Immigrants and Ambition

Pittsburgh, PA -- Over the summer we were invited to help tell the tale of the extraordinary Tyrrell-Buehler family.  We got to meet and interview Mary Pat Tyrrell Mulligan and Ray Buehler (pictured outside the old family home in Crafton Heights Pittsburgh) - as well as Ray's brother Don.  The third brother - Jerry -  had already passed on and it was Jerry's son Bob who most felt the need to save the old family stories.

Pittsburgh, if you haven't been there lately, is absolutely gorgeous - green, historical, contoured, modern - and with myriad bridges over the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers which captivated and inspired engineer Ray his whole life.

Pittsburgh is a far cry from the industrial monstrosity that first drew ambitious Buehler and Tyrrell immigrants from Germany and Ireland.  (Ray recalled the boys' mother endlessly scraping coal smut from the walls of the family home.) But the rise and transformation of the city has very much echoed the rise and transformation of the Tyrrell-Buehlers. 

Here is video of Ray and Mary Pat and their superb city: "Three Brothers from Pittsburgh".

I've got questions..
People often contact me and ask for help with questions they should ask in a family history video.

Well, there is no magic list and I tailor all my interviews to the subject and their family.

Still, I am always on the look-out for questions that will help me tell a story or reveal wisdoms and I came across a fresh, interesting source just recently (“30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans”) as I discuss in my latest blog: Questions for Life Lessons.

Sample Question: Some people say that they have had difficult or stressful experiences but they have learned important lessons from them. Is that true for you? Can you give an example?
Follow up: How did you cope with stress in your life? Did that change over time?

Got questions?  Contact me today!

Jane Shafron
Your Story Here LLC
yourstoryhere@cox.net / www.yourstoryherehome.com
www.yourstoryhere.blogspot.com
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949-716-2390 (office)  /  949-742-2755 (cell)