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LOOKING THROUGH THE LENSES OF YESTERYEARS
Many times in our analysis of family/genealogical records
we see name, dates, locations, relationships - but we overlay our knowledge of those facts with a sub-conscious assumption that the world then was like it is today - -
(as if we were wearing eye glasses with a special filter - that maybe lets us see the world in pink - when really the people who lived in that age and place - were wearing different lenses that painted their world "blue".)
The world of our ancestors becomes so much more real and meaningful when we see their world through more than just some names and dates on a paper.
but we also need to try to see and understand things that may have been very different in their world as compared to ours.
Here are various topics that could be studied to understand
significant differences that existed at certain times and places
that may really contrast with our world today.
Inheritance by rule of primogeniture
In a recent analysis of Needlework Samplers often created by young women in their pre-teens in early America. One can sometimes see the subject of death and mortality touched upon.
Infant and Maternal Mortality were far higher than then they are now.
It is interesting to see how a basic needlework sampler - has memorialized a young woman or even young girl and the feelings they must have had when a loved one passed on.
One poem from a sampler follows:
1836 Memorial Sampler by Louisa Horsey.
"On the Death of an Infant"
Sweet babe by death's cold hand in earliest bloom
Torn from thy mother's bosom to the tomb
While o'er thy grave thy drooping parents bend
Oh! May these parents hear a faithful friend!
Nor think thee only born but to bequeath
Pain at thy birth, and sorrow at thy death
For when the great eternal day shall come
Then shall they meet thee at thy happiest home
And see their first dear pledge of mutual love
Blooming in spotless innocence above
Signed and dated 'Louise Horsey December 21 AD 1836'
A collection of over 200 early American Samplers with family data recorded on the sampler has been collected and uploaded to FamilySearch
This is in supplement to a collection of thousands of early Family Bibles that are being tagged/linked to the corresponding family entry in Family Search.
If you are interested in volunteering for this unique project in tagging/linking family bibles and samplers and linking them to the family to which they originally belonged. - please let us know. It is something you can do on your own time at your own speed in your own house and in increments of 5-10 minutes each.
for more info - contact family.bible.chaser@gmail.com
A collection of mourning samplers:
https://www.pinterest.com/cwgypsy1/1800s-mourning-sampler/
An example of the Needlework samplers - with family genealogical info recorded.
https://www.familysearch.org/photos/gallery/album/619702
More information about the indexing (tagging) project
http://yanceyfamilygenealogy.org/family_bible_chasers.htm