Stories Behind the Stories
Facts in Fiction
Getting the feel for when and where your ancestors lived can give you a better understanding of how they lived. Unfortunately, sometimes histories that offer information on a locale can be pretty dry. Why not put some fun into it and let someone else do the research for you? Writers of historical mysteries and other fiction do extensive research on the times and places in which they set their characters. Reading these stories may give you a more vivid picture of the era and the environs that your ancestors called home. How do you find the right one for you? Consult your local librarian or peruse the American Historical Mysteries list at Clues Unlimited.
www.cluesunlimited.com/americanhistory.htm
Storyville Plus
One of my favorite mysteries is set in the early 1900s in the red-light district of New Orleans, Storyville, which brought me to appreciate Hooker Heroes: Prostitutes Who Changed the World, an interesting website presenting biographical notes on some prominent women of Storyville, the Wild West, and other eras. Usually when we hear colorful stories of historic red-light districts, we don’t stop to realize that many of these women were single mothers. The author of this site describes arrangements that were made to care for the women’s children and contends that a fair portion of our western populace descends from women who worked in the saloons and bordellos.
www.wondersmith.com/heroes
What You’re Wearing
Fashion Era explores the way women dressed during the Regency, Romantic, Victorian, Edwardian, Flapper, and World War II eras. Although there are numerous websites on historical clothing, most are either focused on a single time period or offer primarily illustrations. But at Fashion Era, you can find out why fashions changed—discussions cover changes in technology, culture, events, and attitudes during each era that influenced the way people dressed.
www.fashion-era.com/index.htm
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