I'm a freak...

          I think I’m beginning to be a “concern” to some of my friends and family. LOL Because…I can spend hours in the genealogy library. I love to prowl around the museum for old stories and ideas. I take photos of headstones. I start sentences with “did you know that in 1880…”  I got up at 5:30 this morning to search for someone on Ancestry.com. And yesterday I ate my lunch while reading a paper entitled “Counting Sioux: American Indian Newspaper Perspectives on the Proposed Lakota Removal to Indian Territory, 1876”, which was presented by Richard Mize at the Seventh Native American Symposium at SOSU in Durant. I’m a freak…I’m absolutely fascinated by history, especially local history.

          I guess I’ve always loved history. I remember reading about the Civil War when I was in the fifth grade. I became so engrossed in it that I ended up reading dozens of books, and writing a paper that was so detailed my teacher kept it as a reference for future classes. Of all the projects I wrote as a young student, the ones I still have are two of my social studies reports. My favorite television shows and movies were always westerns and pioneer shows. I read all of the Little House books, watched the television series.

          Now, researching families and events is a passion. I snoop around and ask questions and read old newspapers, and talk to people until I have a clear picture of what happened and who did it. My friend calls me “girl detective”. I love that!

          It’s ironic that so few people in our area realize what an intriguing history we have. I suppose I ask more questions and demand more answers because I haven’t spent my whole life here. Familiar surroundings seldom inspire curiosity-people who have looked at these buildings and headstones and streets for 30, 40, or 50+ years don’t wonder “why” as much as I do. I consider this a “win-win” situation. I get to be a history freak, and the community benefits from my research. 

Comments

[Katrina]

during his P/T conference last week, Austin's teacher asked what his favorite subject was. Austin said "social studies." Then he explained "My Nana is into genealogy & stuff, so I guess I get it from her."