Script Research: Springfield, Illinois

Greetings from a train somewhere between Springfield and Chicago. I'm on my way home from a whirlwind weekend of sightseeing. 

I started researching my family tree about 20 years ago, with a pile of work already completed by my father. He did the heavy lifting, long before there was an online database. He went in person to view archives, military records, immigration papers, property ownership, and much more.

Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate all of his work while he was still alive. He died at only 56, from heart and lung issues related to smoking. If I'm honest, I didn't fully appreciate it until I became a parent. Man, if he were alive now, he'd be so excited at the trip I just took! 

About a decade ago, I came across an ancestor who was a straight-up bad ass survivor during the Civil War era. I'm turning his story into a script, and that's why I've just spent the weekend touring Abraham Lincoln sites in Springfield.

Visitors from all over the world rub Abe's nose for good luck.

"He Belongs to the Ages Now" above his final resting place

 

 

The First Family depicted as wax figures

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite moments was walking down a staircase knowing Lincoln and his family had likely all touched the same original banister. Another was seeing documents in his handwriting. There were incredibly life like recreations of pivotal moments from his life that made you feel like you needed to whisper as an invisible witness to history.

I'm full of ideas and I hope I'll be able to tell my ancestor's profound story of survival, duty, and honor.

Keep writing,