Close-up of a fountain pen nib
Silhouette of a fountain pen nib.

Giving current and future generations the gift of history

About Storyography

As a personal historian and biographer, I turn my clients’ everyday moments, extraordinary milestones, and everything in between into meaningful life stories for their children and future generations. Throughout the process, they get to visit and share memories with a new friend, and I do the work of weaving it all together into a manuscript that honors their legacy.

Why history matters

One client told me she got married on Nov. 23, 1963. As she described her dress, flowers, and cake, I could hardly wait to ask: “How did it feel to get married the day after President Kennedy was assassinated?” Shocked that I made the association, she smiled with gratitude and gave a long, insightful answer. If I hadn't asked, her descendants may have never known.

Three women posing on a wooden structure in front of a barn, with a windmill in the background, in a vintage black-and-white photograph.
Black and white photo of a rural farm with a large house, smaller sheds, and cows grazing on the open field.
A black and white photograph of a family of four outdoors. An adult woman in a polka dot dress stands behind a seated man wearing a hat, suspenders, and a long-sleeved shirt. Two young boys are with them; one stands beside the woman and the other sits on the man's lap. In the background, there are trees, a horse-drawn wagon, and a carriage.
Black and white photo of a newlywed couple sitting in a vintage car at night, with 'Ain't That a Shame' and 'Kids Are Forever' written on the car, celebrating their wedding.
An old black and white photo of an elderly man and woman standing on grassy land outdoors. The man wears overalls and glasses, while the woman wears a dress and sandals. There are a few small bushes or trees in the background.
A woman sitting on a step with two young girls, all dressed in vintage clothing, in front of a window.
A man playing an accordion outdoors with a young girl sitting on his shoulders, in front of a house with a sloped roof and a wooden fence.
A black-and-white photo of a young boy holding a calf on a farm. The boy is wearing a hat, a jacket, and pants with pockets, and is standing next to the calf on a dirt field with some trees and equipment in the background.
A young girl holding an accordion and a small keyboard, standing outside against a wooden wall.
Tricia Velure, personal historian and published author, smiling while seated on a white sofa in her office
A young girl wearing brown clothes riding a white bicycle on a dirt path in a rural open field during sunset or sunrise.
A young girl with long straight hair sitting on a wooden stool in front of a piano, wearing a patterned dress, red socks, and white sneakers.

Meet Tricia Velure

I might look more like the girl next door than a historian, but I combine high, happy energy with the professionalism of practicing history at the highest level. I bring sincere interest, a knack for visiting, and intellectual curiosity into every interaction — all attributes I credit to a childhood spent around older people.

Whether I was baking bread with my mom in our farmhouse kitchen, riding in the grain truck with my dad, or picking berries with my grandmothers, I always asked questions. Everywhere we went, elders far outnumbered children, and I found myself listening to them talk about the past. My interest led me to Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History, all while learning the art of interviewing, researching, and writing along the way. Ever since, I’ve been making history more interesting by making it personal.

After my dad passed away and my mom aged into senior living in town, I knew I needed to devote the rest of my career to capturing history from the people of their generation while we still can. Storyography became my life’s work.

My happy place is anywhere I get to visit with older people and talk about their life experiences.

I promise our time together will feel nothing like talking with a stuffy historian and exactly like catching up with a friend over coffee.

A little about me

  • My last name is pronounced və-ˈlu̇r, which means “wild side of the mountain” in Norwegian.

  • My husband Scott and I are on a mission to visit all 63 national parks in the United States. 

  • I love a country drive, especially when I turn onto a gravel road and see a rural church spire in the distance.

  • I tend toward country-girl stories, like the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Humphrey, and O! Pioneers by Willa Cather.

Two people standing beside a large yellow and white banner promoting a book titled "Dust Yourself Off" by Tricia Velure and Tom Sandhei, with a background of blue sky and clouds, and bookshelves filled with books in the background.

FEATURED PROJECT

Dust Yourself Off

The Gravel Road to a Good Life

Co-authored in collaboration with a client who became a dear friend, Dust Yourself Off shares the true experiences of Muriel Sandhei — a quintessential North Dakota farmgirl turned gritty, independent mom of the 1940s/’50s. Enriched with historical details and local Norwegian-American color, the story explores the many surprising ways Muriel dusted herself off within a rural, mid-century setting.

Available at Amazon and NDSU Press.

  • “Tricia has a knack for this work.” 

    “I’d been wanting to write my father’s Vietnam War story for years, and after several starts and stops, I reached out to Tricia for help. She helped me develop the plot and identify the meaningful content. In the process, we uncovered what really is a story not just about my dad, but also about our family and community at a unique point in history.”

    MARY | North Dakota

Take the next step in preserving your family’s legacy

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