Sarnia author seeks local family stories for 1918 pandemic project

Esther Tolooei is collecting ancestral accounts of the 1918 flu pandemic to weave local history into a new fictional narrative.

A Sarnia resident and recipient of a Lambton County Creative Grant is reaching out to the community to help preserve the history of the 1918 flu pandemic. Esther Tolooei is researching the daily lives of Sarnians during 1918 and 1919 to provide a local foundation for a forthcoming historical story.

The project aims to uncover personal family histories that have been passed down through generations. Tolooei is looking for accounts from current residents who may have heard stories from parents or great-grandparents about navigating the global pandemic within the Sarnia-Lambton region.

The collected research will be used to develop a fictional story rooted in local historical accuracy. This completed work is scheduled for submission to the Lambton County Grants program by August 2026.

Residents who wish to share their family history or archival details are encouraged to participate. Submissions can be sent directly to the researcher via email at [email protected].

The deadline for contributing family stories is April 1, 2026. This timeline allows for the integration of community accounts into the final narrative before the summer submission date.