You’ve done the hard part: you’ve written something. Maybe it’s a collection of family stories, a memoir, a transcription of oral histories, or a deeply personal reflection. Now you’re wondering: What’s next? How do you take this raw material and turn it into something lasting—something that will be read, cherished, and preserved for generations? As …
What I Learned by Doing a Pilot Project – Nancy Burkhalter
When I started out as a personal historian, all the old pros told me, “Do a pilot project. You won’t regret it.” So, I dutifully set out to find a willing subject. I guess I took the assignment too literally because I did find a pilot who had transitioned smoothly from being a Vietnam wartime …
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Make new friends in 2022—talk to librarians and ask them for help!
by Connie Shipley In the past year, I have gone through many distinct steps organizing my time and energy to gather information about my great-grandfather. In this article, I want to share some sources you may not realize are at your fingertips to help you put your own life story together, or that of people …
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The Paradoxical Careers of Colonel Byron Cassius Goss
A biography of Col. Goss by Nancy Burkhalter The Business Of War Mention tear gas, and everyone has an opinion. But few know about one man behind its proliferation. His biography, Gas Man and Great White Hunter Byron C. Goss: A Biography, tells the story of Colonel Byron Cassius Goss, who played a key role …
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Sharing the History of a Family Business
by Maia Fischler A Idea Whose Time Had Come When Hal Schudel got his PhD in agriculture in the early 1950s, Christmas trees were very different from what we know now. Most people opened their presents around scraggly trees that they cut themselves in the forest. A couple of companies were providing wild trees from …
It’s Never Too Late to Pay Tribute to Your Parents
by Julie McDonald Zander As we enter the holiday season, it’s easy to grow nostalgic, reflecting on precious memories of time spent with parents and siblings—or even children—who have passed away. It’s tough to become an orphan, no matter your age. I’m grateful I recorded my parents’ life stories before they died, but it’s never …
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Reliquary for the Common Man
by Jeanne Quan Reliquary – “a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept” Dateline: March, 1970 Set the Scene: Village of Chauncey,Ohio (427 acres), foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, just a few twisting miles from Ohio University. Players: John (21) and Jeanne (22) Eckrich The couple, newly married as of December, 1969 rented their …
Recording and Transcription Suggestions
Personal Historian/Interviewer: Recording Quality:Quiet environmentKeep in mind that background noise such as rustling papers and/or music/radio interfere with sound quality. The interviewer should refrain from speaking over the interviewee even with minor terms of understanding like “aha” and “ohhh” terms.Limited number of intervieweesPut a microphone on all interviewees and try to discourage them from talking over …
What Is HOME? Three Personal Historians On A Path To Discovery
Three personal historian members of PHNW pandemic quest for home in print, art, photos, books and cross country journeys.
Something is Better Than Perfection
By Gloria Nussbaum Travel back with me to the 1980s or 90s. The phone rings, the one attached to the wall without a camera, a voice says, “It’s been a long time since we were in touch and you were on my mind.” You know immediately that it’s your best friend from high school to …
Personal History as Therapy
by Maia Fischler Recording and writing our life stories is powerful therapy. It can create order from a jumble of memories, helping us see and understand the forces that have shaped us. Dr. Teri Friedman is a psychologist in Rye Brook, NY, and a strong believer in the therapeutic effects of writing. Teri Friedman, PhD, …
Resource Overview Genealogical Forum Of Oregon
Connie Lenzen Portland, Oregon has a library you want to check out and take advantage of – the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, the largest genealogical library in the Pacific Northwest. In 2014, I began a Personal Historian business. Gerry Lenzen, whom I knew through our mutual involvement in the Portland State Athletic Department Booster program, …
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Personal Historians Express Gratitude for Challenges and Changes in 2020
2020 was a memorable year in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide. As the pandemic raged and forest fires surrounded us, the desire for re-connection with family and friends took hold. Isolation gave way to reminiscing and taking up overdue projects. Many of us found ourselves doubling down on technology as a way to stay close. …
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Bowls Around Town: An Exhibit of Stories, Recipes and Photos about Family Meals
During our PHNW meetings, members “talk shop” and tell each other about projects we have worked on recently. (We’ll be sharing many of those projects with you in our next blog post.) At a recent meeting, Trena Cleland talked about an initiative celebrating “family foodways” she was involved in several years ago. Trena has an …
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Giving Emil Schacht His Place In Portland History- by Connie Shipley
Emil at his office in Portland with staff. Emil Schacht, second from left. What can I do that isn’t going to get done unless I do it, just because of who I am? Buckminster Fuller Sommerland, Seaview, Washington On a beautiful summer day in 2016 my brother Neal, sister Gail, cousin Steve and I had …
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Personal Historians Network West 