We know a fair amount about crowned heads and figures who left a noticeable mark on history. But how did our own ancestors — who did not belong to the upper classes — live? There are many ways to find out. One of them is to look into parish registers. Behind columns of text written sometimes in awkward, illegible handwriting and sometimes in exquisitely beautiful script, both individual fates and general patterns emerge. From parish registers, we learn how our ancestors were born, married, and died. For instance, marriages were mostly contracted in winter, while the highest mortality occurred in late summer. Thanks to them, we can also find out which names were given to children and what the most common causes of death were. And although we never got to meet our great-great-grandfathers and great-great-grandmothers, we become a little closer to them when we immerse ourselves in parish registers.

Join the meeting to learn more details about life in the century before last.

Language: English