Introduction

‘Tales’ is a collection of stories about individuals from my father’s families — the Lawrences, Mitchells, Caldwells and Bruces and to come, stories from our Chinese side of the family which we are just beginning to explore. The Tales largely take place in Southeast Asia, Australia and Canada. All the tales occur during the span of the British Empire, roughly 1600 to 1947. With each tale, I include brief descriptions of pertinent social, political and economic events in which the tale occurs. Some of the ancestors were extraordinary for the things they did, others for the things they experienced, yet all of them, I remind myself, were ordinary mortals who lived lives not so different from our own. They, like us, grappled with interpersonal politics, found fulfillment and joy in family and friends, felt stress from money matters and coped with myriad challenges which required them to be warriors, mediators, nurturing parents and artful dodgers. This work, like life, will evolve over time as more about our ancestors is discovered. If you have a family tale to tell, please get in touch at pkbruce@gmail.com. I would love to post it. I hope you enjoy what’s to come.