I have written a
new book that combines my training and expertise in Earth science (geology)
with my experiences and research in genealogy.
Surviving Mother
Nature’s Tests relates many
examples of situations observed in nature – primarily from the British Isles,
but applicable everywhere – to the lives of families who experienced or endured
them during the past several centuries. Descriptions of many types of natural
phenomena are presented along with numerous references to
publications in which readers may find much more information as to their
origin and impact on people.
A
constant underlying theme runs through many major environmental
transformations, influencing the number, timing and magnitude of events –
climate change. Over thousands of years, the ebbs and flows of global climate
have resulted in patterns of weather that significantly affected food
production, shelter and employment, and with that, living conditions and basic
survival.
Information
presented will be of interest to those who want an introduction to the causes
and effects of climate change. Family historians will gain knowledge about how
such processes significantly affected generations of people during the past
several centuries.
As
the title suggests, the book summarizes different natural phenomena, the time
periods in which they occurred and explanations of how people survived the
particular tests imposed on them by Mother Nature. Among the subjects treated
are:
·
Climate Change – what controls global transformations
·
Epochal Changes – how gradual altering
of physical environments and human habitats occurring over generations affected
living conditions and societal history
·
The Holocene Epoch – brief
summaries of human and natural history of the last 10,000 years illustrating
the frequency of alternating warm and cold periods and the commonality of their
effects on societies
·
The Last Millennium – natural conditions during
the last 1,000 years with an emphasis on the effects on people, communities and
social systems
·
Slow-Developing Events – how such events
as drought and famine, erosion of coastal margins,
infilling of estuaries, shifts in river courses and volcanic activity affected living conditions and economies
·
Rapidly-Materializing Incidents –
impacts on people and communities from disease,
earthquakes, floods and storms
In almost any
scenario one can imagine involving people and communities in the past, elements
of the physical environment have significantly impacted living conditions. Some
natural events, such as climate change, have played out over centuries; others,
including major storms or floods, have caused damage and death in just hours.
Many incidents concerning natural phenomena have altered lives and livelihoods,
disrupted normal activities and, in many instances, forced people to change
their way of life or move. In many cases people moved in order to participate
in major clean-up and repair projects, a large number of them eventually
settling in those new locations.
Social and
political events were often connected to natural changes. Famine, resulting
from various natural events, over time caused upheaval and unrest among people.
The outcomes of wars have been affected by physical or climatological
conditions on the battlefields. Migration of families, on a local scale and
involving whole communities began when people could no longer feed themselves
in areas devastated by changes to the environment.
Mother Nature has
constantly been testing humans with a variety of natural phenomena. Studies of
family history are not complete without consideration of the environs in which
our ancestors lived. Mostly only strong and resourceful people – or in some
cases, the luckiest ones – lasted through the many alterations of their physical
surroundings.
Surviving Mother
Nature’s Tests is available from
Unlock the Past and Gould Genealogy
& History (Australia) in both print and PDF format.
