As trauma-informed becomes the latest phrase in the genealogy community – from a body of work that has been around for more than two decades- ancestral healing, therapy, war trauma, PTSD, and family patterns work, I have a new program to help you better understand your family’s veterans. This is timely as many readers and students will be visiting with veterans for Veteran’s Day and seeing family for Thanksgiving. What great opportunities to start asking new questions. Who knows, you just may learn something new that will help your military or genealogical research and break down a brick wall.
Before the Uniform is a new program full of tools, timelines, resources, and more to help you understand who your veteran was prior to military service. This program will be held on Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 p.m. CST.
Who was your veteran before they put on the uniform?
Military records tell us where someone served, what units they belonged to, and what they experienced during the war. We might also catch a glimpse of who they became after the war as a result of their service. But what about the life they lived before entering the service?
To understand who someone became and how that shaped the family and generations that followed, think war and generational trauma, we need to understand the person prior to the uniform.
Discover the veteran behind the military records by exploring their childhood, family relationships, education, employment, community, personal experiences, and the historical events that shaped their pre-war years.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to go beyond military databases and uncover civilian records, family history resources, newspapers, local histories, and other sources that help reconstruct a veteran’s life before the war.
Your workshop registration includes a collection of practical research workbooks and resources:
- Pre-War Life Profile: A comprehensive worksheet for documenting the veteran’s early life, family, and personal history.
- Civilian Records Research Tracker: Organize records, sources, findings, and research leads.
- Family and Relationship Map: Explore the people and relationships that shaped the veteran’s life.
- Timeline Template: Connect the veteran’s personal history, family experiences, and historical events.
- Historical Context Worksheet: Investigate the community, economy, and world in which the veteran grew up.
- Research Questions and Records Checklist: Identify what to look for and where to search.
Don’t just research where they served. Discover who they were, the life they lived, and the people and experiences they left behind. Build a more complete veteran story. Start before the uniform.
Program includes Workbooks and additional materials, a replay and Certificate of Completion. Access is one year.
Register today to save your spot.
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