Please join us to learn from South Carolina genealogist and author Dr. Walter Curry, Jr. who will present on Writing Family History: The Narrative History Approach. Narrative history is the practice of writing history in a story-based form. It tends to entail writing based on reconstructing a series of short-term events about individuals or specific events in a broader context.  Learn about how to write a narrative history about your relatives and the process in writing your family history book using the narrative history approach. Examples from the acclaimed book, The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol.1, A Narrative History will be used during the presentation.

Walter B. Curry, Jr., Ed.D is a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina. Dr. Curry has published two award-winning books on genealogy research of his South Carolina ancestors. The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from the Past (1830-1960), published in 2018, chronicles the reflections and experiences of his relatives that shed new light on African American History in Aiken County and South Carolina. His second work published in 2021, The awakening: the Seawright-Ellison family saga. Vol. 1, A narrative history, is the first volume in a narrative history about the descendants of two families that share a common ancestor, Martha Kitchings Seawright Ellison. The book documents the family saga of Martha's family of sharecroppers in South Carolina during the Reconstruction Era.  Dr. Curry received the 2019 International African American Historical and Genealogy Society Book Award and has been recognized by the South Carolina Legislature for his significant work in service to African American History and Heritage in South Carolina.

This webinar is great for anyone interested in learning more about South Carolina genealogy and how they might conduct their own family history research. The South Carolina State Library welcomes people of all abilities to participate in our programs. If you need a reasonable accommodation in order to take part (please contact two weeks in advance), or have questions please contact Virginia Pierce at vpierce@statelibrary.sc.gov or (803) 734-8646. Closed captioning is available.

The South Carolina State Library is the primary administrator of federal and state support for the state's libraries. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Library is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and other sources.