Capture this Time

Photo by Gabriel Benois on Unsplash

It’s a strange time that we live in.  Who would have dreamed that we would experience something so like what our ancestors did with the 1918 Influenza!  Many of the newsletters I receive have provided suggestions and opportunities for recording your experience.  Let’s look.

As we work on writing down our family’s history, we don’t often pause to think that we are living history.  Just like we use the great depression as a marker in time, people in the future will talk about the 2020 pandemic and its impact globally, financially and in human cost.  You can be part of history by participating in these sites.
 
The Minnesota Historical Society has a page called History is Now.  You can read stories that people submitted related to their Corvid 19 experience.  On the right-hand side of the page, you can choose to submit your own story.
 
Read Gena Philibert-Ortega’s article “A Genealogist’s Perspective: Documenting this Pandemic.”  She has great ideas on how you can capture this time whether it is starting with a timeline, creating a journal or capturing images.  There also are some great articles on this page about the 1918 pandemic.  Don’t we wish we had a journal from our ancestors? Maybe it’s time to create your own.
 
If you have Irish roots, check out EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum.  They are looking for stories from people of Irish descent no matter where you are in the world.  You can submit your story here.
 
​According to the South Dakota State Historical Society, they are responding to research requests and have “recently rolled out “Telling Your Story: Documenting COVID-19 in South Dakota” https://history.sd.gov/archives/covid19.aspx where you can help us document this pandemic. They are interested in receiving anything from videos to writing to photos and more.
 
The Wisconsin Historical Society has a Big History is Happening page where you can learn more about their Corvid-19 journal project.
 
The North Dakota State Historical Society has started “Share Your Story” where you are encouraged to share your experiences during the pandemic.  In addition to the written word you can submit pictures, videos, etc.  There is a great list of ideas to help you get started in determining what to share.
 
I hope these sites spark an interest is sharing your experience.  Keep safe and use the extra time to connect with family and research your ancestors.