The Wellington County Museum and Archives wants help to document personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents are encouraged to share their stories during this unprecedented moment in history.
People could keep a diary, like Nellie Short of West Garafraxa Township, who commented on daily life on a farm in Wellington County during World War II. Or, take a video, like Leroy Massecar, who filmed everyday life in towns throughout Wellington County in the late 1940s.
Personal accounts provide depth and context for what an event or era was like for the everyday people experiencing it. Gathering this type of information about the COVID-19 pandemic in Wellington County will be important for people to understand this period of history.
People can write a diary, take photographs, create drawings, record a video, or create a scrapbook to record their personal stories.
“Everyone has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in varying degrees,” said Janice Hindley, Wellington Place administrator. “Diaries, journals, oral histories, images, recordings, and similar materials will help us tell stories of this unprecedented time in history.”
Possible questions to consider:
How has this pandemic changed your daily routine? (e.g. going to school, working from home, etc.) If you are a frontline worker, what have you experienced? Challenges? If you have children, what they doing to pass the time in isolation? What are you feeling? If you are a business owner, how has your business been affected by or adapted to the current circumstances? What are you doing to help your community? (e.g. sewing masks, making “porch deliveries” of groceries to neighbours, etc.) How are you staying connected by social distancing? (e.g. video chats with family and friends, texting, emailing, calls, social media, etc.)
People can submit records to the WCMA for preservation and future use. For more information, or to donate, contact: Karen Wagner, Archivist, at karenw@wellington.ca
