Fall 2021 Discussion Group
Hand in Hand: Research and Writing
Fall 2021 Discussion Group will be held via Zoom. Invitations will be sent out by Diann Sherwin. If you want to participate, go to our website, www.SCGSDelaware.org, and send your email address to Programs@SCGSDelaware.org and mention Fall Discussion Group. We will begin Tuesday 11/09, 2:00-4:00 pm and continue each Tuesday until 12/14. Hopefully, we can get everybody up to speed and answer your questions and concerns at Q&A on Wednesday 11/03.
This Fall’s theme is doing the research required before a writing project; so we will be focusing both on research and on writing. Each week, you will be asked to write a short vignette of no more than 500 words about one of your ancestors or extended family members. Each week, we will focus on a different aspect of life that you will be asked to research before you write. Consequently, each writing will probably be about a different person. You should incorporate the details you learned in your research in your writing; don’t just tack those details on like a bandaid.
Week 1 – Time period
Week 2 – Location
Week 3 – Military records
Week 4 – Modes of transportation
Week 5 – Occupations
Week 6 – Social structure (available schools, churches, medical treatment, etc.)
Histories of the areas where your ancestors lived may be helpful. Newspapers and city directories could provide relevant information. Census records are always useful, especially 1850 and after, when all the household names are listed.
You should do your research and your writing before the appointed day. Email your writing as a Word document (and a short note about your research) to “reply all” by the Sunday before we will meet about that topic. Hopefully, you will have time to look over the writings you receive. On Tuesday, in the Zoom Discussion Group, Marilyn will call up each writing during the first hour, and we can talk about them. In the second hour, we will offer suggestions for research for the next week’s topic, and ways to approach the writing.
