Hello!
This will be my first blog post on my new website and its purpose is to deal with a few NAQs.
Q. What in tarnation is a NAQ?
A. It stands for “Never Asked Question.” I thought of using FAQ, or Frequently Asked Question, but then I realized nobody had actually asked these questions and I didn’t want to start out with a disingenuous post.
Q. Why do you need a new website? Wasn’t your old one good enough?
A. My old website was getting a bit long in the tooth. That might not have been a problem if I could easily have modified it to bring it up to date. But it was created for me by an outside company and I didn’t want to have to contact them every time I wanted a change. I like to try out new ideas and it was just too cumbersome to do that. So I decided to start fresh, using a WordPress platform and theme. Since I built this website from the ground up, I know I can modify it whenever I want.
Q. Will your new website have a different purpose than your old one?
A. Perhaps a different focus. I want this website to concentrate on family history. Over the years I have assembled a lot of family history information and research. I realize I have a limited number of years left in this life. I suspect most of what I have accumulated will simply die with me unless I put it in accessible form. I hope to publish more books in the remaining years of my life (see the “Projects” page of this website), but I don’t want to wait until the books are published to begin to share what I have learned.
Q. So how will you share the information you have?
A. I plan to write stories that will discuss an aspect of an ancestor’s life and post them in this blog. I will include photos and documents, where appropriate. I have found that if you can break a big project into manageable chunks you are more likely to finish the project. Eventually I hope to turn the stories on a particular ancestor into a book. If that never happens, however, at least the blog posts will be available to those who are interested.
Q. Do you have any other ideas for sharing?
A. I will eventually create ancestor-specific Facebook pages and plan to send out occasional newsletters. In previous centuries families tended to stay in the same general area for generations. It was easy to plan family reunions or other get-togethers and give children a sense of belonging to an extended family. In our era, many families are spread all over the world and we risk losing that connection to family. Perhaps in a small way I can help counterbalance this trend.
Q. In the beginning do you plan to focus on a specific ancestor?
A. Since I just published News From the Antipodes: The Australian Letters of William Griffiths Reese (1906 – 1909), my initial posts will mostly be about the ancestors and family of William Griffiths Reese. Within a few months, however, I plan to add things about other ancestors.
Q. What about your “Morrie’s Stories” blog? We loved reading those stories. Will it continue?
A. Well, thank you! At present I intend to continue using that blog for personal stories and stories related to my close family members. My thinking is that this blog will be for things related to family history and Morrie’s Stories for history in the making.
Q. What can we do to help?
A. First, if you read a post that you enjoy, let me know. There is nothing like positive feedback to motivate a person to continue on. Second, if you have specific information about an ancestor, or if you see something that seems wrong, let me know. Third, if you have some nice family photos, send them to me. I’m interested in current photos as well as historical photos. Fourth, if a noteworthy accomplishment has occurred in your family, let me know. If someone dies, send me the obituary. I’ll try to keep all of these things organized in my files and, where appropriate, share them in this blog.
Thank you!
— Morris A. Thurston