history Articles

Why I Do Family History: how it supports women’s history

As women, we  mostly have been raised in cultures that valued modesty and humility, and discouraged pride and self-celebration. For women.

So most women shy away from feeling “worthy” of being included in history and placing the evidence of their lives in archives.

There’s history in those family photos!

Originally published by BORN TO RISE. Based on a family camping trip photo, a state endangered species committee tracked the shrinking presence of a local plant and moved it onto the endangered species list to protect it from extinction. Many family photos do have dramatic stories wrapped up in them. But the only way to capture, tell, and act on historic visual information is to save our photos…and preserve them.

Women’s Lived Experience Matters

What historical events, policies, and overall political changes have you lived through? What do you find yourself talking to young folks about? I was a Kelly Girl back in the early 80s.  For a couple of years I worked with the biggest temp agency in my area, going...

Before You Digitize: what to consider & what originals can tell us

Overwhelmed by photos from the past? Underwhelmed by lack of details about your family photos? Thinking of just tossing that box or family album of unknowns? Or farming them all out to be digitized once and for all? Read this first! In one generation we’ve gone from...