I left my dentist’s office today with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. This, after having a crown replaced. Was it free, you wonder? Not even close. Was it painless then, you ask? There was pain. But something beautiful happened, as needles and drills entered my mouth: I remembered Sarah Gayle and her dental terrors.
…Dental Terrors: How Sarah Made Me SmileRead More »
Dental Terrors: How Sarah Made Me Smile Read More »
An earlier edition of this post appeared in my blog, The Golden Egg Genealogist, in April 2019. Genohistorians are encouraged to see the link to our discussions of “the now of then” in recent posts. A “Call to Action” and “Zotero Notes” have been added to the original post.
Hindsight will never be 20/20. The further back we look, the fuzzier the view gets. In looking back past our own personal experience—that journey we call “studying history”—we become strangers in a foreign land. Observing what we see there can be immensely valuable. Evaluating the effectiveness of our ancestors’ choices can enhance wisdom. Morally judging ancestors through the eyes of the 21st century, however, is a destructive misuse of hindsight.
…Judging Ancestors: The Distortions of Hindsight (A Cannibal Story)Read More »
Judging Ancestors: The Distortions of Hindsight (A Cannibal Story) Read More »
Some say it is not history until you write it. I have a bit more expanded view of history. Inevitably, though, we who are starting to call ourselves genohistorians will start to think of writing genohistory projects. I have tiptoed in with my blogging. As we expand in this field, what will writing genohistory look and feel like?
…Writing Genohistory: Waldo and the Now of ThenRead More »
Writing Genohistory: Waldo and the Now of Then Read More »
History is not the past. It is not “what happened.” History happens after that. It is an interpretation of what happened, based on the fragments of information or memory that have survived. Even if the event happened two hours ago, and it happened to you, the history you might record of it is already likely imperfect. It is also potentially very valuable.
Genohistorians must ingest lots of published histories. This is essential to our work. But for our own work to be credible, we must ingest them always with a grain of salt.
…The Genohistorian’s Grain-of-Salt Approach to HistoryRead More »
The Genohistorian’s Grain-of-Salt Approach to History Read More »
