This post was originally published on the Adventures in Family History Writing (blog) as part of the 2013 Family History Writing Challenge, and has been edited.
Since moving to a larger apartment in our Woodfin, North Carolina community this past November, I have shelved most of my surname binders, along with some of the histories, published family genealogies, historical novels, and memoirs that I've read within the past year. But until this afternoon, the plastic file box containing most of the journals, newspaper clippings, books, and memorabilia related to this year's topic sat amid several stacks, pushed into the back corner of my office.
Fortunately, the box needed was found third from the top of the stack, closest to my desk! However, when I opened the box, I discovered that these items did not escape the mildew problem we had at the old apartment following the flood when a joint in the pipe to our water heater sprang a leak. That means I will need to digitize EVERYTHING pertaining to this year's challenge and discard the damaged items.
Last year, I began working on the family history memoir related to my husband's great-grandfather, Sergeant Isaac Carter, who was a Free Person of Color, serving as a Sergeant in the 14th Regiment USCT Heavy Artillery, stationed at Fort Macon, North Carolina. This has been a vast undertaking, and you can follow my progress on transcribing his Civil War Pension File. I've also been journaling about collateral reading.
This year's project stems from a promise I made to my husband's Cousin Hattie the last time we visited in 2009, just months before her death. It's a story that a dear friend had told me I should write many years ago. I have started several times, but never got very far...mainly because it involves a traumatic event that changed my family's lives forever.
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