Women's History Month 2016: Tip # 12 Add Social History

Social history can be found almost everywhere including academic libraries.
(c) 2016 Gena Philibert-Ortega

Combining genealogy with social history is something I'm passionate about, especially when telling the story of women's lives. Social history enriches the story you are trying to tell. It fills in the blanks and helps you better understand her life.

Not sure what social history is? Here's a definition:

 history that concentrates upon the social, economic, and cultural institutions of a people

Social history is the study of ordinary people’s lives. Consider questions that go beyond names and dates. Research what life was like for your ancestor, what they ate, what they wore, what was a typical day like, etc…

Social history utilizes
• Traditional genealogical sources
• Manuscript collections
• Ephemera
• Books
• Photographs
• Newspapers
• Diaries, journals and letters
• Interviews

Where can you find social history? Some websites to check out include:

• GenWriters
• Fashion Era
• The New York Public Library Digital Gallery

Check out Discover Your Ancestors magazine for some great social history + genealogy articles.

Now for a brief commercial.

Vintage Television Isolated by Witthaya Phonsawat/Courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net

Friends, do you want to know more about social history and how to add it to your research? Do you want to learn more about rich resources just waiting for you? Do you want to get excited about your family history research? (The answer to all these questions is, Of Course!)

Please join me for a workshop at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Early bird registration ends in April. Then join me again in January for SLIG 2017 where we will talk social history for a week. It's the most fun you can ever hope to have!