Under this year’s Christmas tree was an intriguing present: “To Patti from Emilie Loring.” That would be some trick! Of course, I knew it was from my husband, but what had he discovered? A hardback I don’t have yet? Something from a Boston or Blue Hill gift shop? Excitedly, I opened the gift bag… and … More A Present from Emilie Loring
Before you are a moment older, think about what you have that holds someone’s story. … More Part II: The Histories We Keep, the Stories We Share
Each time the decision is made to let an item go, a little part of history goes with it. … More The Histories We Keep, the Stories We Share, Part I
It’s a dream of mine to have a library. I would have shelves on three walls, some open and some with glass doors. The fourth wall would have a big, beautiful window overlooking something lovely, with a comfortable desk and chair facing outward to capture the view. In the center of the room, I’d have … More Our Selves in our Libraries
Facts aren’t just facts. Things aren’t just things. They hold memories etched into them with experience, knowledge, and emotion. … More Memories in a Blueberry Mug
In a bit of serendipity, TLC begins its new season of “Who Do You Think You Are?” and a new show, “Long Lost Family,” this Sunday, just as we are reading We Ride the Gale!—a story about finding family. Sonia Carson cares for her dead sister’s son, Dicky. An attack of flu convinces her … More Challenge and Secrets in the Loring Family Tree
What makes someone worthy of a biography? Do they have to be famous? Publishers think so. Your bookstore sells biographies of people in the news, not because their lives are necessarily more interesting or meaningful than others, but because their fame sells books. I have a classmate who lost all four limbs to a virus … More Genealogy is Biography, Over and Over
