Not such nice records

[Marytm]

It is a shame we don't have more details about peoples lives from them. A written or spoken history. But I know I always meant to write down more about my Grandparents lives but never got round to it!!!

[iolaus]

I love the fact that I was able to find my great, great grandfathers lunacy records - it's added so much more to him, his life etc and helped me form a much more real picture of him in my mind (though I really want to know how his finger got amputated now) - I wouldn't say they aren't nice records

That and the convict records of an ancestor are much more personal than many others and to me are part of the social history of my family tree - they are what makes them come alive and back to real people,

They may not cover nice events but they (both the records and the people) were real, and real life isn't always nice

[Marytm]

  yes it brings them to life more when you find facts like that...

[Blue70]

Records are simply records they are not "nice records" or "not so nice records" to think of records that way shows judgement and discrimination in your mind.
When we look at history we are only looking through a tiny keyhole without knowing the full picture, it is important that we do not add bias and judgement based on so minuscule snippets of information we may glean; we must also never forget that records reflect the views and values of the people in power at that time and may not reflect the full truth of any situation.

Cheers
Guy

There are still some unpleasant and even disturbing discoveries in family history research and there's no escape from the shock and sadness of such discoveries. My worst discovery was a relative who died in childbirth in the asylum on Blackwell's Island, New York, USA. No further information being available added to that unhappy experience.


Blue