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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 6, 2023 12:54:27 GMT -5
I haven't been posting much because I am writing my memoir- I know that sounds pretentious- maybe life story would be better.
I was wondering aloud with my daughter about how the grandkids and, eventual, great grandkids would remember me. She flippantly replied that all the grandkids would remember is me at my computer! Ouch! I am MUCH more than that. I set out to record some of my life. I have actually had a very interesting life.
I'm a Navy Brat so I am doing chapters according to which base I was at. It's turning out to be a good way of doing it. I have 10 very dense pages done in PDF. I'll add pictures later. I have been researching as I go, as well. I'm adding a little about my Dad's service and a little about the bases and I am throwing in some history- like the Apollo moon landing.
Basically, I'm compiling interesting and relevant memories in context with the times. I got lucky and found an old article in the NYT about a base I lived at that had a housing shortage so bad that the UN would call it a humanitarian crisis! The homeless Navy families were called Navy Gypsies. It was on the front page and a huge national story. It freaked me out that one of my friend's mother was quoted in the article!!!
Anyway.... I am only mentioning it to maybe plant the seed of writing your own story. We all have one. If you don't tell it, who will?
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 6, 2023 15:54:32 GMT -5
Tela, I think that's an astounding choice of projects!!
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Post by 1dave on Aug 6, 2023 20:48:45 GMT -5
We all have to "toot our own horns" because we are the only ones that know the tune. AND Life has never been like this before, and never will be again!
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,277
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Post by RWA3006 on Aug 6, 2023 22:16:00 GMT -5
Good on you Tela. One of the things that bothers me is there are so many worthy, valuable people who have lived valiant and interesting lives that now lie in graves, anonymous and forgotten. I'm thankful to have some tidbits of my ancestor's experiences and wish they would have written more.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 7, 2023 6:31:06 GMT -5
Good on you Tela. One of the things that bothers me is there are so many worthy, valuable people who have lived valiant and interesting lives that now lie in graves, anonymous and forgotten. I'm thankful to have some tidbits of my ancestor's experiences and wish they would have written more. Thank you. I am really into genealogy. I am blessed that I have Colonial ancestors who were very good at keeping records. I have so many stories that have come down through history of ordinary, yet, fascinating people. Of the later lines, I am fortunate that there was a local preacher who documented the local families with stories and bloodlines. Those things are worth all the gold in the world to me. I would like to be remembered well and be part of that continuation.
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Post by liveoak on Aug 7, 2023 9:26:51 GMT -5
That's a nice thing Tela.
I think in my own life, of all the family stories I've heard as a kid, and kinda wish I would ask my Mom about them. ( frown )
That's extra nice that you're including background info. Puts some things that happen to you, in prospective.
Make sure you also put phtoos of yourself in there, at different times of your life.
Sounds like a fun project.
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 7, 2023 12:04:29 GMT -5
That's a nice thing Tela.
I think in my own life, of all the family stories I've heard as a kid, and kinda wish I would ask my Mom about them. ( frown )
That's extra nice that you're including background info. Puts some things that happen to you, in prospective.
Make sure you also put phtoos of yourself in there, at different times of your life.
Sounds like a fun project.
Patty
I get melancholy writing it and wishing I could talk to my parents, too. Both are long gone, sadly. I think what I am writing will paint a picture of them, too. I really loved them. They were great parents.
I'm putting in lots of pictures. I think the kids will freak when they realize I was born with lots of black hair. It all fell out and came back white blonde. How weird is that?? My one daughter was the same way.
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Post by liveoak on Aug 7, 2023 13:07:44 GMT -5
I don't think I have anyone to read mine- so I think I'll pass. Good on ya Patty
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,367
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Post by rocknewb101 on Aug 7, 2023 14:39:04 GMT -5
I think it's a great idea. My Dad got into genealogy and learned a whole lot about where our family came from. One really interesting (to me) story is that when my grandfather was a child in school his surname "Kozub" was misspelled by a teacher and became Kozup (this is the story, anyways). We learned through dna kits that we are from Poland/Ukraine area and recently when my Dad was watching the news about the war in Ukraine, someone came on with the last name of Kozub - how very cool to think I might actually have relatives there that I have no idea about. It's truly fascinating and I love to hear about others lives and how they lived - not nosy, just curious and interested.
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Post by miket on Aug 7, 2023 14:40:56 GMT -5
Very cool idea, my friend! I wish I could remember... 🤔
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 7, 2023 15:22:06 GMT -5
I think it's a great idea. My Dad got into genealogy and learned a whole lot about where our family came from. One really interesting (to me) story is that when my grandfather was a child in school his surname "Kozub" was misspelled by a teacher and became Kozup (this is the story, anyways). We learned through dna kits that we are from Poland/Ukraine area and recently when my Dad was watching the news about the war in Ukraine, someone came on with the last name of Kozub - how very cool to think I might actually have relatives there that I have no idea about. It's truly fascinating and I love to hear about others lives and how they lived - not nosy, just curious and interested. That's a cool story! Happens to a lot of immigrants. I love hearing people's stories, too. Beth fernwood posts a lot about her family.
My grandmother started our genealogy, then my mom had it and I got after she passed. It's pretty extensive and well documented. It's been a very long labor of love.
I'm a grandmother. I know a lot of people here don't have kids, but I think it's cool to give the kids a sense of rootedness. Feel free to PM me.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 7, 2023 15:23:06 GMT -5
Very cool idea, my friend! I wish I could remember... 🤔 The funny thing is once I sit down to type, so much comes back. It's been fun.
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Post by fernwood on Aug 7, 2023 15:28:15 GMT -5
Very cool idea, my friend! I wish I could remember... 🤔 The funny thing is once I sit down to type, so much comes back. It's been fun. I remember so much when I look at old photos. Some are from when I was a child. Others remind me of stories my Mom and grandparents told me. Once history is lost, it is lost forever.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 7, 2023 15:29:22 GMT -5
The funny thing is once I sit down to type, so much comes back. It's been fun. I remember so much when I look at old photos. Some are from when I was a child. Others remind me of stories my Mom and grandparents told me. Once history is lost, it is lost forever. Yeah, I'm going through old photos and slides, too. It's nice.
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,367
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Post by rocknewb101 on Aug 8, 2023 6:54:18 GMT -5
I think it's a great idea. My Dad got into genealogy and learned a whole lot about where our family came from. One really interesting (to me) story is that when my grandfather was a child in school his surname "Kozub" was misspelled by a teacher and became Kozup (this is the story, anyways). We learned through dna kits that we are from Poland/Ukraine area and recently when my Dad was watching the news about the war in Ukraine, someone came on with the last name of Kozub - how very cool to think I might actually have relatives there that I have no idea about. It's truly fascinating and I love to hear about others lives and how they lived - not nosy, just curious and interested. That's a cool story! Happens to a lot of immigrants. I love hearing people's stories, too. Beth fernwood posts a lot about her family.
My grandmother started our genealogy, then my mom had it and I got after she passed. It's pretty extensive and well documented. It's been a very long labor of love.
I'm a grandmother. I know a lot of people here don't have kids, but I think it's cool to give the kids a sense of rootedness. Feel free to PM me. I agree 100% - roots are important. When my parents moved to AK several years ago they left me the slide projector and a box full of slides - I sat one night and went through them one-by-one. My childhood and beyond all in a box. It's so important to memorialize - I love that you are doing this.
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Post by 1dave on Aug 8, 2023 8:33:58 GMT -5
When I started university in 1955 I stayed with my Johnson grandparents. My grandmother often took me to the Genealogy Library in SLC and helped me start my genealogy book. Having access there, Ancestry.com, and Newspapers.com has provided a wealth of information. Surnames were invented in Normandy France by the Vikings! The King of France invited them to take up land in exchange for protecting the land, but they would have to convert to Christianity. My family member chose the surname "by the Cross" - Crosbi. As I and J were interchangeable at the time and Capital letters hadn't become important, it was also spelled crosbj. I've come across at least 15 different spellings. Those that moved into Scotland, with the brogue became Corsbie! Luckily for me, there were the head priests who knew the difference and made corrections in 1608.
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Post by 1dave on Aug 8, 2023 16:14:54 GMT -5
Printing your books Payhip - payhip.com/ is probably the best way to go. Just convert your book into a PDF. They will set it up, sell on demand, take out their small charge, and put the rest into your PayPal account. Amazon was best for print on demand, but authors are complaining about quality, sometimes finding mixed up pages or even parts of other books in the finished product. Sharon just told me bookvault.app/Is the new site authors are liking. Better quality, and they will only charge color for a few color pages. BUT the started in England, are just moving into the American market, and there are "hiccups." Also, they charge a $25 set up fee for each book, while Amazon does that for free.
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Post by liveoak on Aug 8, 2023 17:59:38 GMT -5
Here's another one. I purchased a stone intarsia book from here, so I get e-mails all the time from them telling me I should publish. www.blurb.com/sell-and-distributeThe intarsia book is a nice quality with clear photos. That's all I know about it Patty
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,664
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 8, 2023 18:45:58 GMT -5
I think that's a great idea. I'm not sure if all my stories should be put down on paper! My mother was deep into genealogy and made a few trips to Salt Lake City to do research. Unfortunately it's all my dad's side of the family. My mom's dad apparently abandoned the family and left my grandmother with several kids to take care of her own. That was considered pretty scandalous at that time and was kept from us when we were kids. As you go along it gets harder and harder to reveal kept secrets. I didn't find out until way into my adult life when her biological father passed. I'll always consider Poppy my grandfather, but he was not my mom's biological dad. I know very little about that side of the family. I've got a great book that my mom made for the paternal side, and lots of flow charts. There was a computer printout and loads and loads of family tree printouts, but it was just too overwhelming to keep it all when my mom passed. It was all on my dad's side and as I said I have that well documented. My maternal grandmother was always a very proper lady when I knew her, but I heard stories at her funeral of her riding motorcycles and smoking cigars! I think my family name changed with my ancestors in Denmark. I've been told (by a stranger) that I don't pronounce it properly!
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Post by 1dave on Aug 8, 2023 21:06:36 GMT -5
Sharon is looking into www.ingramspark.com/. KDP is amazon Kendal. More info on: www.shopify.com/blog/print-on-demand-booksAND should I include stories about the people I've worked with? The guy who placed a pistol against his throat and blasted his tongue off, and now loves to talk with his mouth full of food . . . I still cringe from that memory when I see people eating!
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