Ever Thought about writing a detailed story on an ancestor?

[little meg]

I know what you are talking about, sometimes we get a certain family group in our lines and it is just what movies are made of

My line of Simpsons gets interesting when Joseph Simpson, blacksmith is accused of Arson, burning of a hay shed owned by the local publican John Taylor.
Set in Deniliquin, outback NSW Australia in 1859
I am putting it in the form of a novel, adding only what I can to keep the story flowing, at the back of the book will give full details of where the source comes from, that being MASS amounts in the newspapers.

Here is the start:

Joseph looked up from his anvil, the sweat dripping  from his face.
He could see the silhouette of a man in the doorway, the afternoon sun glaring from behind.  Althought the features weren't recognisable, Joseph knew the voice.
  "Joseph"
   "John, if you've come to ask me about the shoeing again, forget it!"
   "all I'm asking is for you to provide my patrons with a much more reasonable price on shoeing."
  "They are YOUR patrons, John, not mine.  I can charge whatever I want."
  "So you think charging one pound per head for shoeing is a fair price . . . just because you are the only blacksmith this side of the river you think you can dictate whatever you want."
Both men were allowing their tempers to take hold.
   "That's exactly right, let's face it John, the prices you charge at the Royal aren't exactly bloody fair are they?"

Joseph looked back at his anvil and started hammering at the now cooled piece of metal lying there, its shape no longer willing to change.
Taylor raised his voice, "I'll fix you Simpson.  What you need is some competition, then see what price a lousy horseshoe will cost."
With that Taylor turned around and walked off into the glaring light.

Taylor did set up a blacksmith shop in opposition to Simpson, which is why Simpson was accused of starting the fire.  The article in the newspaper describes in detail, size of shoe, who Simpson was drinking with that night, the prices of shoeing, the prices of drinks.
I still have to go back to the library and get a lot more articles and also have to go to the town to get a feel of the place.  Can't write about somewhere if ya ain't been there

I think this is going to be a lifetime commitment, but love playing around with it and I think it is more interesting for family to read than a pile of data and dates.
Go for it!

Margaret

[Greensleeves]

My earliest traced ancestor, John Pearle, was born in 1541 and died in 1637, having lived during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, MaryTudor, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I.  Now I am trying to  create a timeline to cover his life, and find that he was born at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries in England.  When John was 2, Copernicus published his theory that the Earth revolved round the Sun and in his teenage years Mary Tudor was having martyrs burned in the local market towns.  He was 46 when Mary Queen of Scots was executed, 47 at the time of the Armada,  and 64 at the time of the Gunpowder Plot.  His death in 1637 meant that he narrowly missed both  the English Civil War,  and an outbreak of Black Death in the village.

Living in rural Suffolk, the things which affected him most were  probably the 'little ice age'  which started when he was 9,  and which resulted in bitterly cold winters and poor harvests, and the occurrences of plague.  These seemed to strike  the village at intervals, the parish register of the times generally noting the death of a 'travelling stranger' from 'ye plague' shortly followed by more settled residents being similarly afflicted.  In addition, towards the very end of his life, a number of Puritan families from the village set off for America to seek freedom from religious persecution. 

So his life would certainly make an interesting story but currently I am just enjoying gathering the information to 'bring him to life' again!

Greensleeves

[coombs]

Hi

Thomas Roberts was the father of this baby. He admitted it in her baptism, the census and an 1878 family poor law document.

I have often asked the opinions of several genealogists and some are very experienced and they all say that I can be practically certain of this story. One man who was a right cynic and doubter about things read my story and he said that he had never seen as much evidence in all his life and everything feel into place.

Thomas Roberts's wife died 6 weeks before the birth of the baby explaining the illegitimacy.

His wife Esther Roberts died 14th November 1863, the baby was born 31 December 1863, registered 28 Jan 1864 in Sussex

His wife esther had "phthisis, years certified" meaning she was ill for a long while, so that would have given Thomas a chance to have an affair with Mary Ann.

Once the parents married in July 1864 in London the baby was baptised as "Mary Ann Kate, Daughter of Thomas & Mary Ann Roberts". The baptism is the most significant enough evidence. He admitted paternity of the babe once he wed the mother. The baptism is also showing a bond between him and the baby. That is good enough.

The illegitimacy is explained because the father was still wed way into the mothers pregnancy and his wife died just weeks before the birth.

Ben

[coombs]

Hi

What I described in my latest post tied the story together. He was under a lot of stress with a dying wife so he needed comfort. A single unmarried childless young spinster woman aged 23 and a servant man aged 50 with a sick wife who didn't have long to live, a perfect match.

But she had to wait until the fathers wife was dead until she could marry him.

Ben

[EddieW]

I have been thinking of writing a book about an ancestor of ours for a while now but not being an avid reader not sure how to go about it.

The ancestor was born 1839, was wounded during the Crimea War, returned home and his mother had died.
He argued a lot with his father about his drinking and lack of work around the property and one drunken day threatened to burn his fathers house down which that night he proceded to do with some help but his sister and father were asleep in the house.
He was consequently tried and sentenced to hang but was transported to Australia for 14yrs.
He obtained his ticket of leave and worked on a station and eventually became forman, married, had a family and generally a good life for a while.
When a free man he owned a shop (like a small supermarket) then built a Pub/Hotel and later bought a farm.
While on the farm he fell in love with his neighbors wife and they had an affair, they met one night and were supposed to run away together but the woman told him it was over and turned to go back to her farm and he shot her.
He tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide was caught and hanged,
Then his wife later married the neighbor.

Is that interesting, should i portray him as a villain or a victim of the circumstances of his younger life.
I did read that some of the soldiers at the Crimea came back in a shocking mess.

Eddie

[little meg]

Is that interesting, should i portray him as a villain or a victim of the circumstances of his younger life.
I did read that some of the soldiers at the Crimea came back in a shocking mess.
Eddie

That is interesting . . . and sad.
Definately worth putting into a written form, but as a villian or a victim, now thats a toughy.
I remember being taught at school, studying movies, that you can have 'goodie badies' and badie goodies' 
I would make him the victim, especially if he is to be the main 'character' in your book.

I would also go and do a workshop on writing to get you started, and definately read other books of a similar subject matter.
I have a number of books on 'how to write' subjects, and they all seem to mention things like:
 - Who is your reader? (try to widen the appeal)
-  Why am I doing this?
- set yourself a timetable - how many hours a day you will commit to writing it.

Project Planning
My working title is ....
The reason I am writing this is ....
List 3 questions you will be attempting to answer....
It will be a better book than others of its type because  ....

Another thing they always seem to make an important issue is the first couple of paragraphs of the book.
Crafting the opening - Is the setting, character and conflict introduced within the first page?

 Create a CV of your main characters.

This is just some ideas that might help.   I am still trying to motivate myself and cowardly have not given myself a timetable for how many hours I will commit to it 

Hope this helps

Margaret

[coombs]

Hi

I also think you have to write the times of the events in full detail and the circumstances for explaining a delayed marriage and that. This would make a really good book. I am doing a draft now on my story and am assessing the dates and times of the year of events.

Ben

[tmm1975]

Hi all,  Greensleeves, i just read one of your posts and realised that I am missing out on some really important info in my little family project, for that thanks!!!  I started writing a book on my family history and have been really careful about getting dates and stories correct but have totally neglected to put in information about what was happening at the time.   Being born and raised in Aust, British History is not taught in our schools, anyhow... was wondering if any of you could give me a couple of good web sites about this.  My family names of Beacham, Roser, Jennings, Thorpe, Munday and Harrold (lol) come from both the North and South of Britain, so i guess something that would be fairly encompassing would be useful.  Thanks everyone, hoping someone can help.
Kind Regards
Tanya

[EddieW]

Thanks Margaret that is helpfull
Turning those few lines into a couple of hundred pages or more seems like a huge task at the moment
Will have to stop thinking about it and do something positive.
Will take your advise and do a workshop or maybe join a writers club.

From what i have read and as you say the first paragraph or two has to be interesting and capture the reader or they don't read any further.

Eddie