Saving Stories

Family: The Magic of "Make Them Hear You"

2011-12-31T13:46:00.001-05:00

Alex Boyé is "hands down" my favorite artist. When I came across this performance in Jerusalem of "Make Them Hear You," I became curious about the origins of the song. I discovered it was included in Act II of "Ragtime." It has historical significance to Eastern Europeans and African Americans, but I believe there is a message that can apply to the whole human family.

In the production, "Ragtime," Coalhouse seeks justice through violence and revenge. Others join him and many who are innocent are killed. Booker T. Washington is sent to reason with him, and he eventually surrenders after telling his men to continue to seek justice through peaceful means.

My intent here is not to debate the topics of violence or non-violence. There is great magic in living above taking offense. This does not rob justice. When I think about all the things I have personally faced in my life and all the things African Americans have gone through, I can honestly say that my own wounds have not festered. I know healing.

To me, "Make Them Hear You," means that you are not silent nor do you turn a blind eye to injustice. It means that you do what is in your power to bring change. For me that equates to helping the whole human family to know who they are and where they come from through saving stories.

In 2011, I spent all my energies in this pursuit. One of the things I did has put me in the midst of experiencing some huge magic right now. I can hardly contain myself. I built personal Facebook Fan Pages for counties in South Carolina in hopes that my family searching in other parts of the country would find me.

I allowed Bernice Bennett to advertise her great shows on these pages, and I linked them to Twitter: Research at the National Archives & Beyond. I invited everyone with ancestry from these areas to join.
Last night, I stopped to respond to a question from someone on the Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, South Carolina African Americans page, and I discovered a whole branch of my extended family that I have longed to find. I will now have access to more history and more photos and more pieces of the puzzle of the past.

See also:
Richland County, South Carolina African American Genealogy
Newberry and Union County, South Carolina African American Genealogy
Clarendon County, South Carolina African American Genealogy

We have so many ways to be heard now. When "Make Them Hear You" was written, the pen was one of the main means to be heard. I can imagine the day when I am able to identify every living extended family member and capture the history, photos and stories they have to share. This is what brings me healing and joy. This will be the closure that I seek.

In the wee hours after this discovery, I looked for the first time into the faces of people that I could tell were my family. I discovered a photograph of my great uncle, Ernest Aaron Vance, and I remembered a conversation between Uncle Ernest and his brother, Grandfather Emory Wallace Vance long ago.

I was not even school age, but I remember they talked of gardening and family. I realized where I found my love of family and writing and gardening. While they used pens to communicate with each family member, I have added on a few different tools, and I am feeling the magic of making people hear me. This stands supreme among the many rewards for giving back this year.

Christmas Post: Grandma Ora's Gift

2011-12-23T14:24:00.001-05:00

I will forever remember the day when I sat on the floor at my mother's knees while she braided my hair. I was not school age, but my mother, being a teacher, made sure I was trained in phonetics and could sound out words enough to comprehend whatever anyone gave me to read.

Often, I was put on display at family gatherings where people watched in amazement as the daily newspaper was put before me, and I was asked to read aloud for everyone. I did not understand why there was so much enthusiasm over me reading. I assumed it was something common to people my age like tying shoelaces or making a bed.

On the particular day as I was getting French braids, my grandmother Ora, who was visiting from Cleveland, scooted near me. She had the scriptures open in her hand, and she asked me not only to read the 23rd Psalm but to also memorize it while my mother did my hair.

I sat reading each line and repeating from the beginning aloud. My grandmother watched with pride. I worked at it the whole time my mother was braiding. When she finished, I closed the book and looked up at my grandmother and recited the whole Psalm. She was very happy, and she made a promise to me that whatever I wanted to know in life could be found in the scriptures. I have tested Grandma's promise countless times and it has not failed me yet.

I have even discovered that all of the universe adhere's to eternal law. If I obtain any thing lovely or beautiful, it is because I obeyed a certain principle. As I reflect on the time I will spend with my family at Christmas and until end of the year, I will reflect on my Grandma's gift. I will be looking for the right teaching moment that I may be able to pass on the right gift that may remain with someone and benefit them as much as my Grandma's gift has helped me.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Cherishing Cards and Letters

2011-12-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(This post is dedicated to my new friend, Abby.)

I have been admiring the wonderful postcards shared in the Denmark Genealogy Research Community. I have never thrown away a Christmas card. We usually put them up every year to remind us of the wonderful greetings from family and friends over the years.

In this age of digital communication, the number of cards and letters at holidays and birthdays have dwindled. That just makes me cherish them even more. I especially love the letters and cards I have discovered that were shared by my ancestors long ago. It makes me very curious about these treasures that my family members have tucked away in dresser drawers, boxes, and attics.

How my heart drop to see these bits of history carelessly tossed into the rubbish when people pass away. What are you doing with the cards and letters in your family? This is just a reminder of how I was able to extract important pieces of information about my great great grandmother from a letter written by my grandfather to his cousin:

No Genealogy Community? That Depends On Who You Ask

2011-12-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

I would like to express my thanks to James Tanner (Wherein I eat my words..) for acknowledging online genealogical communities. His observations brought to light the fact that communities can exist, and at the same time everyone might not feel part of the unified body.

Take a look at the very definition of community:

"A social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. See "Community" at Dictionary.com

The phrases "specific locality" and "common cultural and historical heritage" make a community exclusive. Combined communities make up larger entities like towns, states, countries, and eventually the world. Perhaps we have coined the wrong phrase when we use community to describe the whole population.

Next, I know all too painfully what it feels like to lurk in the shadows of an offline community because no one feels you have anything to offer. I struggled on my own to identify my ancestors. African American research was a very painful process in the day I began. I was told I would not be able to identify my ancestors before 1870. I was told that they probably were not married, and other things I was able to prove false out of my own rebellious nature.

Once I found success, I wanted others to experience the joy of these discoveries, and it never mattered to me what race that person was or what part of the world their ancestor's lived. When James Tanner said we are just beginning to see genealogical communities, for me his words ring true. I fought long and hard to have the opportunity to help people for over seven years. All doors were closed to me and every effort was blocked for reasons I do not care to even acknowledge.

The greatest thing you lose when you close the doors of opportunity on someone is what they might have helped you to accomplish. From my perspective, I had to find a place where I could share my knowledge so that I could continue to progress myself.

It was not until I jumped online that I felt embraced by people who consider me a peer. I hate to mention names. I love you all, but if it were not for Shelley Murphy, Angela Walton-Raji, Joseph McGill Jr, and Toni Carrier, Geneabloggers, and the folks at FamilySearch, I would have not had the opportunities to give or receive that I have each and every day I awake.

My idea of what others call community really is global to me--a great network of communities. I am truly grateful for the opportunity I have each day to help someone find a place where they can ask for free research assistance, learn about a resource, or find a friend who is interested in the same thing. After my own experience in the days when I could not find either one of these things myself, I am humbled to be able to be so engaged!

Stay tuned! We will put up Italy today!

See:

Join a Facebook Research Community

Tech Tuesday: Twylah Brings Down the Barriers Between Us

2011-12-13T02:41:00.001-05:00

Two of my favorite things to do are catching up with my friends on social media and finding new technology that helps me do what I do more efficiently. Last night while on Twitter, I was able to do both, and it has been a while so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I use Twitter, Facebook, and G+ but I have to admit that my preference is Twitter. Twitter is the place to learn firsthand about everything that is important to me that is related to genealogy and technology. It is the place where my most "rabid" genealogist friends and tech buddies congregate. I am following 1,102 people on Twitter, and I know I would be hard pressed at this point in time to find that many like-minded people on other platforms. Do not get me wrong; I like G+ and Facebook, but when I want a focused dialog, Twitter is the place for me.

We do not have trouble jumping into a discussion anytime of the day or night on Twitter. Yes, there is a character limit, but we seem to be able to have conversations without restraint. I was really excited when I heard the news about Twitter brand pages being released last week, and I literally scoured the internet to learn more about them.

While I was searching, I came across Twylah which is currently in beta. They professed to bring followers a more enriched experience in a less chaotic fashion than Twitter. I have a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to this type of thing, and my instincts did not fail me this time either.

@SavingStories on Twylah

I requested an invite, and after a short time Kelly Kim, Co-founder of Twylah, followed me on Twitter. After a couple of days I received an email notifying me that my Twylah page was ready. After only one click, I instantly fell in love with it. I have not seen any product provide so much clarity around who I am and what I find important.

My readers can engage the moment they land on the page, and I feel like my tweets will live on a little longer instead of falling into TweetDeck oblivion at the bottom of the screen. I am excited that I can share the page link across G+, and Facebook. Yes, I said it!

Why would I only hang out on one platform and leave out my friends in other places? That is akin to only visiting one set of relatives because I do not like the neighborhood where the others live. It is the relationships that are most important to me, not the media. Thank you, Twylah, for figuring out a way to climb the fences. Submit your request today!

Here is a great overview of the features of Twylah and how it can extend the life of your tweets and your reach:

Certify Your US World War II Veteran

2011-07-15T19:03:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia MARINES HOLDING A SIGN THANKING THE COAST GUARD DURING WWII. FROM HTTP://WWW.USCG.MIL/HISTORY/GIFS/M

The Society of Sons and Daughters of World War II:

Purpose:

To allow individuals to prove family ancestry and lineage from an American Veteran of World War II
To perpetuate the story of the sacrifices and achievements of the generation of Americans that fought and won World War II
To create a public database of military records from individual World War II Veterans accessible to future historians, authors and students researching the legacy of WWII.

See: Proof that you will need.

Types of Memberships and Application Form

Veteran's Military Research Links

Discover more at

Sons and Daughters of World War II Veterans Genealogy Society.

Thanks to Bernice Bennett for sharing!

New! A social networking site just for your blogging community?

2011-02-20T12:44:00.002-05:00

Have you yearned for your OWN little place away from the public social networks where you can interact with your blogging buddies? Well as we speak, such a place is being prepared for you over at Blog Interact! Imagine having your own spot where your genealogy buddies can engage with each other on a social network that will be including the popular ways we like to share:

chats
articles
groups
instant messaging
and much more to come!

"In addition to adding popular “excerpts” that bloggers find useful and decide to submit to Blog Interact, registered users will have the full benefits of the social exchanging of ideas through group creation, photo sharing, instant messaging, and many of the great features you’ll find on sites strictly designed as social media such as Facebook or Myspace. This platform combines these extraordinary features for the use of blog engagement and interaction." See Social Networking Site for Bloggers Launches, by Bryan P. Hollis

I am impressed with Blog Interact already and will be watching as features are made available. I have already joined and started a group called Genealogy Research Buddies where we can encourage those who have never researched or blogged to feel comfortable and begin. As we share our articles, we will inspire others I am sure! If you want to share as well or start your own public or private group, you will need to register first to join. Be sure to add me as a friend. It only takes two minutes.

As an extra incentive to those who you want to encourage to blog, Bryan P. Hollis, writer, editor, and publisher has just announced that Blog Interact is giving away a BRAND NEW blog!

See:

Blog Interact’s Win A Free Blogsite!

It's all about love; Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:25:00.001-05:00

Whether family, friends, or associates, within us all are the seeds of Divinity. Today we will exchange special tokens with those we are endeared to the most. Genealogists and family historians know best that we are really all connected.

Challenge: Show appreciation to someone outside you immediate circle today.

Let's continue to see the good in everyone and look past each other's shortcomings returning a soft answer when challenged by anyone. As we save and tell our family stories, we find common themes and come to appreciate the fact that each reflects the experience of the human family. Your story is my story.

These precious gems are an ingredient in that balm that will heal the soul, and you are doing it one document and one story at a time.

Thank you for what you do to heal souls. In doing so you are answering the question, "How Do I Love Thee?"