Last week you wrote your a family history poem about your ancestor's work.
- What did that person do?
- Did you explore train routes and markets, or did you learn something about farming or the church?
- Maybe you wrote about an ancestor who worked as a child, or an elderly relative who died in her garden as she was harvesting.
No matter the subject, you opened a door between past and present with poetry.
This week, let’s turn to a softer side of life: our ancestors’ hobbies.
- What did they do when the work was done?
- Did they quilt, fish, sing, or carve wood?
- Maybe they played an instrument or kept a garden blooming for fun.
Hobbies reveal a person’s private joys — those little sparks of passion that often don’t show up in official records, but live on in family stories. Perhaps they even passed down a lesson or two to you...like how to crochet.
Why Poetry is Perfect for Sharing Ancestors’ Hobbies
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Focus on Feelings: Poetry captures the joy, pride, or peace a hobby brings, not just the activity itself.
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Rich Sensory Details: Poems allow readers to smell the sawdust, hear the fiddle, or feel the quilt's stitches.
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Moments Over Monuments: A small memory — like a song played by a fireside — can feel bigger than a whole novel.
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Celebrating the Ordinary: Poetry can turn “simple” hobbies into extraordinary moments of beauty.
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Intimacy with Ancestors: Through poetry, we step quietly into their personal world, where history books cannot go.
Poetic Devices That Bring Hobbies to Life
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Imagery: Describe the textures, colors, sounds, and smells connected to the hobby.
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Simile: Use comparisons ("Her stitches neat as bird tracks in the snow.")
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Repetition: Echo actions ("Thread and pull, thread and pull...") to mimic hobby rhythms.
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Onomatopoeia: Use words that sound like the action (buzz, plink, scrape).
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Haiku or Short Forms: Sometimes a short, vivid form matches a quiet moment perfectly.
Checklist for Writing About Ancestors’ Hobbies
☐ What was their hobby?
☐ Where did they practice it — home, outdoors, with others?
☐ What tools, materials, or instruments were used?
☐ What senses (sight, sound, smell, touch) can you include?
☐ How did the hobby make them feel?
☐ Was the hobby connected to a special event or tradition?
☐ Did the hobby produce anything still treasured today (blankets, music, carvings)?
☐ Was this hobby passed down through the family?
☐ Can you focus on a single moment (e.g., one fishing trip, one quilt square)?
☐ What lesson or feeling would you like the reader to carry away?
Final Thoughts
Hobbies are often where the truest parts of a person shine through, because that hobby may be a magnification into that person's dreams. By writing poems about your ancestors' hobbies, you honor not just what they did to survive — but what they did to live.
Look beyond the dates and census records. Find the music, the laughter, the quiet hours in a rocking chair — and bring them into the light, one line at a time.
Questions? Don't hesitate to ask! Use the comment section below. Thanks for reading!
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