In years and decades and centuries to come, this time we are living through will be studied by students of history of all ages.
For them, and for yourself and ancestors, keeping a record of what we are going through will prove an invaluable artifact to understand what happened.
Madison County Historian Matthew Urtz has put together a timeline of local, state, national and world events through late March.
He provided the following tips for people. Keep a diary. Write about how social distancing has impacted your life and your daily routine. Write about your senses (how has what you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch changed).
Speak to friends, neighbors, and family and ask for their thoughts and opinions and write or record it all. Take and/or collect photographs of various ways your community has responded.
Document specific activities your community's citizens are taking to help each other in this crisis, such as making grocery runs for the elderly, local restaurants donating breakfast/lunch to families/children.
Keep an audio or video diary that includes your thoughts, fears, explanation of daily activities, family life.
Add to it as events develop to create a document that people can use to learn about this time.
The Oneida County History Center invites people to submit their quarantine and COVID-19 stories. These narratives will become part of the History Center’s collections and will be available for researchers.
Anyone from the community can submit stories, images, videos, and primary sources through a form on the History Center website at https://www. oneidacountyhistory.org/covid-19-stories. Submissions can also be mailed to: Oneida County History Center, Attn: Lauren Robinson, 1608 Genesee Street, Utica, NY 13502
Here is the early timeline:
Dec. 2019-The first known patient…