Biography & Memoirs > Family Memoirs on page 2

Although Suvilla Bontrager Hershberger weighed less than four pounds when she was born at home in 1919, she survived and lived to the ripe old age of 92. Suvilla was expected to pitch in and help with the work while still young and she worked hard all through her life. As she lived through the depression years she learned the necessity for frugality. And as part of a tight-knit Amish community she learned the art of caring and sharing. In 1997 while living in Sun City, Arizona, Suvilla participated in a class for writing life stories. She laboriously hand wrote her story on ruled tablet paper and had it copied for each of her children and grandchildren. Now her daughter has transcribe ...

Born in wild Alaska in 1916, on a fishing boat off the coast of Juneau, Juno's start in life was not ideal. By the time she reach the age of three, she found herself in a Seattle orphange. From that point on, Juno's life was one of many starts and changes. Finding my grandmother was a journey in of itself. I had many questions to ask her and I knew she would have a good story to tell. Juno didn't disappoint me.

Ancestry research is truly fascinating, especially when it tells a story that society does not fully know. Already aware of my multicultural and mixed heritage, it wasn't until my father gave me his family bible that I was able to discover an entire genealogical history, beyond just one surname and family lore. After combining research from experts and documents, along with detailed DNA results, I was able to successfully create an astounding yet accurately historical family tree for my son, from roots to leaves, filled with an exciting story of genealogy. I hope you will enjoy reading about my deeply involved family history, traveling through my exciting journey back with them in time, ...

This appendix to the book From Nebraska to South Dakota, The Early Years of Anna Beardsley Ashmun contains documents mostly from the family archives. The contents most likely have little interest to anyone other than family.

Decades ago when I grew up in the 1940-50s almost every farm had a large, imposing barn that was the center of the life of a farm family. Children learned their work ethic by taking care of animals of various sorts and doing the chores morning and night. That symbol of an agrarian society has rapidly diminished as farms became bigger and more specialized. Today it is difficult for a farm family to make a living from a small farm. Barns from my youth spoke lessons to me both in the last century as well as today when farm after farm loses the once-largest building to the ages. This publication is a collection of old barn photos as well as life's foundational lessons I learned from t ...

I want my kids to understand that it is not enough to just try without a plan. They need to put some thought into what they are doing. Maybe they can improve on our ideas. My hope is that by mapping out our process I can offer my kids some comfort for when they must take on the privilege of raising their own adults. If in reading this you too can draw from the ideas and stories I have shared, then I am grateful.