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Month: February 2020

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Context in Genealogy – Clues From Your Ancestor’s Environment

context local history room

Looking for the context in genealogy is incredibly important if you wish to have more than names and dates in your family tree. I have talked endlessly about looking for your ancestors’ stories and ‘fleshing out the bones’. Let’s go one step further and look for motivations behind your ancestors’ actions.

What is ‘Context in Genealogy’?

Context refers to the environment around your ancestors at the time and in the area in which they lived. Knowing what was happening around them gives great insight into what may have influenced them to make the choices they did.

This may include social upheavals, political events, religious changes, wars, disease epidemics and even weather events leading to bad harvests.

How Can You Find the Context?

Local Histories

context local history

Many cities, towns and even villages have had local histories written about them. These will contain details of significant events around that place, and often mention local families. If you’re lucky you may get some details about yours!

Several times I have discovered information on my specific family just by reading a local history book. For example, I never would have known why my branch of the Swinbourne family came to Warwickshire from Northumberland in the 17th Century unless I had delved into ‘Discovering Bickenhill‘.

local history bickenhill
‘Discovering Bickenhill’ by Victor Skip

Likewise, my purchase of ‘A Concern in Trade: Hatting and the Bracebridges of Atherstone 1612-1872‘, uncovered a story of one of my families that was entirely unexpected! My family was not the Bracebridges – I had just bought the book as I had another family who were hatters from that town. I was just seeking context.

local history atherstone
‘A Concern in Trade: Hatting and the Bracebridges of Atherstone, 1612-1872’ by Judy Vero

You can find many local history books online. Try Google Books, FamilySearch and Geneanet! You may be lucky enough to find hard copies in local bookshops, thrift stores, in local and larger specialised libraries, or even on eBay.

Another great source of local histories is the relevant Family History Society for the area. They usually have a bookshop, and additionally, their journal will often contain articles that provide great social context to that location.

Newspapers

Reading newspapers of the time provides a great sense of what was going on. The information will be local, national and even international. The greatest column space will be devoted to topics that influenced the lives of their readers. When looking for information about events in your ancestors’ lives, also spend a little time reading other news. This will give you more context.

context newspapers
Image by Michaił Nowa from Pixabay

There are many sites where you can access old newspapers. Depending on the place you are seeking, the following may be useful –

Other Sources of Useful Context in Genealogy

Keep your eye out for almanacks for the years you are interested in. These provide good agricultural and weather-related information at the very least. Some also provide other local statistics and information which can be invaluable.

Try ‘browsing’ rather than just ‘searching’ parish registers for your ancestors. Often you can find additional notes by the vicar mentioning unusual weather events, disease outbreaks, the impact of certain taxes or even just gossip! And don’t forget the rest of the parish chest, as the documents usually paint a great picture of life in the local community.

Educate yourself on the bigger picture using courses and seminars. If you live in the area, there might be talks given through your local library or family history society. For a wider context, try online courses. For example, those interested in Australian history might be interested to know that the University of Newcastle is commencing a free course next week on just that topic!

Isn’t All This Context Just ‘Fluffy Stuff’?

No. Knowing why our ancestors may have done what they did is part of what makes them real human beings rather than just names. That’s wonderful, isn’t it?

But also, the context can help you with concrete solutions to genealogical problems. If you know that Mormon missionaries were rounding up a lot of followers in your town around the time a branch of your family disappeared from local records, that narrows down where you should look for them considerably. Stop looking in surrounding parishes for a moment and take a look in US records. They may have headed for Utah! If so, there is probably a genealogical goldmine awaiting you.

Jump in and look for context in genealogy. You won’t regret the effort as it will definitely pay off.

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Education in Genealogy – Keep Up To Date!

education in genealogy
Education in genealogy is an ongoing process! Credit: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

As with all passions that have an academic component it is important to keep your education in genealogy up to date. People often think that because it is in the past and records won’t change if they’ve been there for hundreds of years, that they do not need to undertake genealogy study, whether formal or informal.

After 30 years of research, I was a seasoned genealogy hobbyist. My love of reading and natural curiosity meant I spent a lot of time in books, journals and online on my areas of interest and genealogy in general. Then I decided to take the plunge and do some formal education in genealogy.

First I completed the excellent University of Strathclyde six week course which is free of charge. Then suitably excited by that, I enrolled for the University of Tasmania’s Diploma in Family History, which helped cement the notion of taking my passion professional. Now I am in the position of wanting to go further still with my formal education and deciding between the multiple options available! No matter how much experience you have there is always more to learn. Learning about resources and techniques will help you break down some of those brick walls we all have!

Informal Education in Genealogy

Of course, not everyone wants to commit the time required to do a formal course. Even if you are someone who loves genealogy but doesn’t have a lot of spare time or money, there are many options available to advance your informal education in genealogy, many of them free or very good value!

  • You might subscribe to magazines and journals (such as those produced by Family History Societies) that you can dip into when you feel like it.
  • You could attend seminars and conferences in your local area (there are often even talks at local libraries!).
  • You might attend webinars online.
  • Consider joining Facebook groups dedicated to your area of research.

What Has Me Excited Right Now?

Here are three opportunities for some informal education that are all time-sensitive, hence their special mention today. Two of them are free right now and the other is great value!

1) Family History Down Under

This conference is a year away but has a super-earlybird special price which finishes today. So get in quick if this one is for you!

Family History Down Under takes place between 22-26 March 2021 on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Do not assume that a conference held in Australia will only cover Australian content. Although there will be quality Australian genealogists presenting, there are some amazing speakers from across the globe taking part. Most of these I can recommend from personal experience! Anyone with a serious interest in genealogy will be familiar with at least some of these names: Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist), Cyndi Ingle (Cyndi’s List), Paul Milner, Chris Paton, Blaine Bettinger (DNA Central), David Rencher (FamilySearch) and Maurice Gleeson. What a fantastic mix of expertise across locations, methodologies and styles!

FHDU speakers genealogy
Some of the fantastic speakers lined up for Family History Down Under!

This conference is being organised by the team at Unlock the Past, who were responsible for organising the genealogy cruise I enjoyed so much last year! The cost of the conference is $A695, but until the end of today, you can reserve yourself a spot for $A495, saving a whopping $A200!

2) Trove Upgrade Preview Webinar

We all love Trove, right? How exciting is it to find references to our ancestors in newspapers? This free repository of historical Australian newspapers is a firm favourite in most Australian researchers’ resource lists. And it’s getting an upgrade! From June it will be easier to use, making it simpler to find what you are looking for.

Trove update preview
Preview of Trove’s new homepage

This week, I attended a webinar all about the impending upgrade. So why are they telling us about it now? Well, because there is an opportunity to use the new interface and provide feedback starting from today!

The new Trove will be available for 10 days only. I really recommend you check out the webinar. It is free on the National Library of Australia YouTube channel which is full of great educational material. Then go and see what you can find on the new Trove while it is open.

3) Best Practices for Success in Facebook Groups for Genealogy Webinar

This webinar by the wonderful Cyndi Ingle was held yesterday, but the recording is free to access just for the next week here. This will help you to navigate the 14,500 genealogy-related groups on Facebook and get the most out of what they offer. It is hosted by Family Tree Webinars where you can also find many other genealogy webinars to watch. To get the best out of the site you will need a subscription though.

cyndi webinar
Check out Cyndi’s webinar on Facebook groups this week!

So, there’s a few ideas for things you can do to keep educating yourself in family tree research. Here’s to lifelong learning!

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The Spanish Flu Epidemic and Your Family History

spanish flu epidemic police
Police wearing facemasks during the Spanish Flu epidemic

Right now, the world is worried. The current coronavirus outbreak has now been declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ by the World Health Organisation. People are rightly concerned. However, over the centuries there have been many epidemics – including the Black Death, the ‘Sweat’, cholera, smallpox and several influenza outbreaks. The population as a whole has always survived, though you will doubtless find evidence in your family trees of individuals (or sometimes whole families) who were lost to one of these diseases. One massive epidemic which is almost still within living memory, but is strangely not very well known considering the massive impact it had, is the so-called Spanish Flu.

The Spanish Flu

The Spanish Flu outbreak happened just over a century ago. Although the name may lead you to think it began in Spain, this is not true. The first cases were recorded in 1917 in an Army Camp in Kansas, USA. It is believed the virus spread to Europe, and from there to the rest of the world, on US troop ships going to join World War I. The reason it became known as Spanish Flu is because of wartime censorship. No mention of it was initially made in the newspapers of countries involved in the war. No admission of weakness was to be made publicly in case it gave the enemy confidence. Spain was neutral during this war, so when the outbreak reached that country it made the papers for the first time. Hence it became referred to as Spanish Flu forevermore.

spanish flu epidemic emergency hospital
Emergency Hospital in Kansas, 1918. Credit: Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine

During the Spanish Flu epidemic, it is estimated that 50 million (and perhaps up to 100 million people) died around the world. This is certainly greater than the number of casualties from World War I itself, and it could be argued that it was this epidemic that helped draw the war to a close.

Around 20% of the world’s population was infected by this flu. 5% of the world’s population died. To put this in perspective, this is the equivalent of around 390 million people dying of coronavirus in 2020. This is roughly the same as the current population of the US and the UK being wiped out completely. This is why I am reasonably confident that you will find traces of the Spanish Flu epidemic in your family tree.

Spanish Flu in your family tree

You may have a direct ancestor who was lost as a result of this epidemic. You may find some who were infected but recovered. Almost certainly there will have been losses or illness amongst the FAN Club (friends, associates, neighbours) of your ancestors. And most definitely it will have impacted their way of life in some way during late 1917, 1918 and 1919 while the virus raged through communities.

spanish flu epidemic warning
Health advice in 1918 to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of the flu

Check death certificates of ancestors and relatives for the time period. Do you have any old diaries detailing life at the time? Later newspapers talked about things such as population quarantine efforts similar to those in force in China currently. Are there any reports for your town?

Barney Reynolds

My son’s great-great-grandfather, Barney Reynolds, was one of the later victims of the Spanish Flu. He died in 1919 when the flu finally reached Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. His official cause of death was pneumonia. You will find this is often listed as the cause of death, as it was ultimately the pneumonia that the flu caused which killed the patient. His granddaughter is still very much aware it was the Spanish Flu. This is another example of why it is important to talk with the elders in your family to get the details around their memories.

spanish flu epidemic Barney Reynolds
Barney Reynolds, my son’s great-great-grandfather and victim of influenza in 1919.

The Spanish Flu finally fizzled out, as viruses often do. Already weaker by the time it eventually reached Australia and NZ the casualty rate was far lower than at the height of the epidemic in 1918. Barney was one of the unlucky ones.

Generally, people a century ago were less at risk of being affected by an epidemic than they are today. The Spanish Flu was so virulent that it made its way right around the world before disappearing despite travel being so slow. If we were to be faced with that virus today in the age of air travel, the impact would be far greater.

So far the coronavirus has not demonstrated the level of lethality that the Spanish Flu did, thank goodness. Still, this is a pertinent time to remind people that basic sensible precautions to prevent airborne and contact transmission of bugs are always appropriate. Please cough into your elbows and wash or sanitise your hands frequently as a matter of course. I want to see you all digging around your deceased ancestors’ records rather than joining them before your time!