Oral histories are fascinating things. Stories of people who lived through history, even if "history" is just a city emerging from homesteads.
I've lived in this area all my life, yet I still feel like a newcomer in the Heritage Association, since, well, most of the people there are old enough to be my grandparents. It's really interesting to me, then, when I get to transcribe some of the oral histories that people have done for our group. I've been learning so much about what our city was like when it was just five-acre plots and lots of tree stumps. And the little personal stories make the oral histories even better -- like that someone's father couldn't dance (You could almost hear her blush as she described it), or a crush someone had in elementary school, or the neighborhood's first car, or troubles with cows. Plus, when you start listening to a number of the interviews, it's fascinating to hear how they all connect to each other -- one person's father was the school bus driver who drove another interviewee to school, which is the same school yet another interviewee went to a few years earlier. The history of the area is great; the family stories are greater.
It's also fun to hear the real-life accounts of historical events. Rather than the history book version of places and dates, you get to hear the personal details, personal names, and how events affected real people. Our region had an electric trolley in the 1920s and 1930s, and it's fine to read about it, but to get to hear people reminisce about the trips to school via the trolley and a particular resident bringing apples to the conductor when the trains stopped... that's when history gets fun.
And the really amazing things is that people are just reminiscing. Things that they took for granted as they lived their lives are now the same things that I, decades later, get so giddy hearing about. When people were living through the Depression, did they ever think that in 2012, someone whose parents hadn't even been born yet would listen to their stories and think, "Wow, that really puts everything in context"? When they were riding the train in the '20s, did they think that one day it wouldn't be there and that some silly little girl would long for a train of her own? When they went to school every day, talking with their friends, doing their tedious classwork, did they think that someone would one day listen to their stories and think they were sweet and quaint, and want to time-travel back to that one-room school?
What stories would you tell if you did an oral history interview? What things do you take for granted now as normal, everyday chores or events that someone might find fascinating and telling of the times?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
"Fun" history
In my profile, I mention that I like "fun" history, but what does that mean to me?
I was always a good student, from Kindergarten to the day I graduated from college. Nevertheless, I tend to have trouble getting in to history. I did well in all of my History classes, but I just can't get *into* it. I don't like "history" that's dry and boring, and so many history books and textbooks are written like that (or maybe it's just me). I do, however, like history books that make history seem like an adventure -- explain history to me in a fun and exciting way that makes me want to pay attention, not fall asleep. Better yet, don't "explain" history to me; describe it.
I love Arcadia Publishing, especially their Images of America and Then and Now series. They're good visual depictions of history -- not so much "You are there"-type of depiction of history, but visual representations of how things change. One picture might be a lone homestead with lots of trees, then the next picture is that same piece of land, but now with a skyscraper, a condo, three Starbucks stores, and 20 cars. That draws me in -- seeing how things change over time. The one downside, though, is that the books are done by whoever is local to the area, not necessarily a history/writing professional, so the quality varies depending on who's writing it. Still, pictures! Pictures are fun!
I also like historical fiction, to some extent. I grew up in a house that, to a young child, seemed like it was filled with James Michener books. I finally read one last summer (They're also huge, so I had to properly psych myself up to read one!), and really enjoyed it. Michener was really good about thoroughly researching his topics, so even though they're fictional, they're good representative portrayals of the times. I read Mexico, and supplemented it with My Mexico, detailing some of his research and story ideas. The one caveat to the historical fiction genre, though, is that some historical fiction is awful in its accuracy. Granted, with historical fiction the aim isn't to be 100% true-to-how-it-happened, but some books seem like they're so far off, without meaning to be. Or perhaps they're off intentionally, but if you don't know how things really happened, you become misinformed about the history behind the events in the book. One book that I liked that addressed that was Shakespeare's Secret, a children's book written by Elise Broach. In the conclusion, she explains to the young reader what was true (or at least what we think is true) and what liberties she took. Brilliant! And of course I love John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles.
In other words, I like my history as Mary Poppins might prescribe it: a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Arcadia Publishing
Images of America
Then and Now
Shakespeare's Secret
I was always a good student, from Kindergarten to the day I graduated from college. Nevertheless, I tend to have trouble getting in to history. I did well in all of my History classes, but I just can't get *into* it. I don't like "history" that's dry and boring, and so many history books and textbooks are written like that (or maybe it's just me). I do, however, like history books that make history seem like an adventure -- explain history to me in a fun and exciting way that makes me want to pay attention, not fall asleep. Better yet, don't "explain" history to me; describe it.
I love Arcadia Publishing, especially their Images of America and Then and Now series. They're good visual depictions of history -- not so much "You are there"-type of depiction of history, but visual representations of how things change. One picture might be a lone homestead with lots of trees, then the next picture is that same piece of land, but now with a skyscraper, a condo, three Starbucks stores, and 20 cars. That draws me in -- seeing how things change over time. The one downside, though, is that the books are done by whoever is local to the area, not necessarily a history/writing professional, so the quality varies depending on who's writing it. Still, pictures! Pictures are fun!
I also like historical fiction, to some extent. I grew up in a house that, to a young child, seemed like it was filled with James Michener books. I finally read one last summer (They're also huge, so I had to properly psych myself up to read one!), and really enjoyed it. Michener was really good about thoroughly researching his topics, so even though they're fictional, they're good representative portrayals of the times. I read Mexico, and supplemented it with My Mexico, detailing some of his research and story ideas. The one caveat to the historical fiction genre, though, is that some historical fiction is awful in its accuracy. Granted, with historical fiction the aim isn't to be 100% true-to-how-it-happened, but some books seem like they're so far off, without meaning to be. Or perhaps they're off intentionally, but if you don't know how things really happened, you become misinformed about the history behind the events in the book. One book that I liked that addressed that was Shakespeare's Secret, a children's book written by Elise Broach. In the conclusion, she explains to the young reader what was true (or at least what we think is true) and what liberties she took. Brilliant! And of course I love John Jakes' Kent Family Chronicles.
In other words, I like my history as Mary Poppins might prescribe it: a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Arcadia Publishing
Images of America
Then and Now
Shakespeare's Secret
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Genographic Project, part 2
While I wait to get my results, more information about The Genographic Project and the DNA testing.
The project was originally a five-year project to map human migratory patterns through time, and even though the project technically ended in 2010, people can still participate to find out their own genetic migratory history and to "donate" their results to the project's database.
I've also been watching Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and he's always using the website 23andme.com. In his show, he typically uses those results to tell guests what percent European, African, and Native American they are. I thought that would be really interesting for me, especially being half Mexican -- I wanted to see how much Native American (Native Mexican?) was in my Mexicanness. I did some research on that site at the same time I was looking in to The Genographic Project, but I discovered that the tests that 23andme does not only gives you your percentage of each group, but it can also tell you what genetic diseases you might be at risk of having. Their FAQ says "While we may be able to tell you that researchers have found your particular genotype to be associated with an increased chance of developing a particular condition, we cannot tell you whether you actually have a specific disease, or whether you will develop a specific disease in the future." Even still, that was the deciding factor for me not to do their test as well as the one from The Genographic Project. I don't want to know that there's even a possibility of me having a genetic anything. I mean, I know there's a possibility that I could have anything (I'm not ignorant or avoiding the facts of life), but the fact that this test could tell me I might have an increased likelihood of having something... ugh. I don't want to know. If I get sick, I'll find out then. Otherwise, I'd worry that I'd be living my life in fear of The Moment When It Happens. If I could opt out of that part of the results, I would have definitely done their test as well, but unfortunately, opting out is not an option.
As I said in my last post, females can only trace their maternal lineage, but males can do both maternal and paternal. I'll use my DNA to test my mom's side, and we'll use my dad's DNA to test one of his sides. We're beginning with his paternal DNA, and we might later test him again for his maternal DNA. My mom's family is pretty European. I think the entire family is the color of marshamallow fluff. If we were receiving percentages as part of these results, I'd be expecting pretty much 100% European from her side. My dad's family is Mexican, but other than the fact that his parents came from Mexico, I don't think we know anything definite about them (and if we do, I don't remember). I always thought we were more of the Indian side of Mexican than the Spanish side (If you look at me at just the right angle, I think I definitely have Native American features... but maybe those are Old World Spanish features), but my mom seems to think the family is more Spanish than Indian. So I'm excited to see what our migratory patterns on that side of the family were. I don't know how much the test is going to tell me, but it will still be interesting. And even if this test can't tell me I'm 75% European and 25% Native American, or can't give migratory details for the past hundred years, it's still interesting. Even just to have a map with arrows and haplogroups is interesting. And fascinating. Especially for someone like me, who has a family especially like my father's, where there were no stories and histories passed down (at least not to me), this could give me an idea of who my family was. I know nothing about them other than what state my father was born in, what state he lives in now, that he had a large family, and that (supposedly) his parents were both born in Mexico. That's all I know about that entire family's history. So to have this test, which could possibly tell me what my family did thousands of years ago, is by far more family history than I currently know, and might even make me feel connected to my ancestors.
The Genographic Project
23andme.com
The project was originally a five-year project to map human migratory patterns through time, and even though the project technically ended in 2010, people can still participate to find out their own genetic migratory history and to "donate" their results to the project's database.
I've also been watching Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and he's always using the website 23andme.com. In his show, he typically uses those results to tell guests what percent European, African, and Native American they are. I thought that would be really interesting for me, especially being half Mexican -- I wanted to see how much Native American (Native Mexican?) was in my Mexicanness. I did some research on that site at the same time I was looking in to The Genographic Project, but I discovered that the tests that 23andme does not only gives you your percentage of each group, but it can also tell you what genetic diseases you might be at risk of having. Their FAQ says "While we may be able to tell you that researchers have found your particular genotype to be associated with an increased chance of developing a particular condition, we cannot tell you whether you actually have a specific disease, or whether you will develop a specific disease in the future." Even still, that was the deciding factor for me not to do their test as well as the one from The Genographic Project. I don't want to know that there's even a possibility of me having a genetic anything. I mean, I know there's a possibility that I could have anything (I'm not ignorant or avoiding the facts of life), but the fact that this test could tell me I might have an increased likelihood of having something... ugh. I don't want to know. If I get sick, I'll find out then. Otherwise, I'd worry that I'd be living my life in fear of The Moment When It Happens. If I could opt out of that part of the results, I would have definitely done their test as well, but unfortunately, opting out is not an option.
As I said in my last post, females can only trace their maternal lineage, but males can do both maternal and paternal. I'll use my DNA to test my mom's side, and we'll use my dad's DNA to test one of his sides. We're beginning with his paternal DNA, and we might later test him again for his maternal DNA. My mom's family is pretty European. I think the entire family is the color of marshamallow fluff. If we were receiving percentages as part of these results, I'd be expecting pretty much 100% European from her side. My dad's family is Mexican, but other than the fact that his parents came from Mexico, I don't think we know anything definite about them (and if we do, I don't remember). I always thought we were more of the Indian side of Mexican than the Spanish side (If you look at me at just the right angle, I think I definitely have Native American features... but maybe those are Old World Spanish features), but my mom seems to think the family is more Spanish than Indian. So I'm excited to see what our migratory patterns on that side of the family were. I don't know how much the test is going to tell me, but it will still be interesting. And even if this test can't tell me I'm 75% European and 25% Native American, or can't give migratory details for the past hundred years, it's still interesting. Even just to have a map with arrows and haplogroups is interesting. And fascinating. Especially for someone like me, who has a family especially like my father's, where there were no stories and histories passed down (at least not to me), this could give me an idea of who my family was. I know nothing about them other than what state my father was born in, what state he lives in now, that he had a large family, and that (supposedly) his parents were both born in Mexico. That's all I know about that entire family's history. So to have this test, which could possibly tell me what my family did thousands of years ago, is by far more family history than I currently know, and might even make me feel connected to my ancestors.
The Genographic Project
23andme.com
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The Genographic Project
My mom has been doing our family genealogy for many years now, and over the years I've become more interested in finding out where we came from, as well. Maybe not as gung-ho as she is, but... I think finding the links are like winning a game. When you finally find the generation prior to the one you know, or finally track down an ancestor or family member you've been looking everywhere for, it's like a victory. We found them! We solved a piece in the puzzle! Now it's time to move on to the next.
When I saw Dr. Spencer Wells on The Colbert Report a few years ago talking about the genographic project and finding migration patterns, I thought it was interesting. I couldn't believe that from just a few cells from your cheek, you could find out where your ancestors lived thousands of years ago, and their migration paths. However, even though I thought it was absolutely amazing and incredible, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally decided I want to know where my people came from.
I visited The Genographic Project's website, which is part of National Geographic, and read about the project. I was hooked -- I decided to break down and buy a testing kit immediately. Reading about the test, though, I found out that, as a female, I can only trace my mother's side of my DNA. I asked my father if he would be willing to get tested so I could find out about his side of the family and surprisingly, he agreed.
Our kits arrived about a week later, and today we swabbed and scraped, then the next step is to send them off and wait for the results. Until then, I'm going to fret about whether we did them correctly. Did I scrape enough? Did I make sure not to contaminate the swab, or bump it too much when I put it in the vial afterward? Any chance the vials will break in transit? Or my father's favorite -- what if we find out I'm not his child? (Which, by the way, can't happen. This isn't the type you think of when you think of DNA tests. This won't tell me if he's really my father, or if we have any genetic diseases. It looks at genetic markers in the DNA, which "allow geneticists...to trace our common evolutionary timeline back through the ages.")
More to come later.
The Genographic Project
When I saw Dr. Spencer Wells on The Colbert Report a few years ago talking about the genographic project and finding migration patterns, I thought it was interesting. I couldn't believe that from just a few cells from your cheek, you could find out where your ancestors lived thousands of years ago, and their migration paths. However, even though I thought it was absolutely amazing and incredible, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally decided I want to know where my people came from.
I visited The Genographic Project's website, which is part of National Geographic, and read about the project. I was hooked -- I decided to break down and buy a testing kit immediately. Reading about the test, though, I found out that, as a female, I can only trace my mother's side of my DNA. I asked my father if he would be willing to get tested so I could find out about his side of the family and surprisingly, he agreed.
Our kits arrived about a week later, and today we swabbed and scraped, then the next step is to send them off and wait for the results. Until then, I'm going to fret about whether we did them correctly. Did I scrape enough? Did I make sure not to contaminate the swab, or bump it too much when I put it in the vial afterward? Any chance the vials will break in transit? Or my father's favorite -- what if we find out I'm not his child? (Which, by the way, can't happen. This isn't the type you think of when you think of DNA tests. This won't tell me if he's really my father, or if we have any genetic diseases. It looks at genetic markers in the DNA, which "allow geneticists...to trace our common evolutionary timeline back through the ages.")
More to come later.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Dr. Spencer Wells | ||||
| ||||
The Genographic Project
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