Unaware of what lay ahead for Russia, they danced
July 17, 2022
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Russia pre Revolution. A fancy dress ball. My grandmother and her partner dancing with no idea of the tragedy to come…
Starting over – could he forge a new life?
May 23, 2021
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After writing the final chapter of the story of my great-grandmother’s escape from Russia with her second husband, which you can start reading here, I was curious about her second husband. Where did he come from? Where and how did they meet? What did he do when they finally settled
A Change in Fortune – the right place, the right time, the right person
October 25, 2020
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Unlike Ivnia, the estate owned by my maternal side of the family, which I wrote about here, Nurmhusen, the estate owned by my father’s family, has had quite the positive change in fortune. I’ve written previously about Nurmhusen here. Since my last visit in 2017, the estate has seen major
Timelines – Mapping His Story against History
June 28, 2020
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It has been a long and slow process, but I am finally able to trace some of my father’s footsteps through World War II. There are times when I have almost regretted starting this project, and times when I feel I should end it before I learn too much, but
Fake news and family history; finding the facts
April 26, 2020
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In another century what will historians, anthropologists and researchers make of the wealth of material we are producing today? Will they speculate at the news stories and marvel at the immaculate Instagram images? Will our emails and text messages stand the test of time? What will social media say about
Berlin – the past, JFK, Street Art, November and the fall of that Wall
November 10, 2019
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I love Berlin. I wish I could say, like JFK did, “ich bin ein Berliner”. Except I guess I would have to say “ich bin eine Berlinerin” as I am female – but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Perhaps a German speaker could enlighten me on
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