9 Look Through The Lens Of History
Sometimes an ancestor’s connection to a point in history will be obvious, a great grandmother working as a Red Cross nurse during the First World War (pictured) or a family leaving Ireland in the 1840s for example. At other times though, you need to look for it. For example, if you have family who lived in Lancashire in the 1860s, take a close look and see if they were affected by the Cotton Famine that caused a major depression in the textile industry, like Jane Horrocks discovered in her episode. Even if they didn’t work in that industry, did their fortunes fall? Time spent in the workhouse will then become part of a bigger story. Or did you have relatives in Scotland during the Highland Clearances?
Between the 1870s and the 1890s there was a major depression in agriculture, which could be the reason relations moved from the country to a city during this time. Putting your family history into context is one of the best ways to give your research the treatment.