Great to talk to T in Brazil, by Skype. Isn't technology wonderful - he sounded as if he was in the room with us! He wasn't impressed with our tales of snow, ice and cold. It was 31 degrees there and he was quite happy. Also spoke to A & P in Wales again. They are well snowed in, and hopefully they will be able to escape in time to get a flight to Greece, where they have a house. Just as I got out of the shower today I had a call from J in Norfolk and told him about this blog, which he found whilst we chatted.
M's gone off to the QE again, without me, as I'm still not fit to go with him. Another gloomy, grey day, so even more of an opportunity to catch up on another of my interests - family history. Spent yesterday working on the profile of my grandfather's brother and have prepared a copy, complete with photos, to send to his elderly grandson. I hope he, and/or members of his family can follow it, as the story is quite complicated. However, I have done one or two of these potted histories, and I think they are easier to follow than anything in the family tree programmes, especially for anyone who isn't used to them. I must stop leaning across my laptop to look at paperwork though, because on two occasions yesterday I deleted quite large sections of my work, before I'd saved it.
I began researching my family history in 2002, starting with my mother's maiden name, which is quite unusual. Before long I had come across a distant relation (we share a 3 x grandfather) who had already done quite a lot of research, so it was a good start. Then I 'branched' out (a common pun within the family tree enthusiasts) into my husband's family. Since then I've gone in all directions, following the history of almost every part of both our families. It's no good just treating the ancestors as points notched up in some sort of competition. OK, I have, with the help of other near and distant relatives, managed to reach the sixteenth century and even further back, but to put flesh on the bones of these names and dates, brings a whole new dimension to family history. I can thoroughly recommend lots of history (especially social) and geography research. The internet has been invaluable as have all the books we've collected over the years (including some excellent ones picked up at the charity book shop). The result is that I've learned so much in the meantime.
But the best part is getting out there, to visit the places where the ancestors once lived, worked and played.We have some excellent photos of the village near Exeter where my mother's ancestors lived, including one of the house of the above mentioned great great great grandfather, who was one of at least three generations of miller there. M's paternal ancestors came from Norfolk, and we've been there too, found some of their cottages, and have the photos to remind us. One of the most moving places we visited was Chinley Chapel in Derbyshire (near Kinder Scout) where my father's maternal ancestors were baptised, worshipped and buried. These people were dissenters, and eventually migrated across to Lancashire, where they were to marry into another strong family of dissenters, who had to meet in secret, in an upper room of their cottage near Manchester.
As a result of all this I could tell some really interesting stories, including adventures on the high seas, the escape of an important political prisoner, scientific discoveries, and general intrigue, but they are only relevant to our family and don't mean the same to others. Everyone out there has the chance to release their ancestors from the recesses of the dark cupboard where they are trapped. Go on - open the doors, disturb the moths, dispel the myths, shake the skeletons - meet the ancestors!
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