Author name: Ruth Blair

The Future of Handwriting

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CBS Sunday Morning had a piece on September 18th called “Is penmanship being written off? “ It was a repeat of a piece that was first broadcast 23 January 2011 called “A Farewell to Handwriting?”

It examines the history of handwriting and looks at graphology which I wrote about in a previous post.

Today’s technology could mean that future generations are probably not going to have the ephemera of past generations. How many of us actually print off emails and other correspondence? Even if it is printed off how long can it last before it starts to fade? Will future generations have the excitement of finding a letter written by an ancestor 200 years before they were born?

The written word has changed so much since the introduction of the printing press. Is there going to be a time when we won’t even need to know how to write with pen and paper?

©2011 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

Ruth’s Recommendations

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Here are my favourite blog posts from this past week.

Dick Eastman wrote a post called “Copyright Myths” and while he refers to the copyright laws in the United States they are similar here in Canada.

Stardust’n’Roots had two posts of interest this week. The first one is called “Organizing My Research Using Mediawiki” and it looks at the trials and tribulations we all go through looking for an organization method that works for us. He found one in a research wiki.

The other post was called “On Not Listening to the Genealogy Gods.” He looks at four items that are regularly used in genealogy research but he has fit them to suit his own needs.

Greta’s Genealogy Blog had a post called “A Proper Place for Sentiment” where she looks at how she dealt with a natural disaster in her basement. We all need to think about the results of flood, fire, or other disaster on our personal items. What she went through makes you think about what you would do in the same situation.

The Family Cherished Blog had a post entitled “The Easiest Way to Write Family History Stories Revealed!” where she looks at her involvement in the UGA Family History Conference’s family history writing class. She shares seven tips she learned to help with the process of writing your family history.

The Irish Story Blog had a post about “The Fenian Invasion of Canada, 1866” that was written by Ian Kenneally. It looks at the plan, invasion and aftermath of the Fenian Raids.

Claire Santry of the Irish Genealogy News Blog has a post which tells us that “The GRO digitization project is still four years from completion.”

Shauna Hicks of Shauna Hicks History Enterprises Blog has a post called “Old Research, New Resources, Fresh Eyes” where she looks at how things have changed since she started to research her family history in 1977. She examines how online resources and revisiting old research has helped her to solve some family history problems that were caused by making assumptions. This is something we have all done and it reminds us to revisit our research and look at it from a different perspective.

Are there any postings in the last week that you think need to be on this list? Let me know in the comments below.

©2011 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved

“My Dear Cousin” – RTÉ Radio 1 Documentary One

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“My Dear Cousin” is a look into the correspondence between a cousin in Dublin and one in America that spans over fifty years. Marie never kept the letters May sent from America. When Marie died the family of cousin May sent the letters to Marie’s family in Dublin. May had died several years earlier.

The letters start in 1917 and end in 1970. It is a wonderful journal of the life of her family and a look at the how the country was changing. Each letter that is read is accompanied by a musical interlude and memories of Marie’s family are interspersed in the documentary.

©2011 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved