Research Tips

RESEARCH TIPS

I'm a history buff. I can't help myself. Truth really is stranger than fiction, and just as exciting. So, it's not surprising that when I sat down to write seriously the story that came to me was set in the past, just after the American Civil War. For me, the research was half the fun.

For others who like historical writing, I thought I'd share my thoughts on getting the info needed to make the story authentic. I'm no expert, but this is what worked for me.

1. Contemporary writings. It's the details of day-to-day life that make a period piece feel authentic, and one of the best - and most enjoyable - ways to pick those details up is by reading stories written at the time. The old novels that are still around have stood the test of time, so they have to be good. The same goes for journals and diaries, though they're harder to find. You can start with a list of period authors from your local library and go from there.

2. Census reports. Boring, yes, but they give a good snapshot of a location in a few words. They tell you what people were doing for a living, the sizes of households, lots of useful info and they're available online. For instance, an 1861 census report from Morgan County, Georgia, listed five families who owned more than fifty slaves, while over half of the inhabitants with small or mid-sized farms were not slave owners. The larger places grew cotton, while the smaller ones grew a mixture of crops, mostly corn. A lot of information in a few words. I found the report just by googling 'Morgan County, Georgia.'

3. Pictures. If you're researching a time period within the last hundred and fifty years, there will be photographs, and they really are worth a thousand words. There's no other way to see what a place actually looked like a hundred years ago. Looking through Civil War photos I found pictures of a field hospital at the battle of Antietam, one of a Union soldier who had just been released from the Confederate prison at Andersonville - the man could have just come out of Auschwitz - and one of a tent piled high with amputated legs. Granted, I was researching a major event with tons of photos taken, but there are plenty of everyday street scenes, fashion plates, magazine covers, all kinds of things to give you a feel for the times. Warning: You might find a picture that makes you forget your story and go off in an entirely different direction!

4. Climate data. Google the name of a place and chances are, among the first few results there will be one that describes the climate and vegetation of the area. Those sites will usually include a brief history of the place as well - when it was first settled, etc.

5. Genealogical and historical societies. They have websites which will come up if you google a place name or an event. I found one that listed muster rolls of Union regiments, detailing who was captured, who died in prison, who was killed and who deserted, with ages, ranks and occupations.

6. State histories. One valuable resource I found was a series of books on the histories of individual states. Sorry, I've lost the link, but you could find the books easily enough by Googling 'statename history'.


None of this is rocket science, but I hope it's of some use. It goes without saying that most of what you find won't end up in your story, but it'll be there in the background, adding depth and color. Have fun time traveling!