Wouldn't it be nice if every brick wall came with a demolition ball? We're not always so fortunate, but there is one hammer that can pack a mighty blow. Journals are an invaluable source for family historians. Some have the power to unlock mysteries by providing clues about unknown ancestors, while others shed light on individual personalities and lives.
Journals are an invaluable resource for family historians. They are also some of the greatest literary accounts of human experience. Fortunately for our posterity, these invaluable accounts continue to grow as more and more people are drawn to this increasingly popular pastime. We can’t ask our ancestors to keep a journal, but we can take steps now to create a piece of history. It’s an easy hobby to develop, and although the audience may only be our descendants, in contrast to some published journals, we can be assured that it will have lasting impact on our families.
Journals as Historical RecordsThe journal of Samuel Pepys, which dates from 1 January 1660 to May 1669, was never meant for the public eye, yet it is commonly believed to be one of the greatest historical records of seventeenth-century Britain. It reveals insights of upper-class society in England, as well as perspectives on specific historical events such as the coronation of Charles II, the Great Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of 1666. The journal is appealing not only for its historical documentation, but also for its startling and often brutal honesty; Pepys reveals jealousies and insecurities with startling honesty.
Similarly, Anne Frank’s journal, a two-year record of the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in the "Secret Annex" in German-occupied Amsterdam is one of the most frequently studied personal records of the Holocaust. While Anne Frank’s journal records the personal impact of man’s inhumanity to man, it also reflects the life and feelings of a young girl burdened by a chaotic world. Her diary is temperamental, sincere, romantic, indignant; it illustrates teenage rebellion, affections, aspirations, and of course, the heavy weight and fear of war.
"It is one of the wisest and most moving commentaries on war and its impact on human beings that I have ever read. These are the thoughts and expressions of a young girl living under extraordinary conditions," writes Eleanor Roosevelt in a foreword that appears in just one edition of the hundreds of publications of Anne’s diary on the market.
Incredibly, because Anne kept a journal, she fulfilled a dream that may otherwise not have been possible with her youthful death. On 5 April 1944, Anne asked herself, "Will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer?" Considering the impact her journals have made worldwide, the answer is an overwhelming yes. But it didn’t come without some work. The opportunity for her to get published grew from a March 1944 radio announcement that invited individuals to collect eye-witness accounts of their war experiences, specifically diaries and journals. In the foreword of the bookAnne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Bantom Books, 1997), edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler, it states, "Impressed by this speech, Anne Frank decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary. She began rewriting and editing her diary, improving on the text … [while] at the same time, she kept up her original diary."
Other published journals reflect different motives for writing and they influence people in many other ways. In The Yosemite (The Century Co., 1912), one of many books published from John Muir’s journals, the famous naturalist states, "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike."
When Muir’s journals were published, they inspired politicians, activists, and others to take steps to preserve the country’s natural beauty. Although he died in 1914, Muir, arguably the United States’ most influential naturalist and conservationist, created a preservation movement that continues today.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark did not have Anne Frank’s passion for writing, Samuel Pepys’ skill at describing events of the time, nor John Muir’s desire to move a people to change. The journal entries of their many experiences were required as a part of their 8,000-mile journey across the unexplored regions of America in 1803. Now published in many different forms, their records have inspired hundreds of explorers, settlers, and individuals coming to the Americas.
"There has never been so excellent or so influential [a journal].… It satisfied desire and it created desire: the desire of the westering nation," wrote historian Bernard DeVoto.
These are just four examples of the hundreds of published journals available. They come from four very different individuals and span a period of four centuries. They were written for a variety of reasons: to ease emotional and spiritual pain, to fulfill the desire to write and have a trusted confidante, even to record events for progress. Yet each journal has one similar result. It touches lives, opens the inner and outer eyes, teaches history and humanity, and helps us learn more about life and society.
Of course, not every journal is meant for public perusal, nor have most of them ever been published. And family historians are not so concerned about creating "literature." Our goal is to create a record of our own lives that will endure. This is an age-old desire, and one that continues to be popular among the masses.
Journals in the Popular CultureThe popularity of journals is indicative of the avid interest people have in preserving their life story for the future, even if they have no interest, per se, in family history. This is evident through a glance in a bookstore window or a global search of the Internet. There are hundreds of journals to choose from that range from classy, leatherbound books, to journals designed in odd shapes with unusual covers. The variety of themed journals is also telling of our society’s interest in keeping journals. A baby journal, a wedding journal, a spiritual journal, a travel journal, an inspirational journal, even a dream journal are just a few of the thematic journals available on the market today. They are being mass-produced because they are being mass-purchased by a very enthusiastic society.
As if the various types of journals available aren’t enough, there are numerous guides to the growing hobby on the market. A quick Internet search will bring up dozens of how-to-journal books, including a "Complete Idiot’s Guide." The Internet offers several dozen sites devoted specifically to the subject of journals. The choices are endless, but in the end, it’s the personal motivation to keep a journal that matters.
As family historians, the value of journals is especially clear. How many times have we wished an ancestor had kept better personal records so that their lives had more meaning to us than a birth and death date? Don’t we want to keep our own records so our posterity won’t be left with only our names and dates?
Ideas for Creative Journal EntriesWhen we write in a journal or diary on even a semi-regular basis, we are assured that we are doing our part in teaching our descendants about our lives. But there are methods we can adopt that will make writing in a journal a fun part of our life as well. If you are unsure how to make your journal a creative piece of personal literature, perhaps these suggestions will provide new direction for your journal entries to take.
• Always start a journal entry with the date. Few things are more frustrating than reviewing a journal and being forced to roughly determine when the events took place. Even adding the time of day might be useful and interesting. Also, use first and last names when referring to the people in your life.
• When you begin writing, be sure to include events of the day, week, month, or even from several years ago as they pertain to the subject at hand. You may choose to write about the political and social events of the day, the books you are currently reading, etc.
• The best journals encompass events, memories, and emotions. Anne Frank’s journal is most fascinating because it focuses not only on her perspectives of the war, but also on her emotions and the trivial events of her day. One pioneer wrote only one sentence about his marriage in a lengthy journal entry. But was he happy to be married? Did he have fears and hopes about the future? An honest journal writer will not hide his or her wide range of feelings and thoughts.
• If you are looking for a whole new approach to journal writing, focus on a particular question and then respond to it. This is a great way to approach subjects that will be of genealogical interest and will help your descendants continue research. For example, what event sparked your interest in genealogy, or which ancestor’s history has been the most difficult to uncover and why? Also, write your childhood memories. What games did you love to play when you were a child? What events led up to the meeting of your spouse? What were your first impressions of him or her?
• Another method of journal writing is stream of consciousness. Just put the pen to the paper, or the fingers on the keyboard, and write whatever comes to mind. Don’t ponder word choice, spelling, or the subject. This is a good exercise in creative writing and will likely open doors to new ideas or humorous thoughts about your life. Along these lines, concentrate on other aspects of life that you wouldn’t normally write about–the senses. For a few minutes, or a specific number of pages, write about an event in terms of sight, sound, smell, touch, and even taste.
• It may also help the style of your journal entries to decide to whom you are writing. Anne Frank addressed most of her entries to "Dearest Kitty" and treated each one like a letter to a close friend. Another individual wrote a creative diary from the perspective of her young daughter in the first person. Many other journal writers tell their story in the third person.
Time-saving TipsOther methods are available for individuals who don’t have time to develop consistent journal-writing habits. If your schedule is what keeps you from keeping a journal, consider using the minute-method. Find a calendar that shows an entire week on two facing pages, the type in which you would schedule your appointments. Then, on a daily basis, write the noteworthy and even not-so-noteworthy events of the day into that little space. For even shorter entries, consider the thirty-second method. Use planner pages that show an entire month on two facing pages. This will leave just enough room for you to write valuable highlights of each day. You may want to use bullet points to separate unrelated events and thoughts. With both of these approaches, longer entries can be made in a separate journal at a later date. If you choose not to write later, you will always have a reference to days that otherwise would have gone undocumented.
For those of you who are trying to write longer journal entries, don’t be afraid to allow some journal pages to look like rough drafts. Make lists at the beginning of entries so you don’t forget the events that need mentioning. Even if the list never becomes the intended longer journal entry, it will serve as a reminder of the events and thoughts of the day.
While the time-saving methods described here will help form relatively easy habits, they still only supplement the longer, more thorough journal entries. In time, you’ll likely want to keep a traditional journal.
Journals are certainly not uncommon. Most people have kept a journal at some point in their lives; yet, even those who are frequent writers have huge gaps in their journals during the times they had not yet begun to write, or had taken a few years break before something inspired them to begin again.
These gaps are sad losses. Journal writing is a special legacy that everyone can participate in. It is the personal, undeniable account of an individual’s life and his or her perspective of the world.
In an entry dated 5 April 1944, Anne insightfully says, "When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived!"
While most of us won’t endure the horrors of war, we can tell our personal story through a journal–and we can enjoy doing it. Likely our story will not be read by more people than our family, but we can be assured that our record will help others in the same sense other journals have helped us. Anne Frank helped us rediscover youth and understand the nature of war, Samuel Pepys taught us about seventeenth-century British society, John Muir renewed our appreciation of the natural world; and Lewis and Clark revived our passion to explore America.
We have the opportunity now to tell the story of life for those who chose not to speak for themselves. In that sense, we are recording the history of society so future generations will have a real idea of what life was like for us. B
Journals for ChildrenThere are many ways to get children excited about keeping a journal. Let the child pick out the journal so he or she will be excited about it. Then spice it up with photos, glitter, or paint–whatever will make the journals fun and reflect his or her personality.
When it comes time to write, for a young child, a journal entry can be as simple as drawing a picture about his or her day. A parent or older sibling may also be willing to write a journal entry for the young child as he or she recites it.
Hints:
• Let the child write in his or her own style. If you are recording the words, write it exactly as he or she says it.
• Ask questions for him or her to answer if that is more interesting for the child and will get him or her talking freely.
• Record your child’s voice by having him or her talk into a tape recorder.
• Write the amusing stories of the daily things your children say or do and store them in an archival-quality album.
Alternative Personal HistoriesScrapbooks. Keep your photos in chronological order in a box until you have a chance to transfer them to an album. Then transfer them to quality acid-free paper. Always date your photos. To get more personal, add captions, tickets from events, and other related memorabilia.
Letters. Save all personal letters, including the envelope. The envelope is a great way to keep track of the date and address. Make photocopies of your own valuable letters. Some letters may address special events or facts that were recorded no where else.
Tapes. Video tapes and voice recorders are a great way to capture the voice and individual characteristics that could otherwise be lost to still images. Make duplicates, they are fragile.
Lists/Bills/Receipts. Save shopping lists, to-do lists, bills, etc., and date them. This is a fun way to see what individuals and even societies were like.
Esther Yu is a contributing editor of Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Her journal-keeping experience spans over fifteen years and thirty journals.Read the accompanying sidebar Finding Your Ancestors' Journals by Loretto Dennis Szucs.
Return to the Ancestry Magazine September/October 2001 Table of Contents.
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