Can storytelling help your genealogy research?
I have a bedtime type story I tell each of the grandchildren–based loosely on an ancestor of theirs. When fleshing out details of the story for scene or plot or answering their questions, I realize there are things about life during the time period or the ancestors that I do not know.
When telling these stories, fight the urge to recite a lineage. Tell a story. You are trying to engage and entertain not bore. Save the boring stories you tell for other adults interested in genealogy <grin>. But telling stories can get you thinking about your own research–even if those stories are not for other adults and not for publication in a genealogy journal.
Figuring out the answers to my questions and to theirs enhances my research.
And telling the younger generations stories about their ancestors…well that’s good too!
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