There
are a myriad of blogs and other articles, books and miscellaneous publications
that promote the study of family history. Lots of help in finding records – all
over the world – is available for the serious-minded or just curious family
historian. This blog has presented a few tidbits over the years to assist
researchers in locating documents, showing examples of how ancestors were found
and connecting families. I’ll continue to do that when subjects arise that are
of interest and value.
But,
in the last few years, my genealogical work has taken me in a different
direction, or should I say back to my professional expertise – Earth history. I
have looked at many examples of how the environment has affected people and
communities, some of which have been presented here during the past several
months: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Droughts, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Floods and
climatic perturbations.
Most
of these blog posts have focused on disasters in which many scores of people
died. These are, of course, the most memorable of natural events, ones that
make the headlines and the stories of which may be told for generations. But
natural phenomena take many different forms, most of which are gradual in
development. Changes to habitat over years or decades are no less impactful,
though, and may have been primary causes of families having to relocate when
their livelihoods were seriously affect or even lost.
As
an Earth scientist I have a familiarity with how natural processes work and how
landscapes change. I tend to look at family history through the lens of how the
physical environment affected lives and livelihoods.
I
published a paper of Your Ancestors and
the Little Ice Age (Family Tree,
Christmas 2017 issue). I have another coming out in that magazine’s September
2018 issue about Losing the Land to
natural events. As I noted in my blog of 24
April 2018, my book, Surviving Mother Nature’s Tests, is
now out. In it I describe many different types of natural events and how they helped
shape the histories of families and communities.
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Hunters
in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565 – Kunsthistorisches Museum,
Vienna, Austria
Many readers will have collected information about the migration of their ancestors to other parts of the world, mainly North America. They may be most interested in the reasons these people decided to come so far or what conditions drove them to emigrate. The earliest of these migrations were to new colonies set up by governments and private groups in the 16th and 17th centuries. In almost all cases they encountered severe hardships, as much brought on by harsh weather and climate as by their unfamiliarity with the new world they arrived in. That, having already left areas with similar problems!
I
have put together a presentation titled Genealogy
and the Little Ice Age, in which I describe many of the conditions under
which people lived during that long, inhospitable time. I have two other talks
in preparation that cover other aspects of natural phenomena and their effects
on our ancestors, using some examples from my book. A few dates have been booked
to give those talks and would like to spread the word about Mother Nature’s
tests even further.
Anyway,
in future blog posts I intend to often discuss the impact of changes in habitat and
natural events to the lives of our ancestors. I hope you enjoy them.
