoming by Dorothy Redman. I would like to re-read it but apparently our library got rid of it. I would recommend all of these books.

A few books I've read lately

A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West by Gerald W. McFarland

This book tells about the lives and choices made by descendants of five colonial families whose lives intertwine by marriage and shared experiences. Reading this well-researched book makes it easier to imagine what the lives of my ancestors were like as they moved west from New England. I appreciate the detailed Sources section in the back. If I were to ever write our family history, this book would be a good example to follow. This gets an honored place on my bookshelf.

Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

An excellent book. "Impeccably researched, brilliantly executed." Publishers Weekly. Fischer brings to life not only George Washington, but many of the players on both sides of these pivotal Revolutionary War battles. I appreciated his ability to explain in an even-handed way the motives and decisions of the American rebels, loyalists, English and Hessians. I also appreciated the maps that show where the players were in all the key battles. My ancestor, Luther Kallam, was in Lippet's Regiment, which crossed the Delaware that cold December night. He re-enlisted at the end of the month and continued on through the fight at Princeton. Following the army as it marched day by day and battle by battle was made even more interesting knowing that Luther was there. This also gets an honored place on my bookshelf.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

Just finished this one today. I was surprised by the lack of details about the ship itself and it's history. After just finishing Washington's Crossing with its excellent footnotes and maps, the Notes section in the back was a disappointment. I was also disappointed by the lack of information about the many reasons the Separatists left England and then left Holland. I wanted more day to day details about their lives there and to see the thinking process clearer that led them to take this drastic step of sailing half way around the world so they could worship as they pleased. I was very disappointed there were so few details about the individuals who came, but my disappointment probably stems from the fact that I'm a genealogist and I always want to know more about the lives of the average person "way back when".

Half way through, I thought maybe the book had been misnamed. It became a story about King Philip and his war. It was very interesting because some ancestors, including Gov. William Bradford's son, Major William Bradford, participated in the Indian Wars. It was told in a style that made you want to keep reading to find out what happened next. But most of the book had little to do with the Mayflower. This book will go on the lower shelf, and probably won't find itself in the "take to the used bookstore" shelf.

Now, what do I read next? How about the 700+ pages of A History of Wales? Or maybe it's time to take a break and read some poetry!