Beth:
>> <<Do people who have lived in the one place all their lives [a
small village for example] develop a stronger link to their own history
[family and local] than those who have moved frequently? >> <<
I would be inclined to disagree - quite without scientific foundation, of
course. I think people who have their roots firmly in one place - not just
lived there all their own lives, but their parents and grandparents, too -
have less need to study and research their past because they take it far
more for granted and have no need to investigate why they are there. The
majority of us, who lead such mobile lives, are much more likely to be
interested in the ebb & flow of populations and the events that influenced
them.
For my own part, I had no more than a passing interest in history until 12
years ago when a visiting Canadian second cousin's genealogist husband
visited. It was relatively easy to research my then-husband's family
history as he had ancestors in the same Buckinghamshire parish in which he
still lives reaching back to at least the 16th century. That, of course,
prompted me to be interested in the interweaving of the various families in
that village - the high mobility of past families came as a surprise, and
still interests me - so many people came to the village and so many left,
there were very few families who stayed put for more than 100 years.
To that extent, I would agree with Nick that you investigate the locality
that is under your nose. You walk down a street or look at undulations in
a field and they present new questions. You can't do that from a
distance!! I am now in Scotland, in the village where I was brought up
[but not born] and, again, find I'm wondering about the estate where I
live, how it was laid out, whether one old building was an 18th century
bath-house, if there was an ice-house ... but since I have no ancestral
family ties here, it is a more superficial, physical interest, and less to
do with the people who lived here.
Not sure if any of this helps, but it's a very interesting question. Good
luck with the dissertation!
Su Floyd
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