Saturday, November 11 starting at 12:00 p.m. I’ll be speaking live at the Wilmette IL Library (1242 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL) in cooperation with the North Suburban Genealogical Society. No registration is required and I’ll be teaching my two-part military research strategy.
12:00 p.m. Research a Veteran
Short break and refreshments plus announcements from the genealogy society.
by 2:30 p.m. The Greatest Generation
Q&A will be part of both programs and I’ll have some time after to chat with attendees and answer more questions. This is an event you won’t want to miss. Hope to see you there! Details below on what you’ll learn. I am booking these programs and other genealogy and military research programs through 2024. Contact me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to book me for your genealogy society, library, senior center, veteran program, or school.
Research a Veteran
Exploring the Basics of Military Research
This is part 1 of the research strategy.
All the records DID NOT burn. Answers can be found and stories written no matter what anyone tells you. There is a strategy to correctly research 20th century military service, regardless of branch. In this session you will learn:
- Where to begin your research at home.
- What questions to ask.
- The first part of the research strategy to learn any veteran’s story from any 20th century war and and military branch.
- What records you need to establish the foundation and where to locate them.
- How to create a timeline of service.
- How to begin writing the story.
I use storytelling along with the records to help you understand the deeper impacts of service. You might want a tissue for the story at the end of this session.
Exploring the Greatest Generation
Adding Context to the Veteran’s Story
This is part 2 of the research strategy.
Contextual records are everywhere, not just the National Archives!
Once you have established what units your service member was in and where they served, it is time to explore unit-level records.
In this program you’ll explore:
- The second part of the research strategy to piece together your veteran’s story.
- How to add to your timeline of service and expand the narrative.
- Explore various histories, journals, photos, and maps for all the military branches.
- You will learn about the most valuable foundational records to put your service member into context and write a richer story everyone will want to read.
These records help you write the narrative to your stories. They will also help you understand why your veteran was who they were after service, and probably bring up more questions for you to consider.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
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