The thrill of discovering your close ancestors in public and other records is remarkable and unique. For those of us who are fascinated by the history of the working classes (for want of a better phrase) it is about a direct link between you and your family who lived in such an harsh and alien world not so long ago. It opens up the lives of the everyday family, bypassed in history books. These are the people who shared your name, looked like you and many of whose traits you will have inherited. You can transport yourself to earlier times but you won't always be comfortable with what you find. It makes the 'masses', the 'great unwashed' into real people with real lives.
My favourite example is my great uncle Albert Mckenzie VC (1897 to 1918). He was the hero of the Battle of Zeebrugge, survived that but died of influenza shortly after. Biggest thing that has ever happened to my dad's family.
This afternoon I went for a walk along the streets I grew up in. This area is about 3-4 miles from where I live now and unhappy memories have made it difficult for me to go there. Today was a way of fronting up some ghosts and dealing with shadows. They were just like any other streets when I got there, familiar, smaller and with a few reminders of 30 years ago. I walked around and took some photos. I stopped to take a picture of a 'ghost sign' on a wall next to what used to be a bakers. At the same moment my daughter phoned to let me know her plans for the day. All of a sudden she shrieked and laughed: they were driving past me! I never go there, she never goes there and yet, on my emotional journey, I was in the past and present at the same time.
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