Long Day and Family Research

Extremely glad to be home.  Although now the second job starts.  OH is fishing and I have housework to do tonight.  Don't feel like it but it must be done as I have too many things in the pipeline to do which would be affected if I did not do what I have to do tonight.  Its a chain reaction.

Last night I gave in and did a little family history research.  We don't know too much about my mum's dad's family as apparently they did not talk about relations or who was where not like we do today.  Mum's Dad left home when she was about 10 years old which compounded matters.  Not only was my Grandmother abandoned with ten children during the war years his family did not have much to do with them either.  So I grew up knowing my Dad's parents and my mum's mum died when I was 17 months old.  Even though I was so young I still remember her presence even though I don't have a visual of her apart from photographs. Apparently it was my Gran who got me into the habit of dipping my finger in the sugar!

That was not the end of the saga though.  My grandparents never divorced and would have got back together  as my Granddad asked if she would move to another town.  She checked with the children and they did not want to move so as a result being the mum she was sacrificed her own happiness for that of her children.  They never did divorce and my granddad actually attended her funeral.  After her death he eventually remarried and ended up losing his second wife to cancer as well.  Mum went to see them and then lost contact with them.  I think she felt in a difficult position as if she was betraying her mum even though she loved her Dad.  This is the simplistic run of events obviously matters were much more complicated than that.  

I got divorced and started to spend time with my closest cousin visiting on a regular basis and I got it into my head that I wanted to meet my Granddad.  That visit was to bring a chain of events into play.  My cousin was refusing to take me even though I did not know the area where Granddad was living and in the end I told her she didn't have to come in.  I duly attended and he was pleased I had made the effort to go and see him.  My cousin's curiousity got the better of her and she also came in.  I liked what I saw he had a generous chuckle and wicked sense of humour.  We had a photo taken which I treasure even though I did not really know him I sensed an affinity with him.  I could not help but like him.  I only met him the once but that visit got my mum going to see him again on a regular basis.  Then Granddad started having circulation problems with his legs and ended up having one of them amputated due to gangrene.  Not long after he passed.

We went to the funeral and my mum was really cross that his new family were pulling the shots and dictating what should and should not be done and I had to keep her quiet but that was the upset coming out.  Losing her Dad like that hit her particularly hard.

A couple of years moved on.  OH started taking part in fishing matches and made a new friend locally who came from my home town.  It came to pass that not only did he know my Dad's Dad because he had trained him to be an Engineer, but he also used to play darts regularly with my Mum's Dad.  He was able to provide me with some photos of my Granddad.  Now how small a world is that.

Mum eventually received a box of photographs I think via one of her brothers that had been Granddads.  It also has his Army Service record book in it.  He was with the Royal Artillery (the same Regiment that my brother went into).  Mum gave it to me and had started to mark on the names of the people she knew on the back of the photos which has been a partial help.  One of those photos was of my Great Granddad my Granddad's dad.  We had no idea of names only that he had a large family. 

Last night I went on Ancestry and I found my Granddad and my Great Granddad and extended relatives that I knew nothing at all about.   Mostly by his sister's names, and that is how I located the information I was looking for.  Mum bless her had told me stories or at least the ones she knew and passed them on to me.It was a bit mind blowing  because after all these years I was getting the information which I had been seeking for so long.  Its like joining all the dots together.  What is even more amazing to me is that I was actually born in the area where my Granddad and his Father were born and lived.  I am probably the only grandchild to be so born so close to the family's roots.  Completely proper Lincolnshire unspoilt countryside and farmland with pretty little villages not far from the Wolds.  My Great Grandfather was a farm Labourer and could write and my Grandfather worked in the flax Mill near Sleaford after he came out of the Forces.  I have always had a great love for the land and growing things which has been prevalent on my Dad's side but I knew it went deeper than that.  From the face of things It would seem that its a family thing  working the land from all sides.  I had not heard of some of the place names some I had through my mum but what I tend to do is get the map out and try and find out where these places are and that can be very revealing and interesting in itself and also explain so much.  It would also appear that we have had brave members of the family lost to the war but I need to do further research on that.  I am not sure but believe it was my Granddad's brother but that will need further research.   And at the moment I am just so pleased that I have found missing members of the family.  However it has opened up a lot more names to research so it may be that during the winter months I will start regularly going back on Ancestry again to do further reasearch.    I have the majority of the names on my Dad's Dad's side but not mum's and I have not really been looking at her side.  I am just pleased that at least now I am able to put flesh on the bones as it were to these missing relatives and that they have been found.

Right I am off to get a wriggle on.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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