Discovering and Telling Family Stories with Mary-Eileen McClear

Date: 

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 1:30pm to 3:30pm

Location: 

Wellesley Mennonite Church

Event type: 

  • Public meeting

Mary-Eileen McClear spoke to the historical society about "Discovering and Telling Family Stories." She told a fact-based fictionalized account about the Jacob Bechtel family who lived near Blair in 1812. While father Jacob was away, the family tried to avoid losing their oxen to the military in 1813. Mary-Eileen used some information gathered by Jonathan Seiling in his research on the War of 1812 to write a local story about the war experience. She encouraged everyone to retell family stories with details beyond names and dates so that family stories can come alive.