Our most recent shared ancestor was born on November 26, 1916, on the same day as the signing of the Adamson Act which was the first law of its time to regulate an 8-hour workday. In Europe, World War 1 was raging on having started 1914 and continuing until 1918. 

The war had a significant impact on global politics, economies, and societies, and it likely would have been a major topic of conversation during Irene Hughes early life. 

In 1916, cars were still a relatively new invention, and most people traveled by horse and buggy or on foot. The first paved road in the U.S. wasn’t built until 1912, which plays into us hearing her stories about walking Whiskey Lane before it was paved.

Little known fact is that Mother’s generation also experienced a global pandemic with Influenza that lasted from 1918 to 1920.