Family History Writing Challenge: Mrs. Pease Obituary (June's Ancestor) 

I learn something in each video you have! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and helping us to write better family stories!!

Your describing why it makes sense for Mary Etta to live with a particular child. There's so many reasons people move in with a relative and tradition is not always followed. My great-grandmother moved in with her youngest daughter after having her leg amputated, her husband stayed in his home and there were 3 other children she could have chosen to live with; I suspect that she moved in with the youngest daughter because one son was unmarried, one son had many children including one with a disability, and the other daughter was considered unreliable; so moving in with the youngest even though she had an 8 year old son and a 2 month old baby was the best option. I wouldn't put a bio out there stating that because I don't know that's the reason and it puts the other children in a bad light, I do know that my great-grandfather paid for a nanny to help his daughter with her children in return for her taking care of her mother and that the family found it easier to get a nanny than nursing/elder care. I have a great grandfather on the other side of the family who was hated by his daughters due to the circumstances of his divorce with their mother, and the daughter who didn't have an extra bedroom took him in, telling her children of his existance when he moved in; he didn't move in with the daughter who was a nurse, or the one with the big house and closest, but he moved in with the middle daughter who made it very clear to her children what she thought of him and that she had to take him; the few stories the family tells of him are really bad, but the newspaper describes him as a beloved expert in his field. . . in his case the family stories are interesting but they are hersey, better to stick with the newspapers clippings and be brief about his moving in with his daughter. But not all reasons for relatives being together are bad or shouldn't be written of course. In my family, it's expected that you stay with your parents till you're married or unmarried and middle aged; so my uncle was still with his parents in his mid 30's and then was looking to move out when his parents health changed and he stayed until his father had passed and his mother moved into a nursing home. After my grandfather passed, my uncle slowed his walk to match my grandmother's and from a distance they looked like an old married couple; it was a blessing to the family that she was in her own home until she decided that it was time for a nursing home, the youngest son, not leaving home made that possible, I wouldn't put that out publically during his lifetime, but I should write while I still remember locations and can figure out the dates.

Very timely! Thanks!

I have found that most of my ancestor's obituaries fall into 1 of 2 types: either they are very short and contain very few facts, or they are very long, and could be a book by itself.

mark: what about her youth, where did she grow up, where did she go to school, did she have a job, friends

During this video, you mentioned the dreaded work "HOMEWORK". I'm a bit fuzzy as to the actual assignment. Is it to work on the obituary discussed in this video, or is it to take an obituary from my ancestor and turn it into a rough draft, and the take the various steps through the rough draft until I feel 'finished'? I'll take the challenge, regardless.

mark up: maiden name of Edna