Jackson County Historical Society

Educational Resources

Jackson County Counts  -- Counting America’s Stories One By One

Dedicate some time to record events important in your life for future historians to learn from.  It doesn’t have to be a lengthy project, and it doesn’t have to be “professional.”  Express your individuality in the way you present your own story … or stories. 

 

Just think about your daily life experiences…your thoughts and dreams…or how you “fit” into a larger community … and write something down.  Start by writing about JUST ONE story or experience.  Share it with a friend or family member (or get some feedback from the Jackson County Historical Society Archives staff) who may have some questions for you that may help you fill in details you may have taken for granted.

 

Once you get one story recorded, you’ll likely be inspired to record more stories one at a time, as your time permits.  Before you know it, you may have a small collection of personal stories (one memory or recollection at a time) that could be quite interesting to your family…but also great value to researchers or historians 50, 100 or 150 years from now.

 

Send your story/stories to the Jackson County Historical Society so they may be counted!  They’ll be preserved.  And they’ll be made available to the public into the future.  You may even have documents, artifacts or photographs that support or complement your story.  These could possibly be preserved at the Historical Society with your story.

 

Please be sure to print, complete, and sign the standard “release” information, so that we may use your stories (not your personal contact information) for educational purposes.

 

For some ideas, look at what’s been collected so far.

 

Here are some other questions and ideas that may get you going:

·                     Describe your family, and its daily activities and interactions

·                     What was your first day of school like?

·                     What is your first memory?

·                     Tell readers about memorable holiday traditions and/or vacations (remember…one story, or vacation or holiday memory at a time)

·                     Write about your childhood neighborhood, or the community in which you now live.

·                     If you have, or have had pets, don’t you want to jot down some memories about them?

·                     Write a tribute about your best friend(s).

·                     Funny or memorable stories surrounding courtship or marriage?

·                     First time mothers have stories to tell!

·                     Everyone had a first job. What/where/when was yours?

·                     Think about monumental times in American history. Were you alive then? Write about your life during those moments (remember, one specific story at a time!) [The Great Depression; World War II; segregation; President Kennedy’s assassinated; Vietnam War; Desert Storm; 9/11; etc.]

·                     What type of transportation do you use?

·                     Do you go to church or synagogue?  Tell people of the future more about your beliefs and religious/spiritual practices.

·                     How’s your health?  Any health challenges?  How are they being treated?

·                     Do you consider yourself “young,” “old,” or “none of your darn business?”  Write about growing older and wiser.  Do you embrace or shy from retirement centers and nursing homes?

·                     Are you afraid of crime?  What are you doing to prevent it?

·                     What type of work do you do?  Describe a typical day at work.  Pay attention to note even the mundane and tedious details!

·                     If you go to school, what classes do you take and how do you think they’ll be useful to you in the future?  Other details of your school, classmates, extra-curricular activities you can comment on will make the story more educational for the student of the future.

·                     What observations do you have on how society is changing?  What changes would you like to see take place?

·                     Do you agree with others that TIME IS FLEETING?  Write about that, and why you think this is so.  How can we begin claiming a more leisurely lifestyle?

·                     What irks you, and why?

·                     Who were your parents and how did they influence your life? Grandparents? Great Grandparents? Play mothers?

·                     Do you like to read?  Would you be interested in helping others learn to read?  Or, do you prefer to learn from watching television, or searching for information on the Internet?

·                     Are you happy with your life?  What personal goals can you set down on paper to begin making it even better?

·                     If you have grieved over a loved one’s death, write a tribute to your lost loved one, with special memories and describe WHO THEY WERE! This is the kind of stuff that can never be found elsewhere in recorded history unless YOU write it down and deposit it!

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