Reaching Out to the Community
As they pieced together the life of their great-grandfather, Emma and her family discovered that the family’s actions had far-reaching ramifications beyond their own family tree. The second family grew up in the same town, and a few of the descendants were still living there. Reconnection with the broader community was part of the journey.
Emma began attending the local history groups and sharing her findings with other interested people in genealogy. She will need to connect them up with a context in family history, and locals appear more than willing to share some own account and memories of the time.
The community response was highly positive, many appreciated the fact that the family found the strength to expose and deal with their history. In fact, some were even motivated to begin exploring the history of their own family trees. In this shared exchange of stories, bonds grew stronger and a sense of belonging developed.
