How my workingclass ancestors lived

I guess most people when doing their genealogy wonders what was life like for my ancestors. If your ancestors were of the upper class you have a lot of books and even television shows about their life style, but if they were of the lower workingclass there are only a few books and some documentaries that give you some idea about their lives, but you must look hard and be lucky to find them.

I know that my ancestors were workingclass in Scotland. My parents told about their lives growing up and I think some of that does relate to older generations. I was lucky to find two books on the history of Scottish working people by T.C. Smout; The History of the Scottish People 1560 – 1830 and The Century of the Scottish People 1830 – 1950. They both gave a good account of the common people of Scotland with their everyday struggles that must have been part of my ancestor’s life.  PBS put on some shows about life of the poor in London with a series of shows 1860 Victorian Slums, then 1870, 1880, 1890 and finally 1900 Victorian Slums even if none of my family lived in London at that time they must have had similar things happen to them in Glasgow.

The Manhattan Lower East Side Tenement Museum is well worth a visit if you want to learn about immigrant’s life in New York City in the early 19^th century. There are more and more books, documentaries, and museums that try to show what life was like in bygone eras.

Once you have an idea of your family’s location, ethic group, and social status you should look for books, documentaries and museums that will give you an idea of how your family lived.