Tag Archives: personal history

by Marjorie | May 1, 2020 · 11:18 am

Bringing liberal arts study and life together

Sharing stories between generations is magic, no matter the form those stories take

I was invited to comment on the benefits of obtaining a liberal arts education. Perhaps you are asking yourself this question right now. Below is my response, with the link to the article, which offers numerous other amazing responses to the same question. Enjoy!

I received my BA in History many years ago, and for quite a while wondered if I would ever put my studies to use. It was only ten years ago, when I came across the world of Personal Historians, that I realized my studies, my passions and my work were finally all coming together. Continue reading →

Just a Whistle

When you have a bunch of kids, sometimes you need to whistle to get their attention!

Working as a personal historian, I never know what it will take to get someone talking. Some folks easily call up memories, while others need the stories drawn out of them. And then sometimes, all it takes is a whistle. MTH

It was just a whistle—I looked around but saw no one whistling, and the woman behind the desk was fussing with her phone. I finally asked her—“Were you whistling?” Continue reading →

Do you need a gift for your grandchildren?

Here I am with Dad, ready to work on his stories

As our parents age, we often fret about “What do you give someone who has everything?” But there is another side of this equation. What does an increasingly frail elder have to give when getting out is more difficult? Money may be in short supply, energy is diminished; in short, elders often feel increasingly like they have nothing to give. Continue reading →

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Filed under Blog Posts-Personal Histories

Tagged as Christmas gift, gift giving, gifts for Christmas, personal history

by Marjorie | November 11, 2015 · 9:16 am

Finding Family Traditions in Many Places

At the ocean–Gooseberry Island, Westport, MA

Members of my family all grew up near the ocean. Whenever we are able to get to the shore, we each take a big sniff and announce, “Smells like the ocean.” Tradition? I guess, if you understand “tradition” as being something that is repeated with significance beyond the actual act, something that brings long-held family experiences up to the present. Continue reading →

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Tagged as cooking traditions, Family traditions, personal history, Thanksgiving traditions

by Marjorie | September 23, 2015 · 10:36 am

A Personal Historian Who Loves the Outdoors

Stone marker near parking area at Lane Conservation area, Foxboro, MA

Neponset reservoir, viewed along the trails of Lane Conservation area

When I first set out on my quest to document very local trails in the towns near where I live, I kept wondering what this had to do with my work as a personal historian. Surely these were two separate parts of me. Perhaps my life was headed in a different direction that I had thought. But slowly, in my travels I’ve come to realize that walking the trails and properties of south central Massachusetts is often a lesson in history, a tracing of family life, of walking the same track as many who have gone before me.

While visiting a new (to me) property in Foxboro, MA yesterday, I encountered not one, but two markers, memorials along the way. Continue reading →

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Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks, Blog Posts-Personal Histories

Tagged as conservation land Foxboro, family portrait ideas, MA conservation land, Neponset River, personal histories, personal history

by Marjorie | August 29, 2014 · 11:54 am

Old Letters Become Time Machine to the Past

One of my dad’s first letters to the woman who would be his wife for the coming 50 years

I’ve been a personal historian for a number of years, and have seen how powerful the experience of documenting and preserving one’s family stories can be. We personal historians often talk about the gift of passing on family stories to the next generation, assuring that you’re not forgotten and more. But I never realized that doing the work of preserving your family legacy—the photos that tell stories, documents, letters, and the stories themselves—can actually be a powerful time machine. Continue reading →

Tag Archives: personal history

Bringing liberal arts study and life together

Just a Whistle

Do you need a gift for your grandchildren?

Finding Family Traditions in Many Places

A Personal Historian Who Loves the Outdoors

Old Letters Become Time Machine to the Past

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