Your Story

Every family has a story. Sooner or later, someone from yours will land here looking for yours.

Your story is important. Islanders were homesteaders, wood-choppers, light-keepers, life-savers, and fishermen. They and their ancestors would be apt to scoff at the idea that their story is special. In their time, the islands were simply home, and most considered their lives quite common. But, in the words of veteran NPS Historic Architect Kimberly Mann ...

"... this area became nationally important when it became a National Park. So this puts the spotlight on your family and others to tell the story of all Americans who had a similar history. Your story is representative of millions who did the same thing across America, but because your families' homes are now part of the National Park Service, it has been determined to be of importance to the nation. It is important to tell the story as accurately as we can and to insure we know where that information came from and how others interpreted those moments in time."

This page appears because the story of your family has yet to be written. We are definitely eager to add it to the archives. Can you help?

Who in your family has the old family pictures, letters, Bibles, and other keepsakes? Who might be able to converse with elderly family members still with us, recording what they have to say about their life and times?

If not you; who?

Everything that you, or other family members, might be willing to contribute to this project, will be appreciated ... essays of your own, photos, letters, official documents, newspaper clippings, links to online genealogy projects ... such source material always proves invaluable in fleshing out narratives about real people.

We have the ability to convert most documents to Internet-compatible digital formats, including scanning, optical character recognition, and so on. If you are unable to accomplish this yourself, MIA will be happy to provide these services at no cost to you.

If your material cannot be transmitted electronically, please contact us before sending valued irreplaceable items through the mail. This will assure that your property is carefully handled and promptly returned.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to tell your family's story!