An Introduction to Backstories

White River at Calico Rock, AR April, 2017

A backstory is the part of a story a writer creates for a fictional character to explain why the character is the way he or she is, and to give context to the actions of that character in the story. It is that character's history, his or her walk in life. Since in any fictional account we only see one brief point in time when the story takes place, a backstory is essential to the plot of a novel.

I like the word backstory because it is a history. I thought it a good word to title my blog, since this blog will be about the histories of people in my family; not one person, but multiple people, each with a story that deserves telling.

For a little personal introduction, I grew up along the White River in the small town of Calico Rock, Izard County, Arkansas. My family on both sides has been in this county for several generations. My family history has been traced by my aunts and grandmother on my father's side to at least the American Revolution.  We know very little about my mom's family, especially her father's parents, so I have made that my quest. I want to know who these people were, what they did, where they traveled and lived. I am hoping that my mom, my aunts, my brothers and cousins will all enjoy learning about our ancestors and discovering the people who made us who we are.

My goal for this blog is to not only share the factual information and documentary evidence I find of these long gone family members, but to try to develop their stories. Why was Great-grandmother such a traveler? Who was that Cherokee ancestor? Those are the types of questions I want to explore, and hopefully write about what I find. In these stories I also hope to share photos and documents that help to pinpoint these folks in time and place.

In this endeavor, it may be difficult to post with any regularity, especially the stories. I want to make certain each story is factual, and will probably go overboard with evidence, but that is the job of a good historian. So bear with me as I start this new venture, You will learn an awful lot about the Gillihans and Gregorys, but maybe you'll find out more about me, too.