A family archive

Today I’ve been transcribing my great grandfather’s journal and letters written during the First World War... partly for my own pleasure, partly as a record for our family, and partly for a course I’ll begin next week about conflict archaeology. I’m hoping I can use it somehow in a presentation or paper. As a vegetarian I don’t love this saying, but it really is like “killing two birds with one stone.” [smile] And some of you may not believe me, but I really am having the time of my life. It’s kinda like my very own version of National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code. I’ve been hunkered over faded, tattered paper trying to decipher Pa Key’s handwriting and curious spellings mostly written in pencil, which thanks to my 10th and 11th grade history teacher I know is in no way archively safe. [She, Ms. Staples, was really into scrapbooking and I actually remember when she said something to me about pencils not been archively sound. Funny the things you remember at certain times, right.]

Anyway, I’m having fun and feel like a real archaeologist. Maybe I’ll post some of the interesting parts of the journal or letters here later... definitely look out for one of the love letters he wrote to my great-grandmother on Valentine’s Day.

Just, Margaret