Genealogy meeting

BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR ANCESTORS! Genealogy charts show the “bones” of our family tree, but details and stories are what bring our ancestors to life. Join the Village Genealogy Society meeting at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, as guest speaker Nancy Holder presents a program on “Finding Personalities and Answers to Family Mysteries in Old Letters and Journals”. 

In writing family history a lot of time is spent writing down the facts - Who, What, When, and Where. Except for the WHY - we’re either relying on hearsay or simply guessing at the reasons a kinsman did or did not do something. Nancy Holder, an active member of both the Village Genealogy Club and the Village Writer’s Club, and a native Midwesterner, will show how reading old letters and diaries can help pick up on feelings and emotions of the writer, or get to the real story that connects with the facts. Getting that information down on paper - or in a family history blog - can help you start to share your family stories. Nancy will discuss ways to explore those hidden stories.

Nancy was born in Chicago, spent many years in Wisconsin and a few in Missouri. Her genealogy findings have supplied much information to inspire both non-fiction and fictional stories. She has had family stories written published in genealogical newsletters.

The Village Genealogical Society meets the first Thursday of each month (except July and August) at Coronado Center, Room 6, at 2 p.m. Please call Bill Patterson at 922-6965 or Nancy Holder at 608-692-0162 for details.