When I decided to write the story of my family's experience with eminent domain, I had a lot of background material to build on. How we lost the Neville Island farm was one of our favorite bedtime stories growing up and the effects permeated my mother's existence. She was not the only member of her famiy to dwell on it. My cousin, Marian Bernhoft Morse, was the eldest daughter of my mother's older sister and she, too, had been well-apprised of that history.
Marian and her husband (now deceased) traveled from their home in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Neville Island in Pittsburgh, haunted the Carnegie Library, and researched whatever they could find. They then met with my two uncles who were still living, and interviewed them about their memories of the events of the time. They gathered copies of periodical articles and transcripts of the interviews and put them into a binder. This was then given to family members who they thought would be interested. I also had interviewed my mother to get some specifics to the many incidents I already knew, and although she was suffering from early Alzheimer's at that time, I was able to get some good information. Before that time, she herself had taken a memoir class at the assisted living where she spent some years, and had written up some of the events herself.
Armed with all this information, I began to write.
By this time I was in contact with my cousin Darlene Cole Coberly, now living in Florida. I told her I was writing the famiy story and my own memoir and she offered whatever help she could give. It was considerable. Not only did she become involved, but her brother, my cousin Ned Cole II (Tucker) also offered his help. There was one evening where my computer was tied up for hours (I can only get dial up service where I live) while he sent document after document as well as photos.
My sister, I think, did not take the whole thing seriously at first. She has been a serious mystery writer for some years and had already completed her first book. What was this interloper of an older sister doing writing a book?
However, as the project moved along, she became more involved as well. We had some disagreements -- which we'll discuss at a later time. That's common in memoir writing. Again, she wasn't the only one.
So now I was a writer.
Jean, Somewhere in Maine
Comments