PREFACE
There are many ways to construct a family history.
This one focuses on stories derived from family interactions rather than individual profiles, which quite frankly can get stale quickly.
November of 2022, I met with my brother, John to see if he would join me in constructing a rendition of our family history, knowing full well that he would be essential to accomplishing the project. Having both crossed the threshold of senility into our 70’s with more free time available, the timing was good. The pitch was simple. If we do not get this done, the stories we have grown up with will disappear over time.
John, as a young boy developed a keen interest in history. Upon being introduced to Uncle Harry during an early visit to Cranbrook, the beginnings of a life long association and interest in family history gathered green shoots. Fortunately for all of us, it did not take much to get John’s quick and enthusiastic response to proceed. Without his extensive knowledge of where most of the content resides, and personal connections with the guardians of the archives and libraries, no telling how long this exercise might have taken. Most of what has been gathered has been vetted by these sources. John authored virtually all of the narrative with some editing from myself and others.
The central theme was to highlight interesting actions that led family members in purposeful directions and the consequences of those actions. No doubt, there are other stories that deserve inclusion. By design, we decided to forego the publication route in favor of a website that can be improved and adjusted. This flexibility enables changes to occur with the addition of future generational content.
We just happened to be born straddling two generations … a strange place to be, given that our first cousins were our parents age and our nieces and nephews were our age. Lacking close ties with relatives to play with growing up, the real benefit came later in life having broad access to family events and knowledge passed down from elders.
At launch of the website, we intended to include a tab for “Collection”, providing content for the diverse items thoughtfully amassed by various family members. The quantity of images requiring conversion into a format for the website became overwhelming, so we decided to leave that element out. John has access to most of the materials. If anyone has a question about collections, please direct your inquiry to John.
From a formatting perspective, we had to draw the line somewhere, at the fourth generation to keep the scale of the project manageable. None of the stories highlight wealth related statistics. We do not want to see this turn into a brag sheet. Exceptional deeds and leading achievements that embrace innovations are all fair game for inclusion.
While John and I are still around, if anyone would like to propose something for inclusion, please bring it to our attention for review. It would also be great to identify a few younger individuals interested in taking over the stewardship of the website. In that regard, please contact either of us.
Enjoy!
Ralph Booth: rbooth@boothamerican.com | John Booth: jlbooth2@gmail.com
Louise C. Booth (Mother, age 104)
Website Design