Monday, March 14, 2022

Women's History Month 2022: The Family Tree is Sometimes Not Perfect

In this second week of Women's History Month, we are looking at books that will give you ideas for writing your female ancestor's life. 






Title: The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth

Author: Karen Branan

Publisher: Washington Square Press



Synopsis: 

"Harris County, Georgia, 1912. A white man, the beloved nephew of the county sheriff, is shot dead on the porch of a black woman. Days later, the sheriff sanctions the lynching of a woman and three men, all African American and all of them innocent. In The Family Tree, Karen Branan, the great-granddaughter of the sheriff, digs deep into the past to deliver a shattering historical memoir a century after that horrific day. " (author's website)


Why You Need This Book: Let's face it, genealogy isn't all about heroic ancestors that were angelic. Some of our ancestors were not nice people and they did horrific things. So how do you tell those stories? This book is a great example of how to tell the stories that make us uncomfortable. 

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