Comments on: Guest Post: Behind the Scenes at the Eminent Women Project

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:59:06 +0000

Thanks for putting your process down in writing.

By: Amy T

Amy T — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:35:51 +0000

Good luck with that, Chocolate. : ) Thanks, Jared and Maurine. Ann’s history was fascinating! She was a woman who should have books written about her, at least a historical biography and some high-quality historical fiction.

And, speaking about sources for the history of the pioneers, Maurine has several on my list of documents I check for every woman — I’ve used some of them in just the past few days, including “A Partial List of Church Members Living in Nauvoo,” and “Names of Persons and Sureties Indebted to the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company.” Thank you, Maurine!

By: Maurine Ward

Maurine Ward — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:25:47 +0000

Amy, in case you are interested in more information on John and Ann Green Dutson, Jay Burrup in the Church History Department is a descendant.

I’m totally blown away at the depth of your research.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:14:15 +0000

Ha! Look for a place to break it into two posts, or let me suggest a little editing. Sometimes it’s easier to have a stranger point out that other strangers can probably do without this and this and this, than it is for you to do itself when you have such loyalty to everybody and everything!

600-800 is about right for most people’s tolerance for reading on the screen, but it can go beyond that range if really necessary. *Don’t* let it make you stop writing for Keepa!

By: Chocolate on my Cranium

Chocolate on my Cranium — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:40:21 +0000

600-800 words? EEK! I’m at 1357 and am only at the first wife. There are still 4 more wives to go! Back to the drawing board…

By: Jared T.

Jared T. — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:15:28 +0000

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

By: Amy T

Amy T — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:38:05 +0000

Alison — thank you!

Bruce — interesting thought. The posts aren’t peer-reviewed before publication, but Ardis is quite the intrepid editor and author and mentor. And all the content she’s generated! What’s it been? Four years? Amazing feat.

Chocolate — I’m glad you’re working on that! Length can be a real issue. I shoot for 600-800 words (LOL) but often end up with double that. And I must say that I stand in awe of all you do — I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I started reading your blog several years ago, due to some publicity in the DesNews. I’ve very much appreciated your comments on this series.

Ardis — post elsewhere? but a good part of the joy of the project is the community at Keepa.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:24:47 +0000

Unlike politics and sausage, it’s a wonderful thing to see history being made. I hope it helps all Amy’s readers appreciate the thoroughness and the scholarly underpinnings of what might otherwise appear simply to be readable and enjoyable short biographical reports.

And I hope this suggests ways that Keepa readers might start going about writing sketches of their own ancestors. Timelines are wonderful things, even if you can start only by listing the life events that appear in New Family Search or some similar database. Then, as Amy has shown, you fill in entries from the more-or-less obvious genealogical records, like the census. Then you might start googling to identify general sources for the places your family lived — the equivalent of Amy’s St. George sources. Etc.

Anyway, I think Amy gives a very helpful model for beginning family historians who may be overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

Plus, I’m pleased and honored that Amy is willing to post her Eminent Women at Keepa, when she has her own website where she could showcase her talents. Thanks, Amy.

By: Chocolate on my Cranium

Chocolate on my Cranium — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:10:16 +0000

Wow! You have done an excellent job with all your posts. I know they are a lot of research work. And now I don't feel so bad about taking so long to get my post for Ardis. We have so much information it is hard to sift through it all and filter out the non-essentials. And still I think it is much too long.

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:07:10 +0000

I have been very impressed with the quality of your research. You note a steep learning curve, but your work reads like you’ve managed to pass that curve effectively.

Your description of the process also makes me wonder if Ardis is aware that this series of guest posts as well as others make her essentially the editor of an internationally read Mormon historical studies journal.