The word for today is…

antebellum (adj) – Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : ante-bellum also antebellum, from Latin phrase ante bellum, literally “before the war;” see ante- + bellicose. In U.S., usually in reference to the American Civil War (1861-65); attested in that specific sense by 1862 (it appears in a June 14 entry in Mary Chesnut’s diary).

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Peter is a fourth-generation New Zealander, with his mother's and father's folks having arrived in New Zealand in the 1870s. He lives in Lower Hutt with his wife, some cats and assorted computers. His...