Many of us think of ourselves and our families as being very 'ho-hum' normal every day people, never realizing just how amazing our ancestors were as they went about their normal 'ho-hum' lives.
Just think about the 1800s, prime old west material for many stories and movies, when our country went from 'what's out there in the west' to 'how do I get me and mine a chunk of it?"
In 1830 the first railroad was born, were your relatives there?
In 1880 John St. John (the governor of Kansas) forced prohibition in Dodge City, the first state to make liquor illegal. Did your ancestor fight for or against Prohibition?
In 1882 Congress passed the Edmund's Law, making polygamy a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
What I'm getting at is this, when you write your family's history don't forget to include the happenings during your Grandpa's life in his area of the world. Check the newspaper archives of that township, you might find they were written about for their political views or simply because of a land dispute or Lady's Board Meeting! CB
