Legends Lost

Hoge/Howe Cemetery

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."

- Marcus Garvey

Stories often die with the person and lost forever.  When I ask people about writing their story, they often say that their life isn't that interesting or that no one would want to read it.  I truly believe everyone has a story to tell and a lesson to pass along to future generations.  The struggles, the passion, the failure, and their success give future generations perspective in this fast-paced world.

One of those tall tale stories was about my great-grandpa Adam in 1912.  He was at work at the sugar refinery, and the entire factory erupted with an explosion and collapsed into rubble and fire. Wives and families arrived at the scene looking for their husbands and sons. Many were killed. The explosion threw some into St. Mary’s Cemetery adjoining the refinery. Others could not be found, including Grandpa. Some five or six hours after Marie, his wife, arrived home, Grandpa Adam walked back into the house, where he told an incredible story.

He said he was working on the 2nd or 3rd story of the refinery, on the East Side of the building, when the building exploded. He then jumped or was blown out of the window onto the railroad tracks below the window. There either was a stopped or moving freight train, and Adam fell unconscious into an open gondola. He was revived or awoke in the freight yards in downtown Chicago (about 40 miles away), given some clothes, as he was singed and burned, and he returned home by train to his surprised family. This whole experience may have prompted him to again seek employment in the glamour industry of the times, the railroads.

Fortunately, with the help of my sister, Carlene, my mom documented the story, remembering her grandfather telling the tale over and over again when she was a child.  But the era of the early factory's dangers and looking to "glamorous work in the railroads" give us a perspective of the struggles of life at that time.  The stories could be short or long but recorded.

Often, I get asked where to start. It takes getting organized.  Make a commitment and plan on some time to write.  Getting a notebook to put all of your thoughts. Depending on your comfort with technology, it could be a virtual notebook or an actual one. Our ebook, Family Tales: Discovering Your Story, is a FREE resource to get you started, but you would still need resources.  Start with compiling the following:

1. Pictures - pick some significant or memorable events and write about the picture. I have many historical photos that we, fortunately, got labeled before my mom passed away, but unfortunately, I would have liked more details on the various events. Will future generations know who is in your pictures?

2. Mementos - is there an item that brings back memories?  It could be a doll, a watch, a souvenir. Where did you get it? From who?  Why is it special?  This is key to pass along otherwise your treasures might end up at the Salvation Army.  I have a silver purse from my grandmother's wedding in the 1920's.  If it hadn't been noted, my boys would never have realized the importance of this small item. One resource for recording items is Heirloom Vault, but a simple spread would also do.

3. Food - do you have favorite recipes you grew up with or created?  Put a copy of it in your notebook.  I have our wedding menu along with the recipes. So, I would put a wedding picture and the recipe alongside. Compiling everything into a recipe book to pass along to family members is a meaningful gift.

4. Music - Do you have a favorite song that brings you back in time? Why?  Mine is My Sharona. Every time I hear it, I want to jump into my pom pom routine since that was our tryout song.  I never rehearsed something so much, day and night.  It brings me joy and laughs at the same time.

5. Your Name - this is critical to pass down, but do you know who you are named after or how the name was decided?  I would make sure to find out. My father-in-law's name was Renon.  It was derived from taking the "I" and "U" out of Reunion and got Renon.  Cool story, and I hope his name is passed down to our grandkids or great-grandkids.

6. Write about a First - Do you remember your first day in kindergarten?  I do; I asked my mom, “Why are you so old?"  Not my finest moment.  I am the youngest of five girls.  My mom had me at 33.  It is not old by today's standards, but in the 1960s, that would be on the older end.  There are many firsts, such as first kiss, first date, first job, etc.

7. Famous Ancestor - Were you a great great great granddaughter of a writer, actress, inventor or war hero.  What stories did you grow up hearing about, and why might they have impacted you?

8. Memory Joggers - sometimes it helps to organize in segments: Childhood Times, Elementary School Years, Junior High and High School Years, Post High School, College or Vocational, Service, Courtship/Marriage, Building a Business or Career, Raising Family, Settling In, Retirement Years.

But we all have time constraints or even a lack of interest or talent in writing. Writing is not the only solution. The documentation is what is important. You could recruit a family member or a professional to help you document your stories.  If the end in mind is a book or some other written work, many options are available. Visit an online site like Legacy Stories as a start. You can listen to their podcasts about how to share the stories at the Legacy Cafe.

You could also do an oral story.  A family member would be a good solution for a question-answer session, but some professionals would assist in the documentary.  The Legacy Project will interview you (or a family member) for a memorable story.

I could list numerous resources for documenting a life well lived.  From scrapbook and autobiography to a video presentation.  The point is to record the stories and memories before they are lost in time. What stories do you want preserved and how would you like to pass them down?