Scott Van Zant

Histories from My Heartland: an Uncommon History of a Common American Family Scott Van Zant

Most traditional history is a mere collection of headlines of monumental events. The true history of a man, women, or family however, is told in the innumerable daily events, both large and small, that collectively make a life. It is then the accumulation of these countless events occurring in an equally countless number of lives that ultimately create the true history of our world. Sadly, these individual stories are often lost to the ages, passing dimly away with their tellers, as the succeeding generations march on. More histories should tell the tales of the incidents, large and small, of the everyday lives of the everyday people of the world. Histories From My Heartland tells the everyday stories of six generations of a Midwestern American family. The challenges presented to widowed pioneers, mid-nineteenth century European immigrants, post-Civil War laborers, Depression-era businessmen and civil servants, and baby boomer families are all preserved in tales lovingly drawn from family documents and oral histories. It is an uncommon record of a common American family. It is the kind of history that should be more often told, so as to gain a better understanding of the true history of our world.