Moving Home and Changing Lives : Diary Evidence for the Study of Migration and Mobility

Pooley, Colin and Pooley, Marilyn (2020) Moving Home and Changing Lives : Diary Evidence for the Study of Migration and Mobility. Family and Community History, 23 (2). pp. 136-148. ISSN 1463-1180

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Abstract

This paper examines the ways in which connections to family, community and associated activities changed following a residential move. Evidence is taken from a single diary written by a woman who lived in north Lancashire in the twentieth century. Initially the diarist retained quite strong links back to her home community, but these gradually weakened over time. However, the activities that she undertook changed relatively little, they were simply transferred to new locations and contacts. The diarist came from a farming family and one constant in her life was a strong interest in agriculture and rural life. This continued long after she ceased to be directly involved with farming. In conclusion we use a selection of other diaries to consider more general issues relating to the use of diary material to study migration and mobility.