Family History Through The Alphabet Challenge: H is for....

On the back of the A-Z April Challenge, the lovely folk at Gould Genealogy devised another challenge - Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge. Each week, we work through the letters of the alphabet sharing perhaps an elusive ancestor, a favourite or particular ancestor, or perhaps a heirloom.

H is for Health

We take it for granted. We have access to medicines, health professionals and medical knowledge. We can access qualified professionals who, using their medical and professional knowledge along with medical technology make a diagnosis and prescribe a treatment. That has not of course always been the case.

Conditions such as Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Asthma, Heart issues and mental health issues have always existed and they did so without treatment because of a lack of understanding, money and knowledge. Conditions that are hereditary. Very often the unexplained condition was labelled and "treatment" was to dispatch the individual off to the local asylum. 

In my early twenties I developed a "suspect" Thyroid condition. The treatment was a partial Thyroidectomy and medication. In my early 30s I had a repeat situation and again I had surgery and the remaining lobe of my thyroid gland was removed. I will take medication for the rest of my life. 

I gave the condition no further thought. That was until I made contact with a researcher whose daughter had a Thyroid condition. Coincidence. Then about 10 years ago I made contact with another researcher from the same genealogical line with the same condition. Still a coincidence? I am not sure.

Our common ancestor is a chap called John Butcher, alias Woolgar. He was born in 1795 the son of James Butcher and Sarah Woolgar and was illegitimate, although his parents did marry when John was 6 years old. All of John's children were born in Wonersh, except for the last son.

• Charles born 1823 *  - my line!
• William born 1826 *
• Mary Anne born 1828
• Thomas born 1830
• Alfred born 1832
• James born 1835 *
• Henry born 1837
• Ellen Jane born 1841 died 1844
• John born 1844 died 1855 born in Shalford

* The represents the ancestral line of those who have a thyroid condition.

As far as I know no one else in my family has this condition so is this coincidence, or is this something that is in the genetics? Perhaps I will never know.