Would My Ancestors Recognize the Story I Wrote About Them? | AF-1320

I deleted a sentence the other day because I realized I had gone farther than the records allowed. The sentence fit nicely with the story I was putting together, and based on everything I knew about the family, it even sounded reasonable. But when I looked at it again, I realized I was telling the reader what that person felt when I had no record that actually said it.

That is surprisingly easy to do when we write about people who can no longer correct us. We collect enough records to know where an ancestor lived, what kind of work he did, who he married, how many children he had, and perhaps something about the problems the family faced. Then we start connecting those facts into a life story. Somewhere along the way, it can become tempting to explain why someone made a decision or what that person must have been thinking...

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/writing-ancestor-stories/

Ancestral Findings Podcast:
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The Real Goondocks: The History of Astoria, Oregon, Behind The Goonies | AF-1318

I have always enjoyed The Goonies. It has everything I want in a fun adventure movie: an old treasure map, secret passages, booby traps, criminals, a pirate ship, and a group of kids who decide that the best response to a hopeless situation is to go looking for One-Eyed Willie’s treasure.

I have seen it enough times that there are no surprises left, but that has never stopped me from enjoying it. Part of the reason is the adventure, but another part is the setting. The town at the beginning of the movie looks as though old stories ought to be hiding there.

That town is Astoria, Oregon.

The filmmakers arrived in 1984 and stayed only a few weeks, but Astoria had already been collecting stories for generations. Its history spans Native communities and fur traders, fishermen, immigrants, fires, shipping, and one of the most famous movie houses in America.

That makes Astoria worth exploring even if the Fratelli family never shows up...

Podcast Notes: https://ancestralfindings.com/astoria-oregon-goonies-history/

Ancestral Findings Podcast:
https://ancestralfindings.com/podcast

This Week's Free Genealogy Lookups:
https://ancestralfindings.com/lookups

Genealogy Giveaway:
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Check out this episode!