Articles
Writing my own story, is it possible?
Have you ever said, “This is something I need to do someday,” but never start (or finish) that task? You’re not alone. If life story writing is one of your goals this year, but you’ve always thought it was too difficult, Take heart! I’m here to help. Last year, I led guided autobiography classes to…
Read MoreIt’s Not What You’ve Been Told
Can memoir help us find our true selves? Have you noticed self-help gurus and pop psychology will tell us to look forward into the “windshield” of our future and not the “rear-view mirror” of our past. However, sometimes there is a need to reconcile our past with the present. The discovery may come from examining…
Read MoreOn Indin’ Time: A Life Between Two Worlds
An Interview with George Clever. Note: Despite the current explosion of the social justice movement, there is little to no mention of Native Indian issues in the media. In light of this omission, I thought it was important to talk to a George Clever, about his recently penned memoir, “On Indin Time.” George is a former…
Read MoreHow Did Grandpa Die?
It would seem like an easy enough question to answer. Or is it? What happens when family members give different answers to what seems fairly straight-forward? Leo Hilburger, unlike Michael (above) would not attain the success of his father. My siblings posed this very question about my paternal grandfather, Leo, one of seven children of German…
Read MoreThe “Gift” of Quarantine and Preserving your ‘piece of the earth’s dirt’
Saving 50+ years of memories at BonnyBrook Have you noticed that people react differently when given unlimited time at home? We’ve all heard about those who have decided to enjoy this unprecedented period with family activities, using the time to bake, enjoy a hobby or finish necessary tasks. There are others, however, who feel isolated or…
Read MoreSomething of Lasting Importance
Your story is as individual as your fingerprint, part of the historical record, and will have a wider impact than you can imagine. Recently I was contacted by a person whose mother was a patient at the Newton Memorial Hospital in Cassadaga from 1947-1948. As local residents know, the building now housing the Cassadaga Job…
Read More“All of our stories aren’t ours to take with us”
By Patricia Pihl, Personal Historian Last month there was an outpouring of tributes marking the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. The event marked a watershed moment in our nation’s history, and culminated one of the greatest decades in the civil rights struggle. For many alive at the time, MLK’s death was…
Read MoreThe Angola Horror, John D. Rockefeller and What It Means For Your Story
Growing up in the small town of Angola, New York (population of 2,127), I had never heard about “The Angola Horror,” considered to be one of the worst railroad accidents in19th-century America. No plaques or other memorials honoring the dead were placed at the wreck which occurred just outside the village over 150 years ago. To the best…
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