Dale Spaulding discovered remarkable stories when he was researching his family for over 30 years. But he got a little worried that these really uniquely American stories were going to be lost to time if he didn’t do something about it. Maybe you have some of those same fears. It was his determination to preserve that family history that was really the driving force behind why he sat down and wrote a book about it. It’s called Fortitude, Preserving 400 years of an American Family’s Faith, Patriotism, Grit, and Determination. (This affiliate link helps support this free content.)
Dale joins me to share how he went about getting started researching his family tree to prepare to write his narrative. He also shares what motivates him to keep on researching.
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Show Notes
Downloadable ad-free Show Notes handout for Premium Members.
What is a Family History Narrative
- Creative Nonfiction
- More than Genealogy Names/Dates
- Stories about your Ancestor’s Lives
- Begin with Dramatic Event (Leaving the Old Country)
- Project Entails Exhaustive Research
- The Why? Legacy to Pass to My Descendants
Getting Started in Research
- Nail Down the Genealogy Data
- Caution on Ancestry.com
- FindaGrave.com
- Seek Corroborative Record Evidence
- Meticulous Documentation – Source Notes (Watch Source Citation for Genealogy)
- Become a Student of History
Research Tips
- Stories from Aging Relatives
- Town History Books
- Local Librarians
- Newspapers.com and Fold3.com (Watch Digging Deeper at Newspapers.com)
- Small Town Halls
- National Archives (Watch How to Search the U.S. National Archives Online Catalog for Genealogy)
- Census Records
- Facebook Groups: New England Genealogy
- Put on Your Detective Hat (Premium Members Watch Genealogical Cold Cases: A Step-by-Step Process.)
About Dale Spaulding
Dale R. Spaulding is a lifelong student of history. He’s discovered remarkable stories of his family’s long and rich past during thirty-plus years of research. Concerned that these uniquely American stories would be lost to time, he was determined to preserve them for generations to follow – one of the reasons he authored Fortitude: Preserving 400 Years of an American Family’s Faith, Patriotism, Grit and Determination.
Dale Spaulding, Author of Fortitude
During his career, Dale navigated the oceans and seas of the world in his twenty-two years of service in the U.S. Navy retiring as a Lieutenant Commander. Following the Navy, he was a software quality engineer and technical fellow at The Boeing Company. Dale then served as director of a national church planting organization.
Dale is a graduate of Auburn University and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Now retired, Dale and his wife Nancy reside in Virginia and they have two sons and four grandchildren. He is passionate about his faith, his family and his country.
Visit Dales website: https://dalespaulding.com
Resources
Downloadable ad-free Show Notes handout for Premium Members.
Stay tuned for upcoming videos on Dale’s writing process.
More Videos & Show Notes:
- Reconstructing Your Family’s Amazing Stories (Premium)
- Share Your Life Story in a More Meaningful Way (Premium)
I loved this! Not only is he a US Military Vet (My father was a WW2 vet, my husband is retired Army Ranger and my son is now a Navy vet) I could identify with so much of what he spoke about and how history and our faith is so important to our research. I would love to know how he actually wove this narrative into a story that was interesting enough to publish! I have thought of doing this but I have no clue where to begin with actually telling the story. Did you take creative writing classes? How long did it take to write this book? How did you find a publisher? Endless questions. Thanks for inspiring me!
Great questions Melissa! Stay tuned, because Dale will be joining us in another soon to talk about the writing and publishing process. In the meantime, be sure to check out my conversation with author J. M. Phillips: How to Write and Self-Publish Your Family History Book with Author J.M. Phillips
I believe what makes the stories of our ancestors interesting to a wider audience is weaving in historical context along the way. To me, a family history narrative should read like a history book through the stories (eyes) of our ancestors that lived it. As I captured the stories of each generation, I studied what was going on historically at the time and merged that history with my ancestor’s stories. For example, when I write about the American Revolution, I can tell the stories of my ancestors that served in the Revolution (their unit, the battles they fought in, etc). Took me about a year to write the book. Creative writing was a big stretch for me. Didn’t take any classes, I just wrote in the conversational writing style. Hope that helps!