I have been continuing my attempt to get organized. Now that my office space is organized, I have joined ancestry.com and find the information available very intriguing. I found these questions for my work on Archie Harvey. I will continue!!
QUESTIONS / World War I
•Which branch did he serve in? Did he enlist or was he drafted? How did he feel about the draft? Was he opposed to serving in the military or was he proud to serve his country?
•Describe basic training. Who was his commanding officer? Who were his peers? Where and for how long was he trained? What did he learn?
•Did he have trouble getting along with anyone in his unit? Why? What became of it? How did he deal with it?
•Did he have a nickname? What were the memorable nicknames of others?
•How did he feel about sharing his space with others? Did it feel cramped at first? Was it easy to get used to?
•What was his most vivid memory of this time? Specific people or places? A certain event?
•Did basic training build up or cut down his self-confidence? Why or why not? Did he feel as if he was well-prepared for his duties? Did it turn out that he was prepared?
•Was he especially skilled at one particular task? Did it become his "specialty"?
•Where was he stationed after basic training? What were the people and the surrounding areas like? How long was he there?
•How did he keep in touch with his friends and family back home during this time? Did he save any letters he might have written or received?
•Did he become close friends with any of those he fought with? Did they keep in touch in later years? Did he save any of their lives? Did they save his?
•Which battles did he fight in? Describe the time, place, number of participants, and what happened. How did these battles affect the war as a whole? What role did his unit play in this battle?
•World War I is often described as a war fought "in the trenches." Did he experience this type of fighting? Describe what this was like.
•World War I introduced many new things to warfare, including tanks, U-boats, poison gas, and aviation. Did he use any of these innovations during the war? What were his experiences?
•Was he injured in any way? Describe what happened. What went through his mind when he realized he was hurt?
•If he was injured, did he heal quickly or not? Did he return home because of the injury, or did he go back to fight? How did it change him in ways that he noticed years later?
•Did he ever need to take someone's life? Describe the experience and how it affected him both immediately and in the long term.
•An armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, after 10 million soldiers had been killed. Did he join in any victory celebrations? What was the mood of the soldiers?
•What did he think of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points and his treaty making capabilities? Did he think that this was a peace that would last? What did he think of the League of Nations?
•Why did he leave the service? Honorable discharge? Injury? End of active duty? Describe the circumstances and how he felt about them.
•Was he able to return to "normal functioning"? Was it easy to put it all behind him and get on with his life, or did he have to struggle? What was hardest to adjust to once he returned?
•Was there someone or something that was helpful in getting him through this period of adjustment? Could he suggest anything helpful to someone going through a similar situation?
•After all was said and done, what did he learn from his experiences in the military? Why were these lessons valuable to him? How did they change him and his ideas or values?
•How would he be different if he had never had these experiences?
•What sort of memorabilia did he save from this time? What did it symbolize to him? What memories and feelings did it bring back after the war?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The use of [sic]
"Indicating the use of nonstandard grammar or spelling.
In rare situations, one may quote from a text that has nonstandard grammar, spelling, or word choice. In such cases, one may want to insert [sic], which means "thus" or "so" in Latin. Using [sic] alerts your reader to the fact that this nonstandard language is not the result of a typo on your part. Always italicize "sic" and enclose it in brackets. There is no need to put a period at the end. Here's an example of when you might use [sic]:
Twelve-year-old Betsy Smith wrote in her diary, "Father is afraid that he will be guilty of beach [sic] of contract."
Here [sic] indicates that the original author wrote "beach of contract," not breach of contract, which is the accepted terminology."
From The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and further:
"Sic in square brackets is an editing term used with quotations or excerpts. It means 'that’s really how it appears in the original.'
It is used to point out a grammatical error, misspelling, misstatement of fact, or, as above, the unconventional spelling of a name.
For example, you might want to quote the printed introduction to a college catalog:
Maple Leaf College is well-known for it’s [sic] high academic standards.
Sic is the Latin word for 'thus' or 'such.'"
From Daily Writing Tips
Comments made included "said in context." Now I must check how to use sic in transcribing my uncle's letters.
In rare situations, one may quote from a text that has nonstandard grammar, spelling, or word choice. In such cases, one may want to insert [sic], which means "thus" or "so" in Latin. Using [sic] alerts your reader to the fact that this nonstandard language is not the result of a typo on your part. Always italicize "sic" and enclose it in brackets. There is no need to put a period at the end. Here's an example of when you might use [sic]:
Twelve-year-old Betsy Smith wrote in her diary, "Father is afraid that he will be guilty of beach [sic] of contract."
Here [sic] indicates that the original author wrote "beach of contract," not breach of contract, which is the accepted terminology."
From The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and further:
"Sic in square brackets is an editing term used with quotations or excerpts. It means 'that’s really how it appears in the original.'
It is used to point out a grammatical error, misspelling, misstatement of fact, or, as above, the unconventional spelling of a name.
For example, you might want to quote the printed introduction to a college catalog:
Maple Leaf College is well-known for it’s [sic] high academic standards.
Sic is the Latin word for 'thus' or 'such.'"
From Daily Writing Tips
Comments made included "said in context." Now I must check how to use sic in transcribing my uncle's letters.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The letters are out of the closet!
I see I am back to my old tricks when I want to write. Anything distracts me. I put writing off for any reason. In fact, I purposely started cleaning and dusting and even cooking to put off writing.
BUT, I know that I must write--the story is compelling and my grand uncle's history needs to be told. I brought the letters and artifacts out of the closet. That's a start.
BUT, I know that I must write--the story is compelling and my grand uncle's history needs to be told. I brought the letters and artifacts out of the closet. That's a start.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Art of Writing
I am a writer. Yet I have the same trepidation as my students. Fear of the white (paper)-in this case computer screen. Where do I begin? I want to solve some mysteries, I want to know more about Russell Archie Harvey.
Begin with what I know. Well, I picked a heck of a time to begin then. My desktop computer with the genealogy and other information about my family needs a new motherboard. I can't use my scanner or my printers either.
So I will plan.
I need to read all the letters.
Type all the letters. I need to figure out how historians transcribe letters--exact text, the use of "sic," etc.
Review the discharge papers.
I need the name of his unit, his rank, his citations. Names of commanding officers. I know he references General Pershing.
There are names of men he served with in the papers.
I need to document all the items I have.
I need to record all the battles he mentions.
Create a timeline.
Get maps of the U.S. He describes his journey from Iowa to Texas on the troop train. His trip to New York.
Get period maps of Europe and the battles and troop movements in World War I.
What are my burning questions?
Begin with what I know. Well, I picked a heck of a time to begin then. My desktop computer with the genealogy and other information about my family needs a new motherboard. I can't use my scanner or my printers either.
So I will plan.
I need to read all the letters.
Type all the letters. I need to figure out how historians transcribe letters--exact text, the use of "sic," etc.
Review the discharge papers.
I need the name of his unit, his rank, his citations. Names of commanding officers. I know he references General Pershing.
There are names of men he served with in the papers.
I need to document all the items I have.
I need to record all the battles he mentions.
Create a timeline.
Get maps of the U.S. He describes his journey from Iowa to Texas on the troop train. His trip to New York.
Get period maps of Europe and the battles and troop movements in World War I.
What are my burning questions?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
First Post
Today I am beginning the journey I have long promised. My maternal grand uncle served in World War I and I have the letters he wrote to his mother while training and while "in the trenches." I have felt it is my duty to him and our family to research his service and the events that shaped his short life. This is the beginning.
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