I never do
the research first.
That
probably sounds irresponsible, but the story has to come first. The
characters—they have to be alive. They must have a story to tell. And that
story always exists first, at least in my mind.
Alex—I’ll
introduce her to you eventually—has existed for no fewer than seventeen years.
That seems like forever, but she actually introduced herself after both Aurelia and Aerin so she’s
been kindly waiting her turn until now.
Since
Alex’s story is historical fiction,
I’ve always believed that I would
have to confirm certain facts about the premise of her book before I committed serious time to writing it for
publication. These facts involved claim inheritance law in Eastern Oregon at
the turn of the century.
I didn’t think they would be impossible to find.
But . . .
I sure
wasn’t having any luck. I started by ordering a couple books about women and
the law—hoping, I guess, for a timeline involving women and property rights.
Didn’t get
one.
From there
I tried online searches, which were—hmm—not very helpful. Specific dates and
the law are not so easy to research on Google.
Which
brought me into the realm of serious research: contacting the experts. I
promptly e-mailed a librarian at the Oregon Historical Society. Now I really
thought this would work. I didn’t think the librarian would necessarily be able
to answer my questions. But I truly believed he or she would be able to direct
me to a person or a resource that might.
However,
here’s the thing about Oregon pioneer history. Most of what you read about it
revolves around the settlement of the western side of the state, which occurred
a full fifty years prior to the settlement of the eastern side. In fact, if you
research the Oregon Trail, you will find printed resources claiming the trail
ceased to be used prior to 1900. Which is incorrect. Families where I live
migrated across the trail during the first two decades of the early 1900’s.
Most people came by railroad but not if they couldn’t afford it.
So . . . I
received three responses from the OHS librarian. The first was inaccurate
because the law referenced was defunct by 1904. The second was inaccurate
because the law was passed after 1904.
And the third was that I might try asking a law professor at a university.
I don’t
know about you, but I’ve had trouble obtaining a timely response from my own advisor at a university.
The real
problem I was having was this. There are people who know a lot about the law and
people who know a lot about history. But finding someone who knows a lot about
the law and history—this is not so
easy. Much less claim inheritance law in Eastern Oregon.
My real
breakthrough came when I finally went to the Homestead National Monument website,
where—low and behold—the original text of the National Homestead Act is printed
for all to read. And—believe it or not—includes an entire paragraph or two on
the legal inheritance of claims.
So easy!
Almost.
You see,
my plotline isn’t exactly simple. I still had a few knots I needed to untie.
But Alex
had about had enough of waiting around, and it was pretty clear to me by now that
plenty of folks weren’t following the letter of the law when it came to
settling claims anyway so I figured I had enough data to validate writing the first
draft.
Good thing
too because I had finished it while going through all of this rigmarole. So
much for confirming the premise first.
There was
a little box for “contact info” on the Homestead National Monument site, and I
had sent out my specific plot questions in the box; but I wasn’t counting on
getting an answer. It was one of those
I’m-sending-this-off-into-the-electronic-netherworld experiences in which one
suspects one may only reach a teenage receptionist, if that.
But—miracle
of miracles—just as I was wrapping up the final reading of the local 1904-1905
newspaper, I received an e-mail.
From a man
who helps advise the Homestead National Monument site. He has—ding, ding,
ding!—a background in historical law. And no, of course my current plotline didn’t
work.
Maybe I
could try this, he suggested in his e-mail.
Yikes! I thought. That’s going to wreak all kinds of
havoc on my plot. But, as I’ve mentioned before, the beauty of a living and
breathing resource is that that person can help you navigate through the
difficulties. And find your way around them.
So I set
up a phone call.
Sure
enough, in less than a twenty-minute discussion, I had a legally and
historically valid plot. And, again, the answer was so easy!
But—geez—the
process of finding those easy answers. Sometimes it’s not.