Researching family can be tricky.  There is always at least one ancestor that everybody tip toes around, or when asked about the conversation simply gets shut down because its either too painful to talk about or there is “shame” attached to it.  Shame is a powerful word, but it has been in my own personal experience that talking out loud about ‘things’ can give context and understanding of what happened which allows us to move forward.  So how do you research something no one wants to talk about?   A gentler approach when talking to your family may work by asking, “I am really interested in understanding what happened”, or “I understand its painful to talk about it, but when you are ready, I really want to understand and hear that story”, but even that may not work. What do you do when they are ready to share the story? There is a lot to be considered like how long ago did it take place?   Is the person telling you the story objectively?   Were they a w...

Image by ksblack99, creative commons Have you ever heard of the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words”?   This could also be said of headstones in a cemetery.   Each week when I walk through Windsor Grove one of Windsor’s oldest cemeteries, the stones speak to me, almost whispering and taunting me to hear their story.   Some are larger than life monuments reflecting families of wealth.   Some include symbolism highlighting their faith, culture, and organizations that they  were proud to be apart of.   Of all the beautiful monuments within this cemetery I seem to be drawn to the smaller, insignificant stones with little information on them.   They tease my curiosity with questions that need to be answered.   Why such a simple stone?   Did they not have enough money?   Where were they from?   Why did they die so young?   Where is the rest of their family?   The mind drifts off to many questions, but once the voices s...