For my historical fiction friends: How old history books can add to your family story Recently I purchased my high school history teacher's reminiscences and history of my home town. The book was published in 1977 after his death. The history traces the entire history of our town, up until his death. These are short histories, almost vignettes. As I am reading these stories, many that I heard personally in several classes with the author, I suddenly realized that I was reading background for the stories that I had found while doing my ancestry research. I plan to use this background, and even some of the notable characters, combined with my notable characters, and write short stories about my family and my hometown. Isn't that what historical family fiction is all about? You never know where inspiration and research will take you.