'Courage, romance and tragedy' - Hartlepool woman's life is subject of history talk

History buffs are invited to delve into the past by studying the life of a Hartlepool woman.
St Mary's Church GainsfordSt Mary's Church Gainsford
St Mary's Church Gainsford

Durham County Record Office’s Third Thursday online talk series resumes next week with local historian Gillian Hunt exploring the life of Mary Farrow, nee Lister, a teacher who survived the First World War before losing her life to Spanish flu during the pandemic of 1918.

Participants will be taken from Mary’s birthplace in Hartlepool to her final resting place of St Mary’s Churchyard, in Gainford, via Durham University, First World War Oxford and an eye-witness account of the Hartlepool Bombardment.

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“Her story is one of local history, social history, courage, romance and final tragedy in the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic,” is how the event is advertised.

The free talk takes place on Thursday, November 18, at 10.30am with advance booking essential.

The Record Office is also continuing its Branching Out series for family historians who are ready to move beyond the basics of researching family trees.

This month’s online talk will focus on divorce, with very different laws around marriage and divorce having been in place in the past.

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The session will also explore surviving records and where to find them and explain what is available online.

Dawn Layland, the archivist who will lead the session, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming people to this month’s talk. Shedding light on laws of the past is really helpful to people trying to navigate their family tree.”

Participants have a choice of morning or evening sessions, either at 6pm on Wednesday, November 24, or at 10am on Thursday, November 25.

Places on the courses can be booked at https://recordofficeshop.durham.gov.uk/pgEventResult

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