2454 Writing family memoirs

Today it is my turn to contribute the prompt for my writing group. I submitted, "List or expand on the ten pleasures, delights, frustrations, joys, or challenges of writing, collecting, or expanding family memoirs in the style you have chosen." After I started on the topic, I ended up with 4 typewritten (wp), single spaced pages, and I didn't even mention the class as one of the joys. The intent when I suggested it, was that the writer might record a map or a template for the one who follows, because you are always building a foundation for someone else's work.

I'm not going to post it here (aren't you glad). But one of the frustrations is that once I found genealogy on the internet, I was swamped and had to reinterpret who I was. Looking through family Bibles when I was young, I determined that both my parents were seventh generation Americans, both Church of the Brethren, one German descended, the other Scots-Irish. That made me eighth. For maybe 30 years, if the subject ever came up, I said, "I'm eighth generation American."

Then I joined a genealogy listserv for Church of the Brethren and found surname websites and county histories on the internet. I uncovered my foremothers' maiden names. And I found Cousin Dan. I bought his CD of my Wenger side (a lot of Mennonites) of the family "Hans and Hannah Wenger; North American Descendants" because the BOOK HAD 3,300 PAGES! Over three thousand pages of family I didn't know about until 1996!

I just printed off the "short list" from my FamilyTreeMaker for my ancestors--it runs to 20 pages, and I'm now 13th not 8th. It is messing with my mind.

Wenger Winger Wengert Wengerd Wingert Wingerd Wingard Whanger Reunion meets the 3rd week-end of August near Akron, PA. I've never attended.

Chart of the Brethren