What is history? A personal lesson

I grew up in the rural area of Bonita, California. My parents purchased 130 acres there in 1945. They were up on a hill looking out at the Sweetwater Dam, San MIguel Mountain and the Sweetwater Valley. They could only see one other house when they first moved into the old house that Ulysses S Grant, Jr., son of the president of the United States, had built in the 1890s.

Today, the river bottom below is a golf course and most of the hills around are dotted with houses- thousands in view- on land that had been truck farms, pastures and orchards in 1945. In California, municipalities can annex land that is not owned by another city, so San Diego now comes up to one of the property lines. The 54 freeway cuts through part of what had been their land, a humane society is adjoining and a new interchange to the Otay border crossing partially blocks the view of San Miguel Mountain and the Sweetwater dam. Sleepy Bonita has changed.

Arcadia Publishing recently published Images of America - Bonita, a photographic essay. Dr. Steven Schoenherr, a retired University of San Diego history professor, is co-author along with Mary E. Oswell, a native and local volunteer at the Bonita Historical Museum. This one in a series by this publisher.

I recently looked at the history of the place where I grew up. The father of one of my friends provided a number of photos and information, so that family is prominently featured in the book. That's not all bad, but it has made me realize how history (and the news) represents a limited point of view. We could each provide a wealth of information and a unique point of view - if asked. Usually the average citizen doesn't put their stories out in the public eye and are not asked to do so by two authors working at condensing the history of an area in a few short pages. A number of things my sister and I know about were left out.

The most telling piece of information, though, illustrates how inaccuracies can be passed on as the "truth." The house we grew up in is historic and the Bonita Historical Society has been active in making sure subsequent owners preserve its historical character. Yet, in the book the caption of the photo of the house says it was owned by G. Louis Farrington, executive at Convair. Convair was an airplane manufacturer and is now owned by General Dynamics. San Diego had several such manufacturing plants during and after World War II. Their fortunes rose and fell with armed conflict around the world. Korea and Vietnam meant prosperity; peace did not. My father, was in fact a supervisor during prosperous times. He was demoted to foreman when no military money flowed into the company coffers. He was hardly an executive!

"Executive" is now in print, though. Future generations, our descendants, may see that and assume the book is correct. It's not a huge deal, but it makes you wonder about how accurate many nonfiction books are, especially history. One person tells a story. It gets into print. It becomes the "fact" and part of the area's history whether true or not.

We can see "history" being written everyday by newscasters and reporters. Two or three people are interviewed- often picked because they illustrate the angle the reporter has chosen. Their take on the event, though limited and perhaps not even reflecting the majority view, is passed on through news services as fact. Two people, in fact, can be in the same family yet remember things entirely differently! It shouldn't surprise us if that happens to the news.

So, the lesson here is to take history with a grain of salt. It is often a very limited point of view or what the author or someone in power would like us to believe. We cannot personally go interview hundreds of people to get a total picture, but authors, newscasters and reporters tend to cherry-pick and base conclusions on limited information. In the grand scheme of things, it may not make a big difference. Just be aware of how rumors and mistruths can become facts. If it matters, check it out.

My father was much more than his title. He was an amazing man. He had to drop out of high school to support his family after his father was injured. He eventually got his GED and was a lifelong learner. He had high standards of behavior and was admired and respected by many. His example inspires me and helps me be a better person. My dad passed away almost ten years ago. "Executive at Convair" or even "supervisor at Convair" does not capture who he was. In Bonita, he is a few words on one page. It is only in the minds and hearts of people who knew him where he is so much more.

If you or a family member researches your family history, you'll probably encounter differences of opinion, perhaps different versions of the family story. We have that on my mother's side. Her grandfather, we were told, lost most of his money in the big San Francisco earthquake and fire.That's what we grew up hearing. Yet the last time I saw my uncle before he passed away, he hinted that their grandfather had actually had financial problems before the quake. The other story sounded better so that's the family story. <sigh> 

History, whether spoken or written, is events as one person, or a few people, see it. We need to remember that when we see things in print. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Comments

[NinaP]

Great post, Jaimie. Your dad sounded like a neat guy. What was it like, growing up in such a historical landmark?

To foggy history... I am also reminded of how easily history is "re-written" in people's minds when reading fiction, too. :-) Like the Da Vinci Code.

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

It was neat being able to say we lived in the house that President U.S. Grant's son built. Otherwise, not a whole lot different I suppose. It was not a modern house by any means. I'm glad, though, they are preserving it and being careful about what is being built on the property.

Yes, we can begin to think that a story written as fiction is true.

Jaimie