Saturday, 14 May 2016

Hunting Down Stories



Researching the effects of tuberculosis at the turn of the last century was an eye opener for me. I hadn't realized how prevalent and debilitating the disease was. Add to that all the other diseases for which there was no cure at the time and it is a wonder that any of our families survived and that we are here today.

It wasn't only disease that made life dicey for our forbears; natural disasters and the lack of a social safety net were other factors that weighed in. But all was not gloom and doom. There are happier stories and some that can leave us wondering. I have run across many stories while doing my research and I look forward to sharing them with you.

I think that one of the main reasons that I discovered so many stories while looking for information about my family is that my forebears share a common characteristic; they didn't stay put. I have found them in different counties, countries and continents. There is nothing I like better than hunting down a story, ideally by visiting archives in the countries in which they lived but sometimes virtually and often through books. Now I'm off to the library to gather background information for the next story.


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