Twile now includes a timeline of the American Civil War, which you can overlay onto your own family timeline to see how your ancestors might have been affected.

In 1849, my 3 x Great Grandparents were married in Hull in the UK. In the same year on Twile’s Civil War timeline, I can see that – many miles away – a lady called Harriet Tubman was leading a very different life, as a slave. In 1849 she escaped slavery and, as the American Civil War progressed, she became the first woman to lead an armed expedition.

Seeing my family events on the same timeline as world history generates new questions.  I wonder what my ancestors thought about America. A place where they would never hope to travel.  Did they think about it at all?

In 1861, when my 2 x Great Grandmother was born, was Abraham Lincoln’s election a topic at every dinner table, just as Donald Trump’s recent victory has been?  How much awareness was there of the bloody war that was raging from 1861?

We’d love to hear what you think of our American Civil War timeline – and please let us know if there are any topics you’d like to see timelines for?  Just add a comment or send us an email to [email protected]