Understanding Ancestors Who Did Bad Things
Ora Smith | January 27, 2025
I grew up in California and still remember sitting in 5th grade class learning about the Civil War. I can’t recall all that was taught, but it was the first time I remember learning about slavery. I was appalled with…..
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How to Organize Your Family Records on Your Computer
Ora Smith | January 26, 2025
Keeping organized records will be a great benefit as you research your ancestors. I use family history software for my family tree records. For my old photographs and documents, I scan and keep them in media files within folders labeled…..
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The Spiritual Implications of AI: Are Creatives Discounting God?
Ora Smith | December 17, 2024
Years ago, I was driving during the rush of the Christmas season listening to “Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.” A spiritual feeling of truth moved within me, telling me God inspired the work. Tears came to my eyes, and I was…..
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An Interview Between Reverend Samuel Purchas and Powhatan Priest Tomocomo in London, England, 1616 (parts of which are used in the novel Powhatan’s Power by Ora Smith)
Ora Smith | October 26, 2024
Background I write what I call Heritage Fiction—novels about my ancestors. My interests lie in history, genealogy, and finding the truth. Although I write fiction, I use as many facts as I can to formulate my stories. The first novel…..
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What was The Peace of Pocahontas?
Ora Smith | October 13, 2023
When the English first established Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples (sometimes called ‘the Powhatans’ after Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas’s father) was precarious. Powhatan and the English settlers regarded each other with suspicion. Eventually, the two groups…..
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How to Interview Your Elderly Family Members
Ora Smith | March 14, 2023
Don’t be like me and regret not having interviewed some of my elderly family members before they passed. The elderly can be a wealth of information about not only themselves, but those who have gone before them. Most love to…..
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