Walking along the Chicago River I had to wonder how much of what I was looking at was what my ancestors saw when they lived in the city between 1865 and 1950. Did they walk along the river? Were there tall buildings or skyscrapers to see? Did they see the same things I see today?
Have you noticed things look different when you change perspectives? Just look at the slideshow. The pictures of the buildings look different when taken down by the river rather than on Michigan Avenue.
When you begin to research and write you Chicago ancestor's stories, you need to consider what they saw and experienced in Chicago. Place them into historical context and look at things from their perspective. Try not to pass judgment on the choices they made with your 21st century thinking.
How do you do put your ancestors into historical context? Try to look at your ancestors not through your modern eyes but the eyes of someone who lived at the same time. Here are some things to consider.
- Examine the area in which they lived. In Chicago it was likely a neighborhood made up of much of the same ethnic group. The Czechs tended to live with other Czechs. The Italians with other Italians. Is this the same as what your Chicago neighborhood looks like today?
- Look at the organizations to which your ancestors belonged or places they commonly visited. Most groups had fraternal organizations that helped provide life insurance or burial insurance for families. The local saloon provided a place for men to gather to share and catch up on the local gossip and news. Are these the same organizations in which you participate or places you visit today? Why did your ancestors join the societies they did? Is it the same reason you join groups?
- Consult local and world history sources to understand what was happening in the city of Chicago and the world at the time your ancestors lived here.
- Examine the jobs your ancestors held. Did your immigrant great grandfather work for the City of Chicago's Sanitation Department? What was his job? Did he pick up garbage along the muddy streets? Did he consider this a step up from the work he did in the old country? Or did he consider it a downgraded job?
- Examine the roles of women. Did your female ancestors work outside the home? If not, why? Or was one of your female ancestors a shop girl at Carson's or Marshall Field's on State Street? Was that considered acceptable at the time she worked in the store?
Examine the lives of your ancestors based on the times in which they lived. Write their stories based on oral history, local history, and records to back up the facts you describe. Need more resources and things to consider? Check out these books.
- Nearby History Exploring the Past Around You by David E. Kyvig and Myron A. Marty
- The Oral History Workshop by Cynthia Hart
- Women Adrift Independent Wage Earners in Chicago, 1880-1930 by Joanne J. Meyerowitz
- Neighborhood by Norbert Blei
- Challenging Chicago Coping with Everyday Life, 1837-1920 by Perry R. Duis
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