I have included an excerpt from my research journal because it is relevant to the thoughts on gender and researching family history. I have noticed just from these few phone calls how I am referred back to the women in the family for the information confirming my initial thoughts that the women take care of the family history. Beth said the only reason she doesn’t have the books is because she moved to Florida and didn’t have room to store them. She did send me some pictures so that is a big help. The men when I talked with them didn’t know much of anything and didn’t seem too interested in helping me find out anything either. At least I made a little progress, but I feel like I am taking baby steps in finding out information. I am still finding that no matter who I try to find information on, there are more questions that are raised. How I wish I started this years ago when some of the people were alive that would have been of more help.
I found the same thing when I called my uncle on the other great-grandmother's side. He was of no help except for referring me to his sister. He had put together a video of earlier years of the family so I thought for sure that he was interested in the genealogy, but apparently not so much. I think the response of male cousins has only reinforced the idea of women taking care of the family history for the most part in families.
It is amazing how many phone calls I have had to make just to glean a little information. It is exciting though to find bits and pieces of what I need. This whole process of researching and putting together the project reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle. First you try to put together the edges to help make the puzzle easier to put together and to get an idea of how the picture should look. Then you start filling in the pieces and put together the obvious pieces first. Research helps fill in those missing pieces and just like a puzzle, the obscure pieces often are the last to see or the hardest to research because it is not always apparent what is missing.
The draft is hard to write because there is so much information and finding the right direction to go with the writing is hard too. I like chapter eight's idea of just writing the first draft to write and then I can have something to go back and revise.
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You wrote: “I am still finding that no matter who I try to find information on, there are more questions that are raised.”
ReplyDeleteI think that this might be one of the defining features of doing this kind of research, based on the fact that *everyone* has run up against this. Family history, by nature, cannot end. We’re always living it, so as we’re writing it we’re making permanent what by nature is ongoing. Does that make sense?
You wrote: “This whole process of researching and putting together the project reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle. First you try to put together the edges to help make the puzzle easier to put together and to get an idea of how the picture should look. Then you start filling in the pieces and put together the obvious pieces first. Research helps fill in those missing pieces and just like a puzzle, the obscure pieces often are the last to see or the hardest to research because it is not always apparent what is missing.”
This actually intrigues me, as I don’t see it as a puzzle so much as an exploration. For me it’s like allowing yourself to get lost in a new city and working until you find a landmark you can recognize to find your way “home” again. I feel confined when I research looking for *specific* information… I enjoy this exploration method much more. But, my husband, the mathematician, LOVES puzzles of all kinds (the harder, the better). My suspicion is that you may as well, since you seem to enjoy this process as a puzzle of specific pieces. Hmmm… this is worth thinking more about!