RLP 16: How to Deal with Skeletons in the Closet

In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to deal with and write about family secrets that we uncover during genealogy research. Often these skeletons in the closet bring up difficult emotions and threaten to upset family members. As the historians in our family, do we have a duty to tell the story? How should we tell it? Diana shares some thoughts about uncovering how her great grandfather died, and how another great grandfather was committed to a mental hospital. I will share about the illegitimate children I found in one family line as well as the ancestor who was imprisoned for manslaughter. Join us as we discuss how to write about these family secrets.

Question & Answer

Question: Diana mentioned that she always checks probate records first. Is there a checklist of records for knowing which records are most helpful to check first?

Answer: It depends on your research objective and the locality! The locality guide and research plan steps in the research like a pro process help with this question.

FamilySearch Wiki United States Record Finder

RLP Episode 6: Research Planning

Links

Research Like a Pro eCourse: on sale for $99 until Wednesday, 31 Oct 2018

Do You Have a Skeleton in your Family History Closet? at FamilyLocket.com - How to deal with and write about family secrets

Strengthening Children Through Family History: Research about children gaining strength from oscillating family narratives

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan (this is an affiliate link - if you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a commission).

Dawn Parrett Thurston's webpage "Writing Your Story" at memoirmentor.com

Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com

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