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Tell Me a Story: Using Heirlooms and Artifacts to Inspire Your Writing

At a recent meeting of local genealogists, we discussed the article entitled, "Story Triggers: Finding Inspiration for Writing Family History"—about how our senses can help us tell family stories. The article's author, Sandra J. Crowley, noted that these triggers can fall into several categories aligned with the senses, such as visual, auditory, environmental, etc.1  As I considered what I tend to gravitate to, I find that artifacts and heirlooms are what inspires me the most: a photo, a piece of crocheting, a baby book, an embroidery, etc. A single artifact can appeal to several senses at once: to the visual, the tactile, and even the olfactory. Think about a fragile marriage certificate that nearly crumbles to the touch, yet is still colorful, and carries a faint smell of old paper.  I've found heirlooms and artifacts are rich inspiration for my writing, and penned an article, "Tell Me a Story: Using Heirlooms and Artifacts to Inspire Your Writing," for th...
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An Irish Perspective on Scranton


You may have heard that President Joe Biden traveled to his ancestral homeland in County Mayo, Ireland back in April. President Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, also the birthplace of several of our Gilbride and McAndrew family lines, who likely also trace their roots back to County Mayo. At least one ancestor, my great-great grandmother Ann Kelly McAndrew, reportedly was born in County Mayo, though her exact birthplace is yet to be discovered.1

While in Ireland, President Biden visited the North Mayo Heritage Centre, dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of the region. The Centre's April 16, 2023 publication—Mayo Heritage Newsletter—profiled Scranton and its links to Mayo, in honor of President's visit.2 

I asked Centre staff for permission to include this article here, as it is interesting to see Scranton through Irish eyes. Many thanks to the North Mayo Heritage Centre staff for allowing me to reprint their newsletter article. 

If you prefer to read the article in PDF form, click here and download "Newsletter 16/04/23." Find an archive of past newsletters at the same webpage.

Until next time...

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NOTES

All links accessed 16 May 2023.

1 State of Ohio, Department of Health, Certificate of Death 68240, Ann McAndrew, 16 December 1925; database and images, "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PKD-RJM : 16 May 2023); citing County Courthouse, Cleveland.

2 "Scranton," Mayo Heritage Newsletter, Vol. IV, #16, 16 April 2023; digital image, North Mayo Heritage Centre (https://www.northmayogenealogy.com/latest). Images used with permission.

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