Have Genealogy Stories To Tell? History Writing Challenge May Be The Answer

My family lineage is filled with lots of interesting stories. Stories of captured soldiers — one who worked with the enemy to survive. Stories of a 20-something-year-old man who wore the wrong coat and was shot by federal agents. Stories of survival, loss and hardship. The problem, though, is all the stories need to be committed to paper (or pixel) and that’s where a project I recently stumbled upon comes in. The Family History Writing Challenge is a 28-day challenge that starts February 1. It is designed to motivate and guide family historians and genealogists in a month-long effort to capture and record family stories. I’ve never attempted a challenge like this before, so I am curious to see where it leads. I have until Sunday to decide what exactly I want to zero in on (I am wavering between Civil War era Beatys and Shadrach Claywell’s children). Once I decide, though, there will be a couple entries about the stories I am trying to uncover. If you are interested in participating in the project, click here. The project is free — although donations are accepted. (Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this promotion, I’m just trying to pass along genealogy tips as I find them. Another recent tip for Kentucky researchers can be accessed here.)