The OFHS database is going straight to my evening reading list, thanks for flagging it :-) I like how you've turned these legal records into actual human stories. There's something deeply satisfying about making overlooked fragments speak... the so-called "minor" sources are usually goldmines to the curious eye.
It really is a brilliant resource - I couldn't have done this research without all the work their volunteers put in before me. There's quite an irony there, that volunteers and other 'amateur historians', who were for so long denied access to archives, have in recent decades done so much to make archival material more accessible to all types of historian.
Good point. There's something beautiful about how passion and dedication often fill the gaps that formal credentials can't. In most professions, amateurs get looked down upon by institutions, but cases like this show that when the ultimate goal is sharing knowledge and making culture accessible, those volunteers' enthusiasm can achieve what academic gatekeeping sometimes fails to do.
The OFHS database is going straight to my evening reading list, thanks for flagging it :-) I like how you've turned these legal records into actual human stories. There's something deeply satisfying about making overlooked fragments speak... the so-called "minor" sources are usually goldmines to the curious eye.
It really is a brilliant resource - I couldn't have done this research without all the work their volunteers put in before me. There's quite an irony there, that volunteers and other 'amateur historians', who were for so long denied access to archives, have in recent decades done so much to make archival material more accessible to all types of historian.
Good point. There's something beautiful about how passion and dedication often fill the gaps that formal credentials can't. In most professions, amateurs get looked down upon by institutions, but cases like this show that when the ultimate goal is sharing knowledge and making culture accessible, those volunteers' enthusiasm can achieve what academic gatekeeping sometimes fails to do.
Exactly!
Wills are fascinating documents, even today. And thanks for telling us about the database!
Indeed they are! And you're welcome - I hope you get as much out of the database as I did.