Monday, April 15, 2019

Book Review-Tracing Their Steps: A Memoir by Bernice Alexander Bennett



In Tracing Their Steps: A Memoir written by Bernice Alexander Bennett, the author shares her journey to discover the truthfulness of a family story told by her grandmother MaBecky.
At the age of 100, memories of hearing about land owned by her grandfather, Peter Clark, MaBecky  Peter, and his family with Bernice. The information she provided lit a spark that took her on a 15-year search to discover if the land was actually owned by Peter Clark and if so where it was located.





This easy and quick read shares the research plan, repositories consulted and results found.
Not only does Bernice show the way the looked for the property, but shares her emotions as each new piece was found, analyzed and conclusions reached.

From her discovery in the Family Bible to the that which was found in by using the Friends, Associates, and Neighbors (FAN) Club principle, Tracing Their Steps: A Memoir by Bernice Alexander Bennett shows research methodologies in practice and keeps the reader entertained by her talks and travels with her mother as she weaves the tale of finding her ancestor's land. 

Especially poignant is the arrival of Hurrican Katrina in New Orleans and it's impact on her story and
as we often find while researching, there are surprises and unexpected discoveries along the way.

Photos, copies of the documents, and newspaper articles are included to help visualize how Bernice worked to solve her research question to discover the truth about the land once owned by her ancestor.

A great read not only for family history enthusiasts but for those who enjoy a good story!

To learn more about Bernice's book watch my interview with her on GenFriends by clicking this link. She talks to me and shares some of her experiences after we discuss an episode of Relative Race. 




Disclaimer: No financial incentive was given to write this review. A free pdf version was provided for review purposes. 







2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a very good book. Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura, I really did enjoy reading Bernice's experiences and learning her research process. Thanks so much for reading the post and sharing your thoughts!

      Delete