A Study in the Past

We ventured “off island” again.  Took the train from West Gloucester to North Station; walked over to South Station and found our way over to UMass/JFK Library.  My destination was the Massachusetts State Archives, which is next door to the beautiful JFK Library.

Construction at UMass has blocked much of the pedestrian access to that area, so shuttle busses are provided.  Sort of reminded me of the railway repairs interrupting commuter travel right here on Cape Ann.  Unfortunately, we did not get the “shuttle bus” option figured out until long after we hiked our way over there.  I was grumbling that now I knew why people (Donna Ardizzoni most recently) say they never want to leave the island.

BUT, once I got there, I was handsomely rewarded.  The staff was very helpful, a bright light among some state level departments (at least in New York).  I got my own researcher card, laminated and everything!  I was seeking some vital record information on family members.  Lucky for me, the records I was seeking were not yet microfilmed so I got to use the actual record books!  Anytime a researcher can use the actual records is a huge bonus.

One of the volumes I used was entirely made up of Gloucester death records from 1923.  I paged my way through the entire book, taking note of how the stories hinted at on these pages reflects the history of the city in a very special way.  There were Irish, Portuguese, Finn and Canadians.  Deaths resulted often from influenza, pneumonia or premature birth.  Some were accidental, as was the case with my ancestor. It was a valuable lesson for this researcher in learning the history and culture of Gloucester.

As Confucius said “Study the past, if you would divine the future.”