In the early decades of the twentieth century the Montreal Star featured a classified advertising section called “Missing Relatives” for people trying to locate lost loved ones. This is a story from one such ad.
This was both fascinating and moving, Lisa. A reminder never to take sources at face value. Have you come across Katie Barclay’s work on the history of emotions? I met her some years ago through a research project she was involved with. (And great to see a mention of the forestry brigade commanded by my grandmother’s uncle William!)
So many little memories of the analog world. Do you remember the man in a cheap suit who sat on a folding chair on a sidewalk on 8th street with the handmade sign “Free Advice”?
Lisa, this is an exceptional piece of writing. You take a tiny classified advertisement and, through meticulous research and thoughtful interpretation, reconstruct an unforgettable life. What I admired most was your restraint, you explore the possibilities without ever claiming certainty, allowing the evidence to guide the story. Your reflections on the emotional lives hidden within historical records add another layer entirely. A masterclass in narrative genealogy.
Family historians already have a challenge reconstructing the narrative from the records. I imagine historians of emotion have an even tougher time reconstructing the motivation and meaning behind artifacts such as these.
No matter the objective of our research, the people really touch you, don’t they? I will think about Joe for a long time. My heart really went out to him.
I suspect that's what makes the history of emotions so compelling and so difficult. We can never know exactly what someone felt, but thoughtful writing like yours gets us as close as the evidence allows. Joe is one of those people I'll remember long after I've forgotten the records themselves.
This was both fascinating and moving, Lisa. A reminder never to take sources at face value. Have you come across Katie Barclay’s work on the history of emotions? I met her some years ago through a research project she was involved with. (And great to see a mention of the forestry brigade commanded by my grandmother’s uncle William!)
I came across her name while researching this and want to dive into her writing!
I was briefly involved in a project called Inheriting the Family, which she was leading together with Joanne Begiato at Oxford Brookes.
wow, who was that? William Hepburn?
Colonel William Smythe, as named on the poster. I wrote about him here https://writingfamilyhistory.substack.com/p/dont-think-your-boys-far-away-as?r=30cqjp&utm_medium=ios (and am embarrassed to realise I used some of the same material in a later post - I should be more careful to check what’s gone into earlier articles!)
Oh yes, now I remember this piece! Esp the connection with today's migrants.
You have to look up Forverts "Gallery of Missing Husbands" (and from there, the National Desertion Board) - it's such an interesting phenomenon!
Do you know the book “Bad Rabbi” about the NY Yiddish press? So good!
I haven't read that! I'll look it up.
Terrific. And I'd forgotten about the Apology Line. I used to call and listen.
So many little memories of the analog world. Do you remember the man in a cheap suit who sat on a folding chair on a sidewalk on 8th street with the handmade sign “Free Advice”?
This piece is a small, perfectly-cut gem of humanistic scholarship.
Hey Lisa, I really like what you are doing. Are you interested in helping me with an ancestor hunt? If so, drop me a line: brydem@videotron.ca
Lisa, this is an exceptional piece of writing. You take a tiny classified advertisement and, through meticulous research and thoughtful interpretation, reconstruct an unforgettable life. What I admired most was your restraint, you explore the possibilities without ever claiming certainty, allowing the evidence to guide the story. Your reflections on the emotional lives hidden within historical records add another layer entirely. A masterclass in narrative genealogy.
Family historians already have a challenge reconstructing the narrative from the records. I imagine historians of emotion have an even tougher time reconstructing the motivation and meaning behind artifacts such as these.
No matter the objective of our research, the people really touch you, don’t they? I will think about Joe for a long time. My heart really went out to him.
I suspect that's what makes the history of emotions so compelling and so difficult. We can never know exactly what someone felt, but thoughtful writing like yours gets us as close as the evidence allows. Joe is one of those people I'll remember long after I've forgotten the records themselves.
Fascinating— and demonstrates the value of the “history of emotions” you mention.
We want to find rational reasons as to why people do things — and then realize what’s rational is in the eye of the beholder.