What was happening in the world when your ancestor was your age?

Ouida Keeton - Legs Murder Case, Laurel Leader Call, May 28, 1935

What was happening in the world when your great-grandmother was 18? What did the town she lived in look like? What stories were appearing in her local newspaper? What major events might she have heard about, discussed, or experienced?

Genealogy can give us dates, but historical research can help us understand what those dates meant. It's not just "here are historical events during their lifetime, but more of a method for placing an ancestor inside the world they actually experienced.

Here are some tips to get you started creating a historical context for your family member.

1. Choose One Ancestor

Choose someone you already know enough about to establish a basic timeline.

Write down:

· Birth date

· Birthplace

· Where they lived at different ages

· Occupation

· Marriage/family milestones

· Death date

· Any known migrations

Tip: Pick an ancestor who lived in one location for several years. That makes the local-history portion much easier.

2. Pick an Age to Investigate

Rather than trying to reconstruct an entire lifetime, choose one age.

For example:

“What was happening when my grandfather was 21?”

Calculate the year, then investigate that particular year.

You can also choose several milestones:

· Age 10 — childhood

· Age 18 — young adulthood

· Age 25 — early family life

· Age 40 — middle adulthood

· Age 65 — later life

Now look at the bigger world.

Research:

· National events

· Wars and military conflicts

· Presidential administrations

· Economic conditions

· Major disasters

· Technological changes

· Transportation

· Popular culture

· Major developments in medicine

· Immigration patterns

· Important local or regional events

The key is to avoid creating a giant list of everything that happened that year.

Instead ask:

“Which events could have affected this particular person's life?”

Sinking of the Titanic, April 16, 1912, Laurel Daily Argus

4. Bring It Home With Newspapers

Note: LJCLS Genealogy Dept has microfilm and databases covering the local area from 1902 - 2012. Newspaperarchives.com gives you access to newspapers from all fifty states and forty seven countries!

Search newspapers from the place where your ancestor lived during that year.

Look for:

· Local elections

· Weddings

· Birth announcements

· Obituaries

· School news

· Church activities

· Community organizations

· Advertisements

· Businesses opening or closing

· Accidents

· Crime reports

· Social events

· Weather and disasters

And don't overlook the advertisements. (I love doing this!)

An advertisement can tell you what people were buying, what things cost, what businesses existed, and what concerns were important to the community.

Chevrolet Advertisement, October 6, 1960, Laurel Leader Call

Historical maps can add another layer to the story.

investigate the details:

· Where your ancestor lived

· The distance to work

· Nearby churches and schools

· Railroads

· Roads

· Businesses

· Farms

· County boundaries

· How the community changed over time

A particularly nice storytelling technique is to compare then and now.

“In 1925, this was the road my ancestor would have taken into town. Today, the landscape looks completely different.”

6. Ask the Most Important Question

Don't just ask:

“What happened in 1925?”

Ask:

“What might my ancestor have noticed about 1925?”

That's the difference between historical research and historical storytelling.

A national event may have been important historically but completely outside your ancestor's daily experience. Meanwhile, a new railroad station, drought, factory opening, school closing, or local election might have had a direct impact.

Views of the Historic Moon Landing, July 21, 1969, Laurel Leader Call

7. Turn the Research Into a Story

Use this formula: My ancestor + their age + their location + the year's events + local evidence = historical context

In 1932, while the country was struggling through the Great Depression, my ancestor was 27 and living in [town]. Local newspapers reveal that [local evidence]. A map from the period shows that [location detail]. Together, these records give us a glimpse of what life may have looked like for her at 27. The phrase “may have” is important. Unless you have a record showing that your ancestor personally experienced something, distinguish documented facts from reasonable historical context.

Finish Family History Month strong:

Your September Genealogy Challenge: Choose one ancestor. Find their age on one specific date. Identify where they lived. Find one newspaper from that year. Find one historical map. Then write 500 words describing the world around them.

Finally,

Don't forget the Jones County Genealogical and Historical Society will have their monthly meeting on Saturday, September 26th from 10-12 in the Laurel Jones County Library Auditorium - 530 Commerce St., Laurel, MS