Finding Your Family in the Grippe of the Spanish Lady – Michelle Spencer
As many as 50 million people worldwide died during the Influenza pandemic that came in waves that lasted almost three years from mid-1918 through the summer of 1920, leaving few families untouched.
This presentation will place the pandemic in context both locally in Ontario, as well as worldwide of when, why, and where it occurred and provide tips on locating under-utilized sources. This session combines historic context and non-traditional records to help genealogists to discover how your family’s history is intertwined with one of the deadliest diseases ever known.
Audience level: All
The video can be viewed in fullscreen by clicking on the expand icon (four diagonal arrows) in the black video control bar.
Michelle Spencer
Michelle L. Spencer, owner of RomaMaryGrace, is an historian & professional genealogist specializing in family business research, material culture, pandemics, and historic preservation.
Michelle has more than twenty-five years of speaking, research, and writing experience. She was the primary author of a study on the 1918-1920 Influenza pandemic for the U.S. Air Force and gave a lecture on the pandemic at the U.S. National World War One Museum and Memorial that can be viewed on YouTube. She loves traveling, researching, and collecting old things. Her genealogical clients include the television shows Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Her website is: romamarygrace.com.
