Rachel asked me this week what got me started doing all of this - the blog and the family project, and I'll tell you that it's for a couple of reasons.
What is "the project"?
I'll start by explaining what exactly I am doing with the family history project. The history project is essentially to build a complete family tree for the descendants of Alice and Ara, and to compile as many details of their backgrounds (their parents, their younger years, and their courtship), and the family they raised together. I'm making a book that will include family photos, family documents, stories, newspaper clippings and whatever else I can find to tell the Sergenian family story. I've spent almost a year now working on the project. The first part began in February of last year, and was to complete the family tree. The second part, which really got started around last June was sorting and scanning family photos and documents (many thanks to Aunt Miriam and the brothers who loaned me the photos!). The third part, interviewing my uncles, was done in November when I had come back home for a visit. The third part also involved (and still involves) a lot of online research of old news articles and other secondary information. I have a tremendous amount of material to work with now! Although it has been a little tedious transcribing the interviews, the rest has been enormously fascinating and given me a feeling of being more connected to the family than ever before.
What do I plan to do with all of this information?
Simply stated, I am putting together a book. The book will be the story of Alice and Ara, their backgrounds (including chapters on the Sergenians and the Kaprelians), and their family - which will include the family as they were growing up and a bit of each of the children as they began their own families. Because of the size of our family I have to limit the book to when the grandchildren (or cousins to me!) were in or around high school (with the exception of some family portraits involving the great grandchildren).
I'm making a book using an online publisher called Blurb. They allow you to make a book, and then "publish" it online. By "publishing" it online, it will be available to anyone who would like to purchase a copy - family or not family. Once I "publish" it, I will be sure to let everyone know where they can go to view the online preview and place orders. There will be two versions of the book - one larger 13"x 11" hard copy book which should cost around $116 (not including shipping), and a smaller 8"x1 0" hard copy book which should cost around $60 (not including shipping). Both of these prices are the best estimation I can give right now, and are based on books with as many as 160 pages - I am trying not to go over the page limit, so that the book does not cost any more than that. I make no profit on any book purchase - the cost is solely that to print the book. I've made other books with Blurb before (including my wedding photo album) and they have turned out beautifully, and are of a quality that is suited to the cost.
Why am I doing this project/book?
I have always had an interest in our family history, and have wanted to do something like this for some time. I used to love asking grandma questions about her life when she was younger...and oh how I wish I could talk with her again as I have so many more questions!
I think, as well, coming from such a large family there is so much I don't know about the family that this seemed the best way to find out. Especially because I am on the younger end of my generation, there is a lot of family history and family stories that I wanted to learn.
I also think that it is important to know where you come from, and to try and preserve the family history for posterity. We have such a rich family history, with many exciting stories, that I really wanted to understand as much as possible. And the more I learned, the more I really want to share it with the rest of the family.
Lastly, with my dad gone now, I feel like this is a very special way for me to maintain and strengthen my connection to the Sergenian family. I no longer have him to tell me the stories about him and his brothers when they were growing up, or what his parents were like, or what is new with the family these days. So this project had allowed me greater opportunities to discover and learn these things on my own. And I am grateful to have just one more reason or excuse to spend time with my aunts and uncles, or give my cousins a call!
Why am I doing the blog?
I've started the blog for two reasons. The first is as I said before - I have so many photos, so much family history material that I simply cannot fit it all in the book without the costs getting higher and higher. So the blog gives me a place to share all of the extra stuff I come across with the rest of you all. And the blog is free!
Secondly, because we have such a large family, and many of us only see each other at the family picnic in June, it is difficult to keep up with what is going on in the family. I envision the blog as being a place that we can all go to post and read information about what is currently happening in our lives. Think of it as a place to put up current photos, announcements, stories, etc. This again follows the last reason I gave for doing the history project - I no longer have my dad to give me updates, so why not get the updates directly from the source!
The blog will also allow those family members that are not on Facebook to share and follow what is going on with others. I think that this is very important, as there are A LOT of family members not on Facebook!
I hope this gives all of you a good idea of what it is I'm doing, and why. I love being a Sergenian, and want to share that feeling with any family member interested! I hope that you all are interested in the book when it is completed - it has been a tremendous labor of love, and that you find the blog to be useful and that you will wish to contribute to it as well (again, if you don't want to contribute directly, you can always send info to me and I will post on your behalf).
-Silva
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