ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the impact of persecution, migration and lost roots all of which occur across my selected families with origins in Russia, Poland, Germany and Highland Scotland. Many members of those families now live in North America. It explores the idea of emotional geographies. Not every migrant achieves the dream of success or even a peaceful life in their chosen country. Not every immigrant to the UK is distinguished by success nor the desire to move on. It can be a matter-of-fact unremarkable, transition. Something that lots of people do as they get on with their lives.
Life on a Scottish Island, residing in a croft, albeit being hounded by English landlords, was at least spent happily surrounded by relatives and life-long friends. This may have been similarly reflected in recollections of life in the English counties of Somerset and Suffolk as with the Hoby and Fox families (those of my paternal grandmother) before a move to London. Life in a Russian town with a vibrant Jewish community, albeit one that was discriminated against, might be remembered as utopian compared to the ingrained antisemitic prejudices that prevented social inclusion into London life.
Once again, emotional attachment to place is not always easy to identify, especially for family historians focusing upon dates and addresses rather than the meaning they offer in the course of a person's life.
Such a ‘loss’ may be an over-arching component of many migrating identities and emotional attachments. Leaving a country where you were born, where your family had some roots invariably leads to a loss (Marris 2014).
