Opening up the past and connecting it with the present

What a long title. Hard to place into words linking together people I never seen or met before in my life. I would call this Turkey talk 101 because it is a breakdown of history experts and ordinary tourist like me trying to absorb life in the past. I really don't have a real appreciation of how hard it was to survive in the past. I know it seems kind of larger than life through library books and lectures by Doctors (PhD') of History. My knowledge of history is small as a pea compared to the people I met which were almost living history through trained knowledge they learned through books and meeting others with grand knowledge which was spread through word of mouth. The professor who was giving the lecture was from Maine and had a home in Jacksonville, Florida. He based his lecture on a book written by a Greek author, whom the professor says was critical of the main character Dr. Andrew Turnbull. I had glanced through the same book from the local library many years ago. In fact, I think it was one of the first books I looked at once we moved from Oakland, Florida over here to New Smyrna Beach, Florida. What peaked my interest in the name Turnbull.There was a well known Orlando lawyer who also had the last name Turnbull. This lawyer Turnbull was every bit pushy at getting his Oakland property annex for home building as maybe his great, great grand pappy Dr. Andrew Turnbull who under the worst of human conditions forged through with people he cared little about to reach a goal of starting a settlement which cost people's lives. There is no clear evidence the two were related except for maybe distant rumors I may have heard from my past. The people who were traveling with Dr. Turnbull were mostly Greek looking to start a better life. I don't get it. I don't understand if they came from a nice place like Greece why they would settle for a backwoods, snake and gator infested, swarming with mosquitoes and plagued with disease to start a better life? I would be the first one leading the charge out of there. I could maybe only see if they were fugitives from a court who would lock them up for a hundred years. Maybe under these conditions life would be better in the woods. My mom was complaining about how the residence here really don't appreciate the past history. The residence litter the historic walls with Do not litter, No skateboarding signs which have no historic meaning attached. I for one appreciate an automatic air conditioner, running water in the kitchen and bathrooms. I appreciate being mostly snake free;except for, the few which freaked me out. I had two snakes drop on top of my head from the top of the doors one in the front and the other in the carport when I opened the doors. I felt one big plop on my head and I freaked out. The snake fortunately for me fell off and we either killed it or it slithered away. I think at that time we killed them both. We still have mosquitoes certain times of the year in abundance. We also have Publix and Winn Dixie so we don't have to grow our food and slaughter the cows and chickens. I have crushed ice in my refrigerator door. Plus a television and computer to keep me entertained and in touch with the rest of the world. It is nice to take a look back, but I am glad for the inventions of the future. I believe the ancestors would be impressed.