Heritage
Societies move like tides running towards opportunity and running from waves of toxic culture. The ebb and flow of history.... it's a wonder to behold. Perhaps your family stayed in one place for hundreds of years and then moved- why? People have come to America in large numbers for political asylum or religious freedom (English Puritans, French Huguenots, European Jews); people came to escape famine, dictatorships, and poverty, and to pursue entrepreneurial dreams.
Names and dates in a family tree may be exciting to discover but the real chills that run down the spine come when you realize that in your heritage, people suffered greatly from yellow fever and war; they immigrated to escape the very real and terrifying threats in their own countries and even the most privileged faced great hardship when they arrived; they founded civic institutions and philanthropic societies; they were artists, tradesmen, millworkers, indentured servants or slaves...... Suddenly and without explanation, the way you live your life today, with all it's modern technology, has new meaning.
While there may be heros in the family, there are ne'r-do-wells too ... or worse. Perhaps someone in your family spoiled the family name; Perhaps they were a horse thief ....or a soldier in the French and Indian War.... or a slave owner.....or married their first cousin. It would be hard to find a family (comprised of hundreds of people spanning of hundreds of years) which didn't have a wretch in the family.
The beauty of discovering of one's heritage is seeing that, collectively speaking, we've come so very far as a people.
Names and dates in a family tree may be exciting to discover but the real chills that run down the spine come when you realize that in your heritage, people suffered greatly from yellow fever and war; they immigrated to escape the very real and terrifying threats in their own countries and even the most privileged faced great hardship when they arrived; they founded civic institutions and philanthropic societies; they were artists, tradesmen, millworkers, indentured servants or slaves...... Suddenly and without explanation, the way you live your life today, with all it's modern technology, has new meaning.
While there may be heros in the family, there are ne'r-do-wells too ... or worse. Perhaps someone in your family spoiled the family name; Perhaps they were a horse thief ....or a soldier in the French and Indian War.... or a slave owner.....or married their first cousin. It would be hard to find a family (comprised of hundreds of people spanning of hundreds of years) which didn't have a wretch in the family.
The beauty of discovering of one's heritage is seeing that, collectively speaking, we've come so very far as a people.
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Most images need to be scanned but occasionally it takes photographing a portrait to capture a legacy.
A client had seen this portrait on the wall of her cousin's home but had no idea that it was the grandmother of her own grandmother painted 170 years ago. It was not until we started documenting family history that this discovery was made.
Perhaps your relatives have photographs or portrait paintings of your grandparents which are unknown to you or your children...
Your children probably don't know what your grandparent's did or what adversity they faced etc. and therefore they are not likely to understand how the world has changed or how it continues to change. All of that can end now. Breathe life into the lives of your elders or, if you are the elder, pass on not only your history but your wisdom. Later on the grandkids will realize how much they wish they knew you better.
Publish a book with stories and photos or make a movie sharing what you or your family knows of your history.
The possibilities are great.
A client had seen this portrait on the wall of her cousin's home but had no idea that it was the grandmother of her own grandmother painted 170 years ago. It was not until we started documenting family history that this discovery was made.
Perhaps your relatives have photographs or portrait paintings of your grandparents which are unknown to you or your children...
Your children probably don't know what your grandparent's did or what adversity they faced etc. and therefore they are not likely to understand how the world has changed or how it continues to change. All of that can end now. Breathe life into the lives of your elders or, if you are the elder, pass on not only your history but your wisdom. Later on the grandkids will realize how much they wish they knew you better.
Publish a book with stories and photos or make a movie sharing what you or your family knows of your history.
The possibilities are great.
The Amory Family Project:
A $40,000 project in 2010 captured 400 years of history of a Bostonian family in 6-12 months.
The poster below was the artistic fruit of the project
but endless documentation was uncovered and presented on a DVD
full of travel diaries, life stories, types of businesses, travel adventures,
fortunes earned and lost, personal loss and tragedy, battle glory and defeat,
philanthropic adventures, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.
A $40,000 project in 2010 captured 400 years of history of a Bostonian family in 6-12 months.
The poster below was the artistic fruit of the project
but endless documentation was uncovered and presented on a DVD
full of travel diaries, life stories, types of businesses, travel adventures,
fortunes earned and lost, personal loss and tragedy, battle glory and defeat,
philanthropic adventures, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.
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The abundant visual material and written family history was shaped into a poster.
It is incredibly rich in historical details - both personal and contextual.
Such material could also be shaped into a hardbound book
printed for each family member.
It is incredibly rich in historical details - both personal and contextual.
Such material could also be shaped into a hardbound book
printed for each family member.
This poster was printed and distributed among 40 family members.
The Amory Family was very unique because of a combination of factors:
~the rare situation of having four generations of portraits in the client's home.
~several additional portraits in museums
~a very thorough book about Amory family history written 150 years ago
~archive material deposited in local historical societies.
