- What was The Peace of Pocahontas?
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…..
- How to Interview Your Elderly Family Members
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…..
- Did My English Ancestor Marry a Native American in the 1600s?
Have you ever had a coincidence happen where you wondered if it were more than mere chance? Was the event a happy accident or did God have a hand in it? I’ve decided to write about a recent “coincidence” even…..
- Were Your Ancestors Immigrants?
In the 1930s, Marcus Lee Hansen conducted research on the history of immigration to the United States. He was posthumously awarded the 1941 Pulitzer Prize for History for The Atlantic Migration, 1607–1860: A History of the Continuing Settlement of the…..
- Do You Know Who You Are?
Silly question. Of course, you do. The question reminds me of a book I had as a child called Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman. A bird hatches from his egg without Mama Bird in the nest, so he…..
- How Many Ethnicities Do You Think You Have in your DNA?
I’ve been to 48 states and always find that North Carolina has the friendliest people. A recent visit was no exception when I met many members of who I think are my African-American side of the family. White Oak River…..
- Nature or Nurture? How About Both – Epigenetics
The science of epigenetics fascinates me. I studied and wrote on the subject in my book Unacknowledged. Epigenetics is the idea that the trauma your ancestor(s) experienced could have changed their genes, and those genes were passed down to you……
- Visiting Your Ancestral Homeland
If when you have your DNA tested for ethnicity and you find where your ancestors were from (or if you already know), does this make you want to travel there? It does me. There’s an intriguing phenomenon of feeling at…..
- For Book Unacknowledged, Guest Speaker on Podcast – A Reel Page Turner
The podcast A Reel Page Turner is a show that compares the movie to the book. On A Reel Page Turner I was a guest speaker for the comparison of the movie The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and Kate…..
- Interview with Nancy E. Turner of “These Is My Words” novel
Nancy E. Turner wrote about her ancestors in these four books based on the Prine family of the Southern Arizona Territory 1880s-early1900s. The full title of her first novel (a Willa Cather Literary Award finalist) is These is My Words:…..
- Was Howard Hughes Jr.’s eccentricity born of one woman’s checkered youth?
I didn’t expect to consider that possibility when I set out to write Unacknowledged: The Possible Biological Mother of Howard Hughes. But as I researched, I had to wonder. Hughes was a household name for decades, but was his oddball…..
- The Pulse of His Soul novel reviewed by the Historical Novel Society
The Historical Novel Society (HNS) is well known amongst historical fiction writers, but perhaps you’ve never heard of them. They are a great resource if you love historical fiction and want to read reviews for what’s out there before buying……
- Did Anyone Help You See Your Ancestors for Who They Were?
My grandmother, Marie Hardison Whitehurst, was not a typical grandma who baked cookies and pattered about. She didn’t even want to be called grandma. To us, she was Mimi. She kept a slim figure, wore fashionable clothes, and was a…..
- What happened on November 11th 400 years ago?
After traveling on the Mayflower for 66 days, the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod on November 11, 1620—400 years ago today. A replica of the Mayflower (Mayflower II, a “living history” museum) was gifted to America by England in 1957,…..
- Who is John Lothropp?
In the New England Memorial by Nathaniel Morton (1669), John Lothropp was considered to be one of the five most important ministers to arrive in New England during the Great Migration. Five United States presidents, as well as Princess Diana,…..
- It’s Been Exactly 400 Years Since the First American Pilgrims left England
Today, September 6th, is the anniversary of the Pilgrims leaving England in the Mayflower. Since July 1620 they had been trying to sail to America, but their second ship, the Speedwell, kept taking on water, sending them back to shore……
- Have You Considered Learning About History Through Your Ancestors?
Using the medium of a novel, I’ve written stories of my ancestors based on true events, hoping to share their interesting lives with others. I’m calling my stories Heritage Fiction. In my blog and newsletter, I’ll share published books in…..
- Making a Change
I’ve had a blog on blogspot for five years, but it wasn’t receiving much traffic, so I decided to switch my blog to www.orasmith.com. Come back often for Heritage Fiction chats, book reviews, author interviews, discussing topics like family identity,…..
- Ora Smith
writer of Heritage Fiction – fascinating stories about ancestors