Mothers-in-law were a force to reckon with - even in 1693. Anne Smith disliked her son’s intended bride so much – she arranged to cut him out of her will if the wedding went ahead.
This widow’s will is just one of 69,869 from Essex, England’s past which have taken seven archivists and 22 volunteers four years to list, package and box at the county’s records office.
Inputting all the details into the computer is taking much longer – a lone volunteer has reached the 21,000s. “It has been a mammoth task,” said archivist Ruth Costello.
You can read more about this huge effort at http://tinyurl.com/or5dm
