Digging Up The Past by steemonkey

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life · @steemonkey · Jun 19 '18

$0.29

Digging Up The Past

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<p>https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2012/04/24/17/44/pithead-40620_960_720.png</p>
<p>Two months ago I didn't even know the names of 3 of my 4 grandparents so I signed up to one of those genealogy sites and did some digging. I managed to follow a few family lines back quite a few generations and found a few surprises.</p>
<p>I found that I had a sibling who was stillborn many years before I was born. I also found that my mother had a sibling who died as an infant and that her mother died at only 40 years of age.</p>
<p>Like so many men from Wigan in Northern England, my father spent his working life underground digging at the coalface. I knew that coal mining was a major employer here in Wigan due to the rich coal seams on which it sits but I did not expect to go back many generations without finding a single male relative who was not a coal miner. Literally all of them and their male relatives spent most of their lives digging away in the dark to fuel the industrial revolution, the war efforts and keeping the lights on.</p>
<p>Because they were all coal miners I didn't come across anyone who had died in any of the wars. As coal was essential to the war effort, many coal miners escaped the horrors of war much to the dismay of some and probable relief to others. We had a look down my wife's lineage and came across quite a few people who had sadly perished a long way from home.</p>
<p>We're a small lot in my family so I suppose it's no surprise that they found themselves down there in the dark, chipping away in those tight spaces. I found out that my 24 year old great great uncle died in a fire with many others down there in one of the pits. He now lies in a general, unmarked grave along with some of the others who died on that day.</p>
<p>My great great great great grandad also died in one of those pits. A fellow worker killed him instantly by pushing a cart full of coal over him as he straddled the tracks working on the ceiling. He was found to have been negligent and convicted of manslaughter.</p>
<p>Many many people died in those dangerous coal mines in Wigan and I was surprised to find that no memorial exists to remember them. In Wigan town centre you can find a memorial to the dozen or so people from the town who fought the fascists in Spain yet there is nothing to remember the many many more who died in the most horrible of circumstances whilst doing their jobs in fuelling the country. This doesn't seem right to me so I'll see if anything can be done to remember all of those those men and boys who died down there in the dark.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?qh=azwxRgZgiO70THe5xGuSCg%3D%3D&amp;db=WebASM-9735&amp;gss=sfs28_ms_r_db&amp;new=1&amp;rank=1&amp;gskw=wigan&amp;gskw_x=1&amp;MSAV=1&amp;uidh=000">Ancestry.co.uk</a> 4094 people died in coal mining accidents in Wigan between 1700 and 1950. Surely they ought to be remembered somewhere in the town.</p>
<p>I'm glad I've been able to shine a small light on those people who slaved away every day and who knows maybe one day there will be a memorial in Wigan to remember them.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading.</p>
<p>STEEMONKEY🐒</p>
<p><a href="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2012/04/24/17/44/pithead-40620_960_720.png">Image source</a></p>
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👍 steevc, celestal, slobberchops, chops.support, twowheeledmonkey, fictionspawn, sbi6, bingbabe, martinsu, rjchannel

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@fictionspawn · Jun 20 '18

Wow, hard life. I think your idea of getting up a memorial for all these people is great, there really should be. And it's about time. Great post, a little local history class well written.

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@steemonkey · Jun 20 '18

Thanks. It turns out there is a local campaign group working on it. I shall look into them :)

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@slobberchops · Jun 19 '18

Was it Ancestry.co.uk that you subscribed too?

I have been tempted in the past but have not done it yet, I guess it was worth it to you. My mothers is really interested in this stuff, is it easy to find things relevant?

👍 steemonkey

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@steemonkey · Jun 19 '18

$0.03

It was pal. It's great. You get a 14 day free trial but you must remember to cancel unless you wish to pay the fairly expensive fees.

👍 slobberchops

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@twowheeledmonkey · Jun 19 '18

It is always surprising for us Indians to see westerners go to such lengths to trace out their ancestry. For most people here, 5-6 generations would be at their fingertips. Only beyond that one would need to 'search'!

👍 steemonkey

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@steemonkey · Jun 19 '18

It's very interesting isn't it. I now see the disconnect that has been manufactured in western society. I was part of it and now try to alert others to it's existence.

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