Once the obsession with Acadian stories tamps down, I'd like to explore the kidnapped children in my family tree. A 14 y-o English lad captured in a French/Acadian raid on Newfoundland, a boy taken from a farm in Wells Maine and a girl taken captive in a raid on Deerfield MA during another French and English war. The question you raise -- what do the splits in the past tell us about our own? -- provocative. Need to mull and ponder it.
Everyone has a family, and their family members have stories to tell. They are usually different sides of the same story, and that's where the curious tales go to hide.
I suspect it was a fashion of the time that led our parents to paper over the uncomfortable stories. They were descendants of Victorians, uncomfortable talking about things like divorce.
Our generation was hooked on TV soap operas (All My Children, 1949), dramatic series (Dallas, 1978), and binge-worthy streaming services (The Wire, 2002).
It's no wonder that our instincts are to look for the hook to pull through a story. It doesn't really take much, to pull on the heartstrings, does it? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." 🥺
It sounds like you have lots of interesting stories to investigate and write up in the future. I look forward to reading them!
Once the obsession with Acadian stories tamps down, I'd like to explore the kidnapped children in my family tree. A 14 y-o English lad captured in a French/Acadian raid on Newfoundland, a boy taken from a farm in Wells Maine and a girl taken captive in a raid on Deerfield MA during another French and English war. The question you raise -- what do the splits in the past tell us about our own? -- provocative. Need to mull and ponder it.
Wow - so many different stories to tell - I'm looking forward to hearing about them!
Everyone has a family, and their family members have stories to tell. They are usually different sides of the same story, and that's where the curious tales go to hide.
I suspect it was a fashion of the time that led our parents to paper over the uncomfortable stories. They were descendants of Victorians, uncomfortable talking about things like divorce.
Our generation was hooked on TV soap operas (All My Children, 1949), dramatic series (Dallas, 1978), and binge-worthy streaming services (The Wire, 2002).
It's no wonder that our instincts are to look for the hook to pull through a story. It doesn't really take much, to pull on the heartstrings, does it? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." 🥺