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Do you know your family history?

One film I want to see is The Wind that Shakes the Barley, I haven't got around to it yet but keep meaning to.
My maternal grandfather fought as a soldier for the Free State during the civil war.I remember as a boy admiring his medals and asking what they were awarded for. To this day I still don't know. My paternal grandfather apparently spent some time interned by the British authorities.Again, I know little about this and perhaps I need to find out what happened. Not only to satisfy my curiosity but also to get a sense of who I am and my family history.I guess it also helps to repair some schisms within my family. Divorce within Irish Catholic families, even in the 1970's was frowned upon and the consequences run to this day. So maybe some research to satisfy a variety of concerns but also to satisfy the amateur historian within me. It would also be an excuse to go back to Ireland if ever one was needed, for the first time in 20 odd years.
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Musicman · 61-69, M
In my dad's side yes. On my mom's side not so well. I know both sides fought in the Civil War for the Union. I know my mom's father guarded Geronimo in Fort Sill Oklahoma for a while. I also know that one of my great, great, great, great grandmother's was one of the four women hung for being a witch in the Salem Witch Trials.
BalthazarBlake · 56-60, M
@Musicman Brave ladies. Witch hunts were about persecuting the more vulnerable and powerless. The Puritans believed women should have babies, raise children, and be subservient to their husbands. Because of Eve and her 'sinful apple', they also believed that women were more likely to be tempted by the devil. These women attempted to stand out or influence society in some way, and they were punished for it. It seems to boil down to women being courageous enough to be different and claim a place in society that didn't offer them legal power or protection.