We
don’t often think about the stories our contemporaries might share when we are
looking at our genealogical research. But people my age have lived long enough
to have heard about and possibly been around when important historical events
happened, as well as those that touched their own families. Family history is
not only about who was alive hundreds of years ago but also about who we have
been in contact with during our own lifetimes.
How
often have you seen or heard the phrase, “Where were you when….?”
You
may remember details of things that are now reported as important historical
events, such as the shooting of a US President, a war fought in some far off
place in the world or the births of future Kings. Such events may have had some
personal impact on a member of your family – or yourself. Perhaps you or
someone close to you was in the wrong place when a major natural disaster
occurred (see my previous blog posts about Natural Disasters and Family
Misfortunes). Maybe a special trip or birthday comes to mind because it
happened at the same time as an important and newsworthy occasion.
I
was reminded of this aspect when a friend asked if I had seen a piece he
published recently in The Devon Family
Historian (May 2017 issue). It was titled Memories: A Country Boy. Alick Lavers related his experience as a
small boy of the bombing of Plymouth during the early years of the WWII and, in
particular, when a German plane crashed in the countryside on 24 November 1941 not
far from where he lived.
It
is a poignant story, one that still lives vividly in his personal memories. I
recommend reading the piece if you can (If you send me your email address in
the comments section, I will forward you a copy. I won’t publish your email
contact details.). His article serves as an example that we do not always need to
look in books or newspapers for information about events and how they impacted
people. Sometimes we can just ask our friends and relatives. Many of them are
now of similar (advanced) age as ourselves.
I
do confess that I have not written much about my own life and those people I
came in contact with. To my descendants, my
personal recollections and story will, of course,be part of their family
history. Perhaps this blog post might be a start in that
direction, if I can remember what happened decades ago. Good thing I have
photos and many documents that go back through several generations.
