Oral history, personal narratives and first-hand accounts transform past events into vivid, intimate stories. By capturing voices and perspectives often excluded from official records, these conversations uncover the deeply human side of history and breathe new life into our collective past.
DeerfieldAghistory4292024(1).mp4Listen as members of four Deerfield families share their farming experiences over the course of nearly a century. Three of these families began their lives in Eastern Europe at the turn of the twentieth century; by 1915, over half the children born in Deerfield were of these immigrant parents. Several of these families are the backbone of Deerfield's farming community today. Recorded in 2023 as part of the Deerfield Oral History Project.
John Pekarski Interviews and Related Research
At the time John Pekarski was interviewed in November of 2022, he was 80 years old. His grandparents came from Poland in 1907. John’s knowledge about the details of their early lives was fragmented, but they were part of his active memory as a child. John’s initial interview ran for more than two hours as he explored his memories of growing up in Deerfield during the 1940s and 50s. These extended interviews will be archived at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association and eventually available for public listening.
John Pekarski Genealogy Chart.docxIt has become clear after interviewing numerous individuals that memories often involve large families and multiple generations of players. To help the viewer better understand John’s stories, a “Genealogy Chart of John J. Pekarski” is provided.
Recorded Memories - John J Pekarski’s Interview about Family Photos.pdfFamily photographs were provided to Peter Thomas during an initial interview conducted by Michael Kline with John on 10/24/2022. During a subsequent interview, Thomas and John viewed each numbered photograph on the computer screen, while John provided descriptive information or recorded other memories that the photos triggered. A transcription of John’s stories based on these photographs is provided in “Recorded Memories: John Pekarski’s Interview about Family Photos.”
Reaching Beyond Current Memory.docxAfter several generations of residence in the United States, the detailed histories of grandparents and great grandparents are often sketchy. Such was the case with Andrzej and Adele Piekarski. “Reaching Beyond Current Memory” was my attempt to resurrect the story of John’s grandparents and other Piekarski families who came to live in Deerfield.
The Pielarski Farm in Conway.docxAndrew and Adele Piekarski, “of Whately” purchased a farm in Conway on April 1, 1927 and for several decades this farm was the focus of family life. With the arrival of the Great Depression, the farm essentially failed and was nearly lost to the family. In “The Piekarski Farm in Conway” I explore this chapter of the family’s history.
