In novel writing and filmmakers circles there is a term called the back-story. The back-story is what has already taken place in the main characters' lives before the novel or screenplay unfolds. Knowing the back story helps us to identify, sympathize with, or at least understand a character's motivation to some degree.
In ghosthunting, the back story is the history of a haunted locale. I cannot stress enough the importance of learning that history. This is specially true if you plan on doing a thorough investigation. Knowing the history of a building can help us to learn the rationale of a spirit that continues to reside within its walls. For instance, if we know that a ghost only appears on the anniversary of his/her murder, we may be better prepared when the activity occurs. And if no activity occurs after a few investigations, we might be able to write the ghostly appearances off as hauntings that have ceased to happen, or folklore.
However, if we ascribe to the old adage, "where there is smoke, there is fire," we might want to investigate to determine if some folklore tales don't have a basis in fact somewhere. History and ghosthunting go hand in hand. If we have some knowledge of history we may be able to do more focused investigations. By studying a bit of history, we achieve a better understanding of how people in the past lived and died. When a witness to a haunting describes a woman in a long, flowing dress, armed with a basic understanding of fashions of the past (particularly women's clothing) we can better determine what era that spirit once resided in. For instance, a ghostly female dressed in long dress and bustle is not from the same time as a spirit attired in a flapper dress. And keep in mind that up until the late 1950's women and men wore hats daily.There are many stories of ghostly brides appearing in different locales. By knowing a bit about fashion we can often determine what time period a ghostly bride is from. Numerous sightings of ghostly automobiles have occurred along highways throughout the country. With only a rudimentary knowledge of cars, we can eliminate some possibilities strictly on the basis of an auto's design.
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