By Maggie Holman, teacher
Maggie Holman has more than forty years of teaching experience. She writes speculative fiction and has published five books, including The Wishing Sisters, The Knocking and Save the White Stag. Her writing has been longlisted at the Mogford Prize and the National Literacy Trust UK, and shortlisted by the Nature of Cities and SaveAsWriters.
Why are we so fascinated by family research? And why does that fascination often come to us in later life? When people say, “I wish I’d asked those questions when I was younger, before my loved ones passed away,” does this mean that the need to look back, to make connections, begins when we reach important later landmarks in our own lives?
During my childhood and youth, I was aware of family stories about relatives I’d never met and listened to stories from my living relatives about their earlier years, but it was only recently that I started to take it all more seriously. Just like other people, I felt it was time to know more, but secondly, I also wanted to find people, stories, events and connections to inspire my own writing projects. Since diving into the Ancestry website, I’ve discovered information which has confirmed or contradicted the family stories, and some completely new facts have also come to light.
However, what I find most interesting is the realisation that family research isn’t just about the dates, the births, deaths and marriages, the passenger lists or the military records. Unexpectedly, I feel an empathy and a sympathy for what happened to family members from generations that are long-gone. My grandfather deserted while on leave during WWI and was sent to military prison. My great-grandparents were both married, widowed, and each left with a young child before they met each other and found love again.
My great aunt died in childbirth in 1932, so yes, I have discovered stories about ordinary, unremarkable people and the challenges of their everyday lives, but these are the very stories which inspire strong characters and storylines and encourage new writing. It is possible to find stories close to home.
If you're looking to explore your Family Tree in fiction, then check out Maggie's course here.
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