Dive into your ancestral past and discover your history

© RKD, Netherlands. From the archives of Simon Maris. Dutch painter Mondrian painting my great-great-grandmother Elisabeth Sophia Maria Bergman-Cavalini.

Coming up with story ideas is a process that has always fascinated me. I love that feeling when an idea suddenly rushes over you unexpectedly. That jolt of energy that makes you want to create.

Magical moments like these happen serendipitously, which is the beauty of it. That doesn’t mean that you can’t help the universe of ideas a bit to find you.

Towards the end of 2019, an idea for a book found me that has been right under my nose ever since I stepped into my grandparents’ home. Unfortunately, it took me 30 years to grab hold of it.

My gran used to own a portrait painted by the famous Dutch painter Mondrian before he became famous for his abstract work with the squares in white and primary colors. It was our family secret. Until she sold it about two years ago and the Dutch artworld marveled at the new addition in the works of Mondrian.

I wrote a short story about a man traveling back in time to be painted by a famous painter while he muses his life decisions. It wasn’t until that moment that I asked my gran about the painting and her past. Naturally, I knew a bit about her past, but when you ask the right questions and dig deep, there is more to be found. Little did I know that I opened Pandora’s box of family stories.

Through family interviews and research, I “met” my great-great-grandparents and found out about their friendship with Mondrian and their secret portraits, how they supported him early on in his career and how they collected over 20 of his paintings. A book project was born, taking me to the corners of my family tree. I’m following the family portraits through history and reveal the stories that happened in front of the portrait’s eyes. Stories about friendship, art, creativity, freemasonry, controversial manuscripts, entrepreneurship, family feuds, and my family saving Jewish families from deportation in the Second World War.

This article is meant to spur you into action to dig up story ideas hidden in your ancestral past. Have you ever asked your grandparents or parents about the people who came before you? Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are and how your past has secretly formed you? You will find out once you start digging.

Let me share my process with you to help you find the stories that are hiding in your past, waiting to be revealed. It’s a great way to find inspiration for your next story.

People

Stories are about people. Your starting point should therefore be: who were your ancestors? What kind of life have they lived? Which leads to finding an answer to the question: where do you come from?

I’ve been researching and writing for 10 months now, and whenever I talk to people about this project one thing keeps coming to the surface: people know little about their ancestral past.

Honestly, do you know what your great grandfather did for a living? Or what your great-great-grandmother did with her life? If not, it might be worth it to find out.

Ask your living relatives about them. Dig up your family tree. If you don’t have one, turn to Google or services such as FamilySearch or Ancestry. Go back as far as you want.

Not only did I discover that my great-great-grandfather was friends with Mondrian, but he was also an entrepreneur, painter, freemason, writer, and teacher. A fascinating character who made a fortune in the coffee business and acted as a patron to his artist friends. As a wedding present, he gave his future wife a portrait made by Mondrian in 1901. She was half Italian and her family started immigrating to Amsterdam since the 1740s and build a chain of tobacco stores as well as an impressive art collection.

I found all this (and more) through interviews with family members I never knew about, some of them approaching 90.

Dig deep. What stories are hiding in your past? What kind of topics excite you? Does that provide an angle? I love art so I’m constantly excited while writing this book. Also, I found some other famous people connected to my past and ancestors. Perhaps you can find such angles too.

All these questions will result in something unique: your story. It’s up to you to see if it’s an interesting story worth sharing.

Art

If it wasn’t for the painting, I would have probably never researched my family’s past. Art or objects that have been passed on from generation onto generation provide great story angles. I’ve read great books about family heirlooms traveling through history, resulting in books that are part biographies and exciting family dramas.

What art or objects in your family contain more than meets the eye? Look at the walls and in cabinets in your family home. In the book “The Hare with Amber Eyes”, Edmund de Waal unlocks the story behind over 200 netsukes he inherited. This led him on a quest through his past where he retraces the journey of the art pieces from the fin de siècle in Paris to modern Tokyo. A fascinating read.

For me, it was the portrait that opened up my past and especially the fact that the family secret was now out in the open because the painting was sold. The spell of secrecy was broken, allowing me to dive in and share it with the world.

Drama

No story without drama. And every family history contains some drama. Forbidden affairs, (im)perfect love stories, family tragedies or feuds, all provide a sense of drama. And if there is one thing people love its family drama. From the Crawley’s in Downton Abbey to the Kardashians to the March girls in Little Women.

Connected to my story is the effect an inheritance has on family ties. The Mondrian paintings in my family have been passed down from generation to generation. Some people got lucky; some were left out. Naturally, that does something to their underlying relations. I think almost every family deals with this, right?

Or what about stories of success? Someone who started at the bottom and worked his or her way to the top. Everyone tries to make something of him or herself, what has the journey of your ancestors been like?

Dig deep and enjoy what you discover.

History

When you dig into your past, you will see the ripples of historical events touch your family. Wars, pandemics (Spanish Flu in this case), economic downturns, societal shifts, all have affected their lives. Through their sacrifices and perseverance, you are living the life that has been granted to you.

Historical events provide a backdrop to your ancestral story. In my case, I discovered how a lack of medical discoveries in the early 1900s has resulted in the death of three children of my great great grandparents. Or how my great-great-grandfather boarded the Titanic when it was presented to the public because his company supplied the coffee. And when the Second World War hit the Netherlands, their lives were brutally interrupted.

I found letters written by my family members during these challenging times that allow me to reconstruct what has happened. In addition, I found letters between Mondrian and my family members.

History will help you anchor your story and place it in perspective.

Interviews

Perhaps the most intriguing (and difficult part) of this process has been interviewing my relatives. It all started with my gran our conversations have exposed many emotions but have also deepened our bond.

My gran’s knowledge of the past was limited, she was born in 1939 and grew up in the war. Her older brothers and sisters were open to talk to me and through constructing my family tree, I was able to locate my gran’s cousins across the country. Most of them she hadn’t spoken to in decades, some she hadn’t met at all. Until I did.

Interviewing relatives is fun and will reveal a lot about your past as well as yourself. You’ll discover similarities and differences you would have never imagined. I’ve spoken to 86-year-old people who shared my ancestral history, but they have actually lived through it. Fascinating. But also, hard. Think about it, suddenly a 30-year-old distant cousin shows up to dig into your past and reveal family secrets. Challenges lie ahead, so some people skills will come in handy.

Build bridges between your expanded family members. It’s fun, exhausting and it reveals more aspects of your story.

Research

To summarize, in order to find a story and inspiration in your past, you’ll have to do the work. Trust me, it’s fun and rewarding.

To research, I would suggest doing the following:

Interview your relatives: first and foremost, this is a great way to connect to your parents or grandparents as well as to meet new family members. You share a history and a common story that might be hidden in the attics of your houses, in the hearts and minds of elderly aunts, or in family heirlooms.
Dive into your family tree: who came before you and where did they come from? I found out I have Italian and Spanish blood running through my veins. How cool is it to have a family tree at your disposal going back generations? If not for finding stories, you’ll have something to share with those who come after you.
Archives: city, municipality, art history, and newspaper archives saved me. It helped me fill in the gaps of my family tree, for one. Plus, I found all dates of birth, death, and marriage. Art history archives were a particular goldmine to find all the art that my family used to own (but sold) as well as letter exchanges and manuscripts between my relatives and Mondrian. Also, I was able to reconstruct the lives and art of my great-great-grandfather’s painter friends. Sites such as Newspapers.com will help you find out more if you use the right keywords. I used a Dutch version and found obituaries as well as company info, pictures, and proof of some of my assumptions.
Biographies and books: I read a ton about Mondrian of course and his development as an artist as well as many books that are in my lane for inspiration and direction. You will find what you need when you start digging.
Letters and artifacts: this requires some detective work and persuasion. I was able to browse through diaries, letters, and examine secret artwork along my family lines. Some people opened their house and heart to me, others locked them and hid behind it. Use what you can and see what you can find.

And then, start creating your story as I am doing with mine. Trust me, you’ll be inspired to the bone.

Go for it. Discover who you are by diving into your family history. Find stories that can resonate with other people and you might end up finding something worth sharing.

How to Find Stories and Inspiration in Your Ancestral Past