Dear AfriGeneas Writers:

I found Steven Stowe's guide "Making Sense of Letters and Diaries" for writers and historians that I want to share with you.

It's an incredible resource that will help family writers to glean information and understand the author's perspective in the context of his/her time and place.

Even if the letters or diaries weren't written by our ancestors, they provide a rich historical fabric that connects to our family legacy. They are often better than newspapers since the media in the time of our ancestors was often slanted and deliberately wrong. They are certainly better than relying on census data because they may provide a key to why your ancestors moved to another town, were married in a certain place, or died away from the family homestead.

After reading Stowe's guide, you may be inspired to keep your own diary. So Write Away!

Kudos to Steven Stowe!