Treasure of the Month - January 2011

I have wanted to write this post for several weeks. My dilemma was what Treasure should I start this monthly thread with. I knew that if I waited I would eventually make the decision and today it wasn't so much a decision, it was more that the Treasure was obvious and I can not believe that it has taken me two weeks to realise it.

The treasure is Memories. There is nothing to see, apart from a set of rather basic looking note books in which I jot down some memories in addition to the family history information passed to me by family members. There is no monetary value on those memories, they can not be insured against for loss, just simply shared with those who are interested and perhaps recorded for the future, some are posted within the confines of this blog and shared with a wider scope of reader. There are of course some memories which are confined only to my mind and will not be shared with anyone, and when the time comes they will pass along with me.

How do you record your memories and do we really understand the value of them?

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 13

I have in my study a set of notebooks, they are not anything special to look at, simply notebooks for jotting down the incidentals of life. To me these note books hold the key to my ancestry because they are the original notebooks that I used to gather information from my relatives. I am posting this particular post today, because today would have been my late Aunt's 96th birthday and there are pages of notes, snippets of information that she passed to me that I wrote down. At the time some of those bits of information didn't make sense and it was only through research that the information all nicely slotted into place.

As a child I would routinely visit the sisters of my Grandfather. They would chat with my Grandparents and I would presumably sit and play. I don't actually recall what I did. I simply recall being transported back 70 years or so into the world they inhabited as children. As I got older I would ask questions, who were they?, where did they live?, and rather than be frustrated by constant questions, they loved it, and I loved them for sharing those snippets with me. Those visits as a child were from talking to my cousins unusual. Even the grandchildren of one of my Aunts doesn't recall his Grandmother telling him or his brothers the details she shared with me. For that I am very lucky and I treasure those memories.

Those note books don't just house the information from my Grandfather's sisters. There are also snippets from my Grandmother, my Cousins who were the children of my Grandmother's sister Elsie and from the first cousin of my Grandfather, and any other family member who happened to mention something that would lead me onto the path of discovery.

My Great Aunt Rose shared so much with me. She was very elderly, and had always been very active, gradually her body gave up and she spent time in a wheelchair. Her sight failed, but with the support of her family she remained in her own home up until a few years before she died aged 94. I would still visit her, and open the front door and call out my name and she would always be delighted that I had visited. I would make us some tea then she would usually ask how I was getting on with my research. I recall one day asking Aunt if she knew the name of her Grandmother's mother, the reply was Prudence Budd. I jotted it down. A few weeks went by and I asked the same question and reply was the same. Then a few weeks later, another Great Aunt came with me to visit my Aunt and we were accompanied by their first Cousin Ivy. All three of them, sat and remembered earlier times and my pen could not move fast enough. I approached the subject again of Aunt's Great Grandmother, to which the reply was "I have already told you twice, it was Prudence Budd" I simply didn't believe that Aunt could possibly have know the name of someone who was three generations back from Aunt and had died long before she was born. Somehow, Aunt did and all three of them sat and chatted about a story they had heard, of events long before they were born. Now that is family history!

Word count 565

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 12

Serendipity is defined by the dictionary as a noun

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident
2. good fortune; luck

Is that a good description of ancestry, and in particular mine? Given some of the discoveries I have made.

I find the more I research and answer one question, that more questions appear and for some questions there is no answer, the answer is simply lost with the passage of time. Whilst to loose answers to the passage of time has a romantic feel to it. I find it also has an annoying and frustrating feel! Every now and again I have to stop researching, simply to digest what I have found and look back through the data that I already knew and then what I discovered along the path.

For the last 11 days I have taken part in the Family History Writing Challenge. Each day as I write I am amazed at the data that I have either found because someone told me, or that I have discovered along the way. I also have found that I have questions that have popped up, perhaps things I over looked whilst on the path of discovery. An example is the gap in the children of Alfred and Rose Butcher that I mentioned earlier. I must have noticed that before, but simply not remembered it. I have sat, each day as I have written these pieces and added to my to do list. More questions, but will there be answers to those questions?

I have an idea, which at some point in the next few months I may share with readers of this blog. I need to reflect more on the feasibility of the idea and is it achievable? That idea has grown out of the writing that I have done diligently each day and a few other posts that I have made recently. I read a book a few years ago called "So many books, so little time", and that is what ancestry is like, so many ancestors who each deserve their place in the written word.

What I find truly wonderful, is that we can as researchers have a certain degree of expectation that ancestors who were well established would leave a trail of primary source documents. I have an ancestor who appears in the Manorial Records. Not surprising given his status. What I find amazing is that those records have survived and that the ordinary worker, the Agricultural Labourer has, in his own way left a written word, perhaps he literally signed with a mark, but nonetheless, a document exists that supports that individuals very existence.

Sometimes, we need to think "outside the box" An Agricultural Labourer perhaps left very little evidence, we all should leave a set of dates, a birth, marriage and death, but what else? Perhaps we should look at where the Ag Lab worked. Did he work on an estate? Did the owner of that estate own other land in another parish, another County? Does that open more doors for research and enable us as researchers to explore more avenues?

Word count - 518

In My Mailbox - Week 2

"In my Mailbox" is a weekly meme I spotted on The Story Siren Blog. Read all about the fine details to take part.

The only book that I have purchased during the last week was from the British Heart Foundation Charity shop in town, when I bought

The Long Shadow by Cynthia Harrod Eagles book 6 of the Moreland Dynasty Series.

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 11

I mentioned a few days ago that I have some surnames repeating themselves in my ancestry and the families do not always tie up together.

I was told by my Grandmother, that Uncle Alf married Rose Butcher and lived with his large family in High Path Road Guildford. I remember asking my Grandmother if she really meant that, and being given a very stern look. The reason for my query was that my Aunt, my Grandfather's sister was Rose Butcher before she married. So had Gran got the details wrong?

No, she had not. Alfred Elstone did indeed marry Rose Butcher in Merrow on 11 February 1899. Together, they had 11 children between 1901 and 1926, and like his mother before him, Alfred and his wife had a child every two to three years, with the exception of a large gap between Lilian May born 1909 and Louise Mabel born 1917. As I type this I don't recall noticing the gap before and wonder if there were stillborn or miscarriages during that period or was there another cause?

I did ponder on Rose Butcher. Did her Butcher family connect in any way to my own Butcher family or was it simply a coincidence? Rose was born in 1880, the third of 13 children, to Henry Butcher of Alfold Surrey. Whilst there was no obvious connection to my own Butcher family, the two families were not very far from one another. I left that research for another day and do still need to go back to it.

As I sat in the Muniment Room in Guildford extracting all the Elstone and Butcher references from the Merrow records I spotted something else. Rose Butcher had a sister called Louisa born in 1895 and who in 1919 married Albert Goacher. It was one of those almost heart stopping moments. Not one of those hooray moments, but a moment that meant I had to sit and really read what was in front of me. The reason for my surprise is that I married a Goucher whose family had been established in Derbyshire from between 1715 to 1901 and who were often recorded as Goacher instead of Goucher. Was this a coincidence?....another one.

I have never established a connection between these Goachers and those of my husband, but have established that a Goacher family arrived at some point in Sussex and made their way into Surrey. It has not been established just where those Goachers arrived from. When I got home that evening and shared the facts with my husband he simply looked at me in complete surprise and I guess we both wondered, could it possibly be?.....

Word count 443

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 10

Having established that my Great Great Grandparents James Elstone and his wife Mary nee Denyer moved their family of 9 children from Bramshott to Merrow, Guildford I wondered why? According to the 1881 Census for Merrow James Denyer was a labourer, and I wonder if he worked for a farmer who held land in both Bramshott and Merrow? or was it simply that he was paid more in Merrow?

Mary Denyer having married James Elstone in 1857 had their first child, James in the same year and then almost systematically had the remainder of the children every two to three years for the next 23 years, the last child being my Great Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Elstone born in 1880, when Mary was 42 years old.

The line up, all born in Bramshott Hampshire, looked like this:

James born 1857

Ann born 1859

Eliza born 1862

Alice born 1864

Henry born 1867

William born 1872

Alfred born 1875

Frederick born 1877

Mary Elizabeth born 1880

My Grandmother often spoke of several of her mother's siblings Ann, Eliza and Alfred, who my Grandmother always refers to as Uncle Alf. The remainder my Grandmother never spoke of and until I researched the family I didn't know of their existence.

I knew from my Grandmother that one of her mother's cousins lived in Merrow and he was apparently the school's inspector for Guildford,who would visit my Great Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth in Guildford asking why my Grandmother's brothers had not been to school. Mary Elizabeth would always be furious and always smack the boys for playing truant, and when I asked for the name of the inspector it was not known. Research has not provided those details, and I can imagine that my Great Grandmother was a stickler, and according to my Grandmother she indeed was!

The photograph here is of my Great Grandmother Mary Elizabeth when she was approximately 18 years of age. It is such a sad photo and at some point before I inherited it, it had been torn and fixed together with tape.

Word count 343

The Distant Hours by Kate Moreton

• Hard cover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Mantle (14 Oct 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0230748325

The book starts with a letter posted 50 years previous delivered to Edie's mother. From that moment on Edie, a book editor, is thrown into intrigue about her mother's life during war torn London, and her mother's evacuation to Kent. Edie's mother, Meredith is sent to live with three sisters and their father at Milderhurst Castle in Kent. The father, is non other than the author of a favourite book of Edie's. A chance visit for work sends Edie to Kent where she decides, rather last minute to visit the castle and see if she can piece together the secrets from her mothers time there.

Rewind, 50 years to a young Meredith, who is living with three fairly eccentric twins Persephone and Seraphina and their younger half sister Juniper. Their father, returned from the horrors of the First World War a very different man and writes what is to become a well known children's book. Meredith is encouraged to write and forms a strong relationship with the sisters.

The sisters are though, bound together by more than blood, there's is a family steeped in mystery, death and domination, first by the sister Persephone, known and Percy and by their father.The book does have some interesting twists and although an enjoyable, read It certainly is not a favourite, despite the research aspects to the book, which I normally enjoy.

Cross posted to Book Reviews

The Sunday Salon - 7th - 13th February 2011

The last week has been an odd one. I have settled into my new job reasonably well and as such I have no stresses of my previous job and I have more time for reading. I also developed my 4th cold since November so am pretty grumpy!

Last weekend I posted in support of keeping libraries open and as I walk past the library on the way to and from work I had no excuse to prevent me from calling in on one of their two late nights. After having my card reactivated, it had more than 18 months since I had used the library, shame on me! I left with 4 books, out of a possible 12. I am likely to make it a regular stop on the way home on a Monday. I am currently three quarters through the biggest read of them all - The Distant Hours by Kate Moreton.

An Incomplete Revenge, A Maisie Dobbs Mystery by Jacqueline Winspear

Messenger of Truth, A Maisie Dobbs Mystery by Jacqueline Winspear

Trade Winds by Christina Courtnay

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton - current read

I also finished reading A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore and you can read the review here and I am still reading the wonderful The Girl on the Wall: One Life's rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott.

I am in the middle of the book review for the Autobiographical Recollections of John Bowring that I read for both the historical and Victorian book challenges. It is taking time as it also connects to my own ancestry.

I am still looking for a book group that I can join, either online or in my locality. A tweet on twitter did not yield any, which is disappointing.

I came across an interesting thread recently about book lists and online cataloguing and really must get around to making a suitable post. Certainly since my job change I have much more me and family time and tend to put it to good use.

Have a good week everyone!

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 9

I am very proud of my heritage, from the Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex borders. I have no idea why, but when we travel back to my old stomping ground from Devon I always feel that I am home. Over the years I have met lots of people who have migrated to the South West, tempted by better climate and cheaper house prices and they have always vowed that would never go back. I always amaze them when I say I would!

Having established the link between my Grandparents, apart from their marriage I was keen to establish the details of my Great Great Grandmother. Born Mary Denyer circa 1838. I say Circa because on every census the year of birth varies as does her place of birth. Incredibly frustrating!

Remembering my earlier comments about the border of the Counties Surrey,Sussex and Hampshire being within a mile or so, I contemplated if Mary had in fact been born in Sussex. I simply hoped that her birth had occurred after the start of Civil Registration, which happened in 1837 and I hoped that given it was still a fairly new system at the point of Mary's birth that she had been recorded.

Her death, recorded as Mary Elstone was found in Merrow Guildford in 1913 aged 74. I knew from her marriage to James Elstone in 1857 that she was the daughter of Edward Denyer. I was therefore delighted to find the birth of a Mary Denyer daughter of Edward and Emeline Denyer in 1838 in Lurgershall Sussex, the last of 10 children.

At this point, more than 20 years after I started researching, the lineage of my Great Great Grandmother is nothing more than the dates of her birth, marriage and death along with the details of her children. Much more research needs to be done to turn these basic, but important facts into the life that she would have lead, and to get to know her through whatever documentary evidence I can find.

Denyer is a common name in this part of the world. In much of my ancestry I have family names that appear twice, and in some cases there is no obvious connection between the two lines of research. Is this simply because the families didn't really move outside of the confines of these three Counties or is there more to it than that?

The name of Elstone is not particularly common in those same three Counties. There are family connections to paper mills in Sussex and Hampshire and a lineage back to the surname of Pim (Pym, Pymm & Pimm). A few years ago we were away for a few days heading to North Devon when we drove through a small hamlet called Elstone, set on the banks of the River Exe where there was a paper mill. There are also connections to the surname of Pim in the County of Devon who were involved in paper making. Is there a connection or is it simply coincidence? I guess we shall have to wait and see!

Word count 508

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 8

My Grandmother's family has always been tricky to research. This has been due to a number of factors, but mainly down to the fact that she knew fairly little about her relatives, and geography; as her father's family originated from Warwickshire.

In complete contrast, my Grandfather's family hadn't moved more than 40 miles in 300 years, although they did drift across the borders of Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex. Whilst these are three neighbouring Counties it does need to be remembered that you can cross the border from one County to another in this patch in perhaps a mile or so.

I recall visiting the Bramshott and Liphook Preservation Society offices in Liphook one summers day during the early 1990s. I was on the trail of a connection from the Budd family of Puttenham and Richard Bridger, which appears on my Grandfather's line of descent. Richard Bridger from Headley Hampshire in 1777 and married Mary Budd in Puttenham Surrey in 1797. I knew from researching another family line, the Harris' that the movement between Frensham Surrey, Headley & Bramshott in Hampshire and Lurgershall in Sussex, was common and within a mile or two the boundary had changed.

So, I was sitting writing out various entries from the births, marriage and deaths for the names that I was researching when I spotted the following Eliza Bridger daughter of Richard Bridger marrying William Elstone in Bramshott in 1828. I recall that I had written the entry and turned the page before the slow recognition that I knew those details already. Didn't I? I turned back through my note book and saw that yes I indeed knew the name of William Elstone, as it appeared on my Grandmother's line of descent.

I stopped a moment to reflect. My Grandmother, Lilian Matthews descended from the marriage of William Elstone to Eliza Bridger. My Grandfather, George Butcher who married Lilian Matthews descended from Eliza Bridger who married William Elstone. I still have the scribbled tree that I drew out to see if I could establish just how many times removed my Grandparents were from each other. I recall being so excited. When I got home, I inserted the details into my family history programme then clicked on the relationship calculator button which revealed that my Grandparents were 4th Cousins, sharing the common ancestor of Richard Budd & 4th Cousin sharing the common ancestor of Sarah Collins.

I know that my Grandparents would not have known that fact and I wonder just what they would have made of it. For me, that is just the wonder and fascination of researching my ancestry.

Word count 435

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Wk 7 - Toys

Week #7 – Toys. What was your favourite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?

Week 7: This challenge runs from Saturday, February 12 through to Friday, February 18 2011

I started Sandfield School, at Guildford Surrey, just before my fifth birthday; I started in the September and my birthday was in the October. In the Summer, the school held its annual fete and all new attendees were invited to go to the fete. I remember Mum taking me and being allowed to select a toy from one of the stands. The toy I chose was a little finger puppet, about 3 inches long of a mouse, in red and white with a pink and white stripped tail. I called this little thing Moppet, and just where I got than name from I have no idea. Now, 38 years later, I still have Moppet, and it usually sits in my desk drawer!

About the same time, the School celebrated its 75th Birthday and produced a mug to celebrate the event. I still have my mug, it hangs from a beam in our kitchen/breakfast room.

I still have my childhood books, a set of original Noddy Books by Enid Blyton, lovingly read and may still have the Woolworths price ticket of 12p on the front. I have always kept them for my children, but as I don't have any they sit in my study on a shelf next to a set of Beatrice Potter books.

I do recall being given a jigsaw puzzle by my Great Aunt, it was a favourite and the picture when it was made up was of Noah's Ark. I wonder what happened to it? I did used to love playing with Lego. I sadly don't have any of my childhood pieces, although it is still made today. I also played marbles and do still have a few that I particularly liked.

When I was about 3 I was given by my Grandfather a 1p stamp in a matchbox. I then spent lots of my childhood collecting stamps and still have that collection, although I do no longer collect.

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 7

I recently wrote on my ancestor of the week post about my Grandmother. During the Second World War my Grandmother had three evacuees living with her, whilst at the same time working at the Laundry at Guildford. At the laundry her job was to iron all the sheets from the military hospital and the soldier uniforms.

About a year or so ago Guildford Museum had an exhibition focusing on evacuees and whilst I did have a few photos of one of the evacuees in particular, I submitted the following photo to that exhibition. I was delighted to see earlier that the exhibition had made it to the web and the photograph has been included.

My understanding was the three evacuees all came from London, one was Joyce Moore who remained in contact and friends with our family until she passed away about 10 years ago. I certainly viewed her as a relative. There were also two others, both nameless and one of them is thought to have married an American or Canadian serviceman and returned back to either the States or Canada with him. On the back of the photo is the name of Edie Greenaway. My Grandmother is in the middle. So this is either a photo of my Grandmother with two of the evacuees or two people from the laundry.

I do wonder what happened to the evacuee who made a new life across the pond, and is she still alive today? The address of the house where the evacuees lived was 17 Walnut Tree Close Guildford. If that address rings bells with anyone please get in touch. Whilst my Grandmother is no longer here, we would love to hear more about the events of this time.

Word count 289

Ancestor of the week - Lilian Edith Butcher nee Matthews

This week I am featuring my late Grandmother, whose family I have focused on thus far in the Family History Writing Challenge.

Born Lilian Edith Matthews in Guildford Surrey on 18th December 1912, the daughter of John Matthews and Mary Elizabeth nee Elstone. My Grandmother was one of 11 children born between 1901 and 1921.

Despite having a really close relationship with my Grandmother so much of her life is unclear, and it was when I started becoming interested in family history that my Grandmother developed the early stages of dementia. I can only describe that as tragic to watch, but nonetheless, I loved her dearly and up until she died we maintained that special relationship and she always knew who I was, although was hazy on other things.

In her earlier life she looked after her brothers, which I described in an earlier post as part of the writing challenge. After she left the family home she went to live with her sister Elsie and brother in law William Downes.

My Grandmother's brothers use to drink, a swift pint after work at the coal yard at a pub called The Plough in Guildford. It was the same pub that my Grandfather's family used. Through this my Grandmother met my Grandfather, and my Grandmother's brother Ernest met and married my Grandfather's sister Margery. It does take a moment or two to get your head around the criss crosses of the family marriages, and I all I can say is that criss crosses of my family history continued after this event and research shows that they had happened before too!

Anyway, at some point between leaving St Nicholas School at Guildford in 1924 and getting married in 1939 my Grandmother had worked at Woolworths in Guildford, always known in our family as Fred's, which sadly demised through the recent recession and Flippance's the Green Grocers in Guildford.

During the war she worked at the Laundry at Guildford dealing with the clothes, uniforms and bedlinen from the hospitals & solders and had three evacuees, which are the subject of the Family History Writing challenge day 7.

Book Blogger Hop - Post of this week

From the Crazy-For-Books web page "the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!"

There are a few rules!

1. Enter your blog address at the linky list on the Crazy-For-Books website

2. Post about the hop on your blog & answer the question on the Crazy-For-Books website

3. Visit other blogs in the linky list

This weeks question is:

"Tell us about one of your posts from this week and give us a link so we can read it (review or otherwise)!"

This week has been fairly busy at work and I have come down with another cold, the 4th since November. I have written two book reviews

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore and Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton.

I have also spotted a Book Meme, in which feature what is in your mail box There has been a campaign here in the UK to save libraries. Well, with a new job in town I have taken to walking to and from work, on the way passing the library. Monday is one of two late nights, so I nipped in, the first time in more than 18 months. I reactivated my card and left with 4 books, out of a possible 12!

I have also been undertaking a series of genealogy posts, as part of the Family History Writing Challenge in which the challenge is to write every day. I have kept up and do write every day, although I have not posted them all to blogger, as I need to review for spellings etc, posts for days 7 - 12 should happen over the weekend.

In My Mailbox - Week 1

"In my Mailbox" is a weekly meme I spotted on The Story Siren Blog. Read all about the fine details to take part. Here are the books that have arrived within the last week.

Outlander by Aaron Fletcher (eBay)

An Incomplete Revenge, A Maisie Dobbs Mystery (library book)

Messager of Truth, A Maisie Dobbs Mystery (library book)

Trade Winds by Christina Courtnay (library books)

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (library books)

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

This book had a complex storyline and it takes great skill to weave the threads of the book separately then coming together to bring the story to conclusion.

The central character is Jude, who works at a London auctioneers house and by chance answers a ringing telephone in her office. The caller wants a valuation on a fascinating collection of early astronomical books and equipment which have been passed down through his family. On establishing that the seller is living in Jude's home town , where her Grandmother, sister and niece still live Jude agrees to go and visit the seller for an assessment. Once she has arrived in Norfolk she sees the collection is a fine example of 18th Century history and immediately sets about assessing the collection, and Jude stumbles across a set of journals of the astronomer Anthony Wickham and his daughter Ester. She asks the mother of the seller if there is any more details on the family, only to be told that Wickham did not have any children. Jude is immediately curious.

Meanwhile, she sees her sister and niece and is suddenly aware that her niece is having dreams. Dreams that she too experienced as a child. Was this a coincidence? The seller of the collection then confirms that he is definitely going to sell the collection and Jude is then thrust into the world of the Wickhams. There is an Folly in the grounds and Jude is intrigued. In the forest surrounding the property she meets Euan, who by chance lives in the cottage her Grandmother lived in and we start to see the gentle threads of the complex story forming. Ester's journal is in some parts a summary of her early life, found as a young child by Wickham she is adopted as his heir, but later on we see that, after Wickham's death his wishes are not carried out. Over the course of a little more than 450 pages Rachel Hore weaves a complex story in which the lives of the Wickhams and Jude's family are connected, added to that are connections to other characters who do not appear until later in the book.

This book has been painstakingly written, and although a work fiction there has been research undertaken using the methods available as if the storyline were real. Certainly my best read of the year so far and I am looking forward to more from this author.

Crossed posted to Book Reviews

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 6

I said on Day 3 of this challenge that my Great Grandfather had a sister called Mary Anne.

Mary Anne was born in 1872 in Long Lawford, Warwickshire. I knew from the Census returns that she existed and set about, once I knew the family were in Guildford, of locating her on the census. I did find Mary Anne a border in a house, again in Merrow as a domestic. I had planned to do some extra research on the descendants of Mary Anne, but shelved that at the time temporarily as I was then still seeking the birth place of my Great Great Grandmother that linked into this family and was preoccupied with that.

At that time the Merrow parish records were housed in a super archive in Guildford called the Muniment Room which was attached to the Museum. I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon and set about reading various parish records and the school records. I spotted a baptism for a child, Harry Matthews, son of Mary Anne in 1898. I looked for a marriage later than the birth, just in case it was recorded later, and found nothing. I then came across a marriage for Harry in 1925 still in the same parish and the birth of a son, Clive Colin to Harry in 1934. So, where did that leave me? I had a son who married and had his own son. I then looked through the death records for the parish and was sad to find the death of Mary Anne in 1898, the same year as the year that Harry was born. Did Mary Anne ever see her son? Who was the father? If Mary Anne died while Harry was still a baby who looked after him? So many questions, and even as I type this I feel the urge to try once again and unravel the series of events to the demise of Mary Anne and her descendants.

Then in 2009 when in the Stoughton Cemetery at Guildford I spotted the following grave stone.

The gravestone for the son of Harry. I really did feel overcome with sadness for a man that I had never met, yet we shared some of the same genetics and family. Clive had passed away at the same age I am now and there is nothing like that for a mortality check. I wondered what kind of life he and his father had lead, and more importantly who had brought Harry up. I knew that Mary Anne's brother, My Great Grandfather had not and I could see from research into their sister Edith that she hadn't either. Like most of us, with every bit of genealogy research comes another set of questions, and perhaps there are some things, like the parentage of Harry, we shall never know?

Word count 469

The Sunday Salon - A week of books

A few weeks ago I spotted a post at the Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that mentioned a book, indeed a series of books about Australia and thought that they sounded great series. I set about looking on the usual sites Amazon UK and eBay UK and I think I eventually found the first in the series, Outback, on eBay. I waited about a week, having had the email from the seller to say the book had been posted before contacting the seller to advise the book had not arrived. We both assumed it was lost in the post and a refund arrived into my Paypal account. Then on Friday I arrived home to find the book had arrived. It had been travelling around Royal Mail for three weeks. Horray! and the payment returned to the seller. So I am looking forward to starting that Australian series. There does seem to be very little about the author, Aaron Fletcher online, and I am not even sure about the order of the books in the series, and I am afraid I am slightly obsessive about reading books in order.

I have recently completed a book that I read for both the Victorian & Historical book challenge. The book is called the Autobiographical Recollections of John Bowring. A fascinating book and I need to sit and reflect further before writing the review.

I have made some progress with the book cataloguing and will post about that another time, needless to say it is going to take a while to complete that task. I have also written a post in support of Save our Libraries Day

I also finished reading the festive book in the knitting series by Maggie Sefton. Fleece Navidad. It was actually read out of order, and I may have to re read the next book before buying the latest in the series. See, I said I was obsessive! My current read is A Secret Place by Rachel Hore and I am also in the middle of a super hardback book called The Girl on the wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott. I saw this book advertised and reviewed in one of the UK genealogy magazines a year or so ago and added it to my Amazon wish list then made the purchase just after Christmas. It is a super book, one that simply has to be held and stroked occasionally! A website to accompany the book is available and well worth viewing.

Save our Libraries Day - 5th February 2011

Save our Libraries Day was yesterday, so I am posting a little late. When the Coalition walked into Parliament I heard David Cameron's speech in which he mentioned "Big Society" I am not too sure just where closing libraries, reducing spending in the benefit system so that it affects those who genuinely need it and reducing the services offered by the NHS and the Care Services fits the plan of Big Society and I am deeply saddened by this.

From what I can see Devon libraries are not looking at closures, but perhaps some reduction to opening hours and whilst that is not perfect, it is better than the alternative, although the Records Offices in Devon are to be affected with reduced opening hours. I grew up in Surrey and see that Surrey libraries, along with others in the Country are to be affected by the plans.

I can't recall when I received my library ticket. I do recall going to Guildford library with my mother and being allowed to choose a few books perhaps 4 or so. In the 1970s the tickets were made of a strongish cardboard and the ticket from the book slotting into the cardboard ticket. Later on the tickets were replaced with a credit card size ticket with a bar code and were scanned. I remember sitting in the children's section and when I felt ready, moving across to young adult and finally adult books where the historical fiction held my attention. Upstairs was the reference section and the non fiction books and on the top floor was the local history section where I spent lots of time looking and reading books that helped me undertake various bits of research for my family history. In the last decade or so the local history section merged with the Surrey Records Offices from both the Muniment Room Guildford and Kingston into the newly built office at Woking. Guildford library, I am guessing will not be affected too much, it is a main library in a University town, although it should really have City status. It will be the small libraries and mobile facilities that will be affected and thus they should be protected as best as we can.

Disclaimer. The post above is written based upon my personal opinion. It is not written as a political post

Book Blogger Hop - What are you reading and why?

From the Crazy-For-Books web page "the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!"

There are a few rules!

1. Enter your blog address at the linky list on the Crazy-For-Books website

2. Post about the hop on your blog & answer the question on the Crazy-For-Books website

3. Visit other blogs in the linky list

This weeks question is:

"What are you reading now and why are you reading it?"

I am currently in the middle of two reads.

1. A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore - paperback

2. The Girl on the Wall : One Life's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott - Hardback

I spotted A place of secrets when in Smiths, having just had a blood test,and was feel sorry for myself and in need of a reward, although my TBR pile did not really need to grow any more!

The Girl on the Wall was reviewed in one of the Family History magazines last year and I was intrigued. It was a wonderful way of combining two of my obsessions - reading and genealogy.

Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton

I usually hate reading books out of order, but I bought books 5 and 7 of the series together and missed this one as Amazon UK were out of stock. I then couldn't wait to read book 7! It has been a tough Winter here and I was keen to have some relaxing escapism reading, and I wasn't disappointed.

Kelly and Steve are now living together in the cottage that was originally the home of her Aunt and Uncle. As usual, the storyline weaves itself around the local knitting and yarn store and there are two new residents in town. The two residents are known to each other, yet they can not get along.

Claudia is a widow and has not had much luck with husbands, as she has been widowed three times. She meets a local professor who severs his relationship with a local librarian. Potentially deemed as a gold digger, Claudia just has high spirits who lives life to the full. Her step daughter, the other newcomer in town has followed Claudia here from another state and seems very keen to cast doubt onto the genuineness of Claudia. Then the tranquility of the town is shattered as the Claudia's relationship with the professor breaks down, the police want to talk to Claudia about a stolen credit card and car and then the librarian is murdered. Kelly interrupts her festive shopping to do some sleuthing and somehow everything is not as it seems.....

Cross posted to Book Reviews

Ancestor of the week - George Butcher

My Ancestor of the week post for this week is about my Grandfather George Butcher 1908 - 1974. Born the son of Charles Butcher and Annie Prudence Harris, who is often known in my research notes as APH! George was one of 12 children, of whom only 9 survived into adulthood.

George worked I believe fairly extensively upon the farm where all his brothers worked, Manor Farm at Guildford. For those that know the area, the land is now occupied by the University of Surrey! During the Second World War my Grandfather served in the Army, having joined up in 1940. Now why he did this is a complete mystery. By then he was living with my Grandmother, they having married in November 1939 at the address in Walnut Tree Close mentioned in an earlier post and working for Unigate Dairies. I always wondered if he can be called up, but no his service record reveals that he volunteered to serve his Country and that makes me very, very proud. He could so easily have gone back to the farm and worked alongside his brothers.

I had always wanted to find out more of his Military life. The photo above was taken probably in Africa where he served during the War. On the reverse it simply says "Your loved one, George X" Such a simple photo, yet I know my Grandmother treasured it, as do I now.

My Grandfather returned to Guildford after the war and didn't discuss his war time efforts. After his death in the 1970s all that remained was a few photos, a square coin in a small leather purse that I had been given as a child, a box housing his four medals and a piece of material with embroidered corners, his efforts to fill any spare time and his pay book.

I still have the coin in the leather purse and about ten years ago I had both the medals and embroidery framed professionally. These both hang in their frames upon my landing where I see and admire them everyday and like so many of us feel very proud.

Then in 2008 I decided that it was time to send off for his service record. I read a post on the WWII Talk Forum which explained how to send off for the record. Here in the UK they are only released to the service personnel themselves or their next of kin. So, I sent off the Ministry of Defence form, and enclosed with it the copies of death certificates for both my Grandparents, the next of kin disclosure form, a cheque for £30 and a copy of the pay book revealing his Army number. I received a letter back advising me of a several month wait. So I sat back and waited. Not very patiently as I am not that patient! I was really delighted when about three weeks later I received the Service Record.

I then decided to try and decipher some of the military abbreviations. A sheet of relevant ones had been sent with the documents, alas, there were some that were clearly localised ones! I am still reading and really must get back to it again, but in the meantime, I have set up a blog page to reflect the Military life of my Grandfather called George's War and need to update the page and write some additions.

Ancestor of the week - John King

I have mentioned in other posts, here and here about the King family of Puttenham Surrey. Of the family there was only one boy, John born in 1788 in the parish of Puttenham Surrey and died in 1812 in the Gulf of Persia. That small amount of details doesn't seem much to show for 24 years of life does it?

A search of the India Office Records revealed that John had died 29 October 1812 whilst on board the ship Duncan in the Gulf of Persia. At the time of his death he was a Lieutenant in the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) of 21 Madras MI.

A quick search for more details of the ship revealed a website featuring the ships of the East India Company. From glancing at the page it would appear that the ship that John King died upon was the Lord Duncan which remained in service until 1813. Was this a coincidence? Had the vessel not been sea worthy? or was it perhaps disease stricken?

A further Google search revealed a really fascinating view of the Duncan via this web page. Page 134 item 717, which reads

"717 RARE SUNDERLAND CREAMWARE BLACK TRANSFERPRINTED, ENAMEL-DECORATED AND PINK LUSTRE PRESENTATION JUG, GARRISON POTTERY, PROBABLY DIXON & CO. PARTNERSHIP, CIRCA 1813-19. Printed on one side with a rare view of the Wear iron bridge, faintly signed “W. Cockburn,” the other with a view of the “NORTHUMBERLAND 74,” marked “Dixon & Co. Sunderland Pottery,” and inscribed in black enamel beneath the spout “G. J. Sanders” above the verse “Forget me not” within a floral wreath, all within pink lustre squiggles. Height 7 ½ inches.

Literature: This particular Wear bridge view is not recorded in Baker. The central ship depicted in this unusual print is named across the stern “L. DUNCAN.” Launched in 1798, the ship “Lord Duncan” was named after Admiral Duncan, hero of Camperdown, 1797. The print also varies from more common examples with the inclusion of buildings with tall chimneys in the background, and by the ship in dry dock on the right side."

Now, this is a fascinating find as it does give a vague idea of what the ship where my ancestor died upon looked like. I do need to do further research on John King and on the ship.

(note this is the missing post from January 29, 2011)

Waitangi Day Blog Challenge

Waitangi Day Blog Challenge : Your earliest known ancestor

From the Facebook page of Auckland Research Centre

Recently our Australian cousins have all been encouraged to blog about their earliest piece of research about an Australian ancestor in celebration of Australia Day (see Shelley's blog at Twigs of Yore). We think this is a terrific idea and have noticed that it has provoked participation from loads of people. Waitangi Day, on February 6, is our national day. Its intent is to celebrate a bringing together of the peoples of New Zealand and it is usually a family day.

Post your contribution here

My connection to New Zealand is a modern one. My Grandfather's brother Harry Butcher married Ann Lasseter in Guildford in 1942. All that is known about Anne was that she was a Land Girl during the war and I guess that is how she met my Uncle Harry who worked on a farm and was therefore in a reserved occupation. Together, Harry and Anne had two children. After Harry died in 1958 Anne remarried to My Grandmother's brother Ernest Matthews. What is especially interesting is that prior to marrying Anne, Ernest had been married to Harry's sister Margery. See how complicated genealogy can get? And that is just the start of it!

Ernest and Anne had one son and at some point Anne's daughter by Harry migrated to New Zealand. Now Ernest died in 1975 so I guess this is the time frame for the migration, see I did say it was modern! Once the daughter and her family were in New Zealand that strengthened the case for Anne to go which she did.

At some point Anne remarried in New Zealand and remained so until she was widowed in 1992. Anne passed away during the last few years in New Zealand having left her son by my Uncle Harry here in the UK with his family. Her daughter and her family are in New Zealand and her son by my Uncle Ernest is also in New Zealand. Certainly my particular branch of the family has not had any contact with Anne and her family since the late 1950s, which is such a shame. So if you are reading this and this rings any bells, please get in touch.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Wk 6 - Radio & Television

Week #6 – Radio & Television

What was your favourite radio or television show from your childhood? What was the program about and who was in it?

Week 6: This challenge runs from Saturday, February 5 through to Friday, February 11 2011

I have never really been much of television fan, preferring to read, that is still the case. As a child we use to have a black and white television, rather than colour as I guess the amount of use it received was minimum. I did use to watch some Blue Peter, which is a well know children's programme here in the UK. I also used to watch the Muppets, which I recall was on the television at 5.15pm on a Sunday. Why I recall those fine details are anyones guess.

Now, I still prefer to read, but do like mystery type programmes, Morse, Lewis and Midsomer Murders, gentle murder mysteries nothing grim and especially violent! I am also rather partial to watching the Agatha Christie based programmes, such as Miss Marple and Poiret. I also like the BBC Who Do you think you are programmes which are usually broadcast yearly. Now with Sky Television I can watch most of the repeats and have a genealogy fix to my hearts content. I also like watching Antiques Roadshow and often glean snippets of information from that.

Radio, I rarely listen to the radio, when I do I prefer Radio 2 and Gold which are broadcast here in the UK. Gold especially is good as I can listen on my iphone. For news and current affairs I am a bit of a Sky News fan.

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 5

At various points my Grandfather would often say to my Grandmother, "its the gypsy in you". As a child I never really gave any thought to just what he meant. Later on as I gathered an interest in my family history I wondered was there any truth in this. My Grandmother's skin tone was tanned and not from the sun, she actually never really sat out for long periods of time. Was this the case? I am half Italian and my skin tone is lighter than my grandmother's was, or was it simply the way it was?

As I researched back through the Matthews side of the family, which was my Grandmother's maiden name, I was researching in Warwickshire. The only bit of my own ancestry, apart from my Italian bit to come from outside of the Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire borders. The Matthews family connected to the family surnames of Pettifer and Drakely. My Great Grandfather, John Matthews (1875 - 1931) was the Great Grandson of William Matthews born 1795 and Bethsheba Drakely born 1797 in Nuneaton.

I was unfamiliar with both the surnames and further general research using Google into the name of Drakely for example proved fascinating and gave food for thought. The name was mainly seem to occur in the Nuneaton area of Warwickshire, there were links to Ribbon weavers. I also came across a reference of Facebook to Whatever became of Drakeleys fairs so was there a grain of truth in the comment? Were the Drakeleys Romany? and my Grandmother's skin tone a throw back from generations past? Certainly there was a fair called Drakeley's in the early 1900s, how had they come about? There is a National Fairs Archive at the University of Sheffield and they may have more information.

All of this I have found out from research alone, as my Grandmother knew fairly little of her family history and every now and again a slither of information would be shared. Nothing was really withheld, it was simply a case of in those days you didn't really ask questions and gain the information. What is true is that, as genealogists with every stone we move we find other snippets which may or may not lead to more questions than answers.

Word count 375

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 4

A few weeks ago, as part of a Graveyard Rabbits post I commented about the grave of my Great Grandparents who were buried in a joint grave at The Mount Cemetery Guildford. John Matthews who died in 1931 and Mary Elizabeth Matthews nee Elstone who died in 1937.

Here are two photos of the grave, the first in 1937 and the second in 2007.





About ten years ago I was emailed by a fellow genealogist, we share several surnames the same, but can not find any connection. Anyway, had I seen the notice about The Mount Cemetery? I replied that I had not and in due course a photo of the sign was emailed across to me. On my next visit to Surrey a few weeks later I went to the Cemetery, located the plot and photographed the grave. The plot had been purchased by my Great Grandmother on a lease for 75 years. That had been what the notice was about. I pondered and upon my return home I contacted the cemetery office and laid claim to the grave and asked that the grave now be placed in my ownership. In doing so, the plot can not be disturbed without my consent and I am responsible for any repairs necessary.

According to my Grandmother, her mothers coffin had been lead lined because she had cancer of the stomach and there were concerns that something might happen post mortem. I have not investigated this further, and at some point plan to send for her death certificate. How dreadful though, to loose your Mother and then to find out the finer details of her burial arrangements. Apparently the weather leading up to the funeral was very bad; snow and ice and Mary Elizabeth's Cousin with the surname Boxall was unable to make the funeral.

Now that snippet of information, at the point when it was given to me simply raised more questions. The name of Boxall in the Surrey,Sussex and Hampshire borders is common. I do know that Mary Elizabeth was born in Liphook Hampshire and I will again have a further search for a potential candidate, but in reality it is the proverbial needle in a haystack situation.

Word count 368

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 3

As I said in an earlier post, my Grandmother's parents died in 1931 and 1937 respectively. This is a photograph of them; John Matthews and Mary Elizabeth Elstone.

John Matthews was born in Rugby Warwickshire in 1875 the only son of John Matthews and Elizabeth Spencer. Elizabeth died in 1877 following the birth of the their youngest daughter Edith Annie leaving father John to care for son John, and daughters Edith and Mary Anne.

John Matthews Senior, was born in 1848 in the parish of Long Lawford near Rugby. He was recorded as a coke dealer and had a business address near the gas works in Rugby. Following the death of Elizabeth, whom he married in 1871 he remarried to Maria Flick who is recorded in the census and on her marriage records as a widow, yet no evidence has been able to prove this fact. She even gives her father as William Flick deceased on her marriage certificate.

My Grandmother knew fairly little about her father's family history. She certainly knew about the sister Edith and passed along to me a few photos. She always maintained that her parents would visit Rugby each year to visit family and that her father attended Rugby School. I need to further chase the school records but so far no record has been found to confirm this. Whatever happened in Rugby, John and his family moved to Guildford Surrey and resided in the parish of Merrow, having moved there after 1882. We know this from the marriage certificate of John to Maria. Nothing was known of John’s sister Mary Anne, but that is another story.

Word count 272

Write about a challenge you faced last year......

The blogging prompt for theladybloggers group on Wednesday 5th January had the following prompt:

"Write about a challenge you faced last year. What was the outcome?"

Quite simply the outcome of my biggest challenge was I resigned from my job. Not because the challenge of work was too great, but because I no longer felt that the work I did, the team I led or the experience I had to contribute, was considered to be of value by the business that I worked for. I simply could not carry on.

When things were tough after my father in law's death last summer and I returned to work, with an obvious backlog caused by being away for a month, I was rewarded by another huge pile of work with deadlines. Being able to prioritise was fine, but the business wanted everything in A1 order NOW! asking for help was fine, the challenge was getting the help. I limbered on from June until the Autumn, when I was unwell. Then a change of line manager, excellent, an individual that might just understand, not only the challenges that I had personally faced, but also the challenges that the business was facing. Did he understand? No.

We had numerous conversations. The business hadn't failed, I had. There was huge unpleasantness. Not the ranting that you see on the soaps, but genuine honesty from myself to a rather hostile organisation representative - my line manager.

Over the last 3 years, since the company I worked for merged with a bigger, financially struggling one that is well known, I have seen more colleagues leave either through redundancy or simple exhaustion or "I give up". Once the decision to leave is known, the thumbscrews that have been in overdrive stop and no one talks to you and you are excluded. At that point there should be relief that the thumbscrews have stopped, but instead it is replaced by the constant looking over ones shoulder and wonder what is going to happen next, what will be sprung upon me?

I should say that colleagues that are still in the business have been great, as were the team I managed, the hostile treatment and behaviour doesn't come from the organisation building, the bricks and mortar, it comes from a deep inset belief that no one could possibly want to leave. You only leave if you are discarded. Which explains the feeling of being not valued.

The business likes to be in control, not just of the business rationale, but also of its staff. I don't mean running a tight ship, I mean a control that is actually not healthy, that is overbearing and very unpleasant, and I would call it industrial bullying.

I met and worked with some truly wonderful people, and made some great friendships, both with people still working for the business and those who have since moved on, and many of those friendships continue. It is the people that we meet along the way that make our day jobs enjoyable and a pleasure to do.

Regrets?.....my regret is that I didn't leave sooner.

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 2

After my Grandmother was forced from the family home she went to live with her sister Elsie and brother in law William Downes called Bill. They lived at Paynes Close in Guildford and I certainly don't remember this as a child.

Elsie and Bill had three children, all of whom kept in touch with my Grandmother and it has only been in very recent years that we have lost touch with one of the two remaining cousins. The eldest child was a boy called Ron. Incredibly tall and with, as my Grandmother always said Matthews features. The little girl standing is Mollie and the baby is Janet. So this photo dates from circa 1937-1938.

Mollie was always very shy, like her brother she never married and they both continued to live in the family home. After their mother died in 1981 and their father in 1985 they remained their together. They were all very generous with to our family and we would visit them and they us, yet the links that I personally felt was completely different to the links felt to my Grandfathers sisters.

Nonetheless, I was very sad to see that Ron had passed away when I came across his gravestone in the Cemetery at Stoughton Guildford in 2009.

Although by then, we had moved from Guildford one of last conversations that I had with Mollie was not to loose touch. We moved away in the Autumn of 1996 and sent and received Christmas cards in 1996. In 1997 I sent a card with a letter and did not receive a response. Every year I always sent a card and did not receive one in return then when I saw the headstone the silence was explained. I do still receive Christmas cards from Janet who has taken to signing it Auntie Janet and Uncle Mike and my questions in the cards as to Mollie always go unanswered.

Word count 315

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 1

I often remember the pain that I saw on my Grandmother face when she talked about the feelings she had for her brothers. It wasn't just pain, but an anguish and in some ways a disbelief that her own flesh and blood could behave in such a way.

After her parents died, her father in 1931 and her mother in 1937 my Grandmother, as the eldest daughter still living at home kept the family home running for her brothers. Her eldest sister, Elsie whom she was fairly close to was married and living in her own home, perhaps some of the brother were too, I don't recall my Grandmother saying and I have not checked my files. Anyway, she kept the house running for the boys as she called them and the house was rented I think from Franks the coal merchants who had their yard at the back of Guildford railway station.

One day she came back from shopping in town, remember this was the late 1930s and their were no fridges therefore shopping was done everyday, to find the furniture being loaded onto a coal truck. I am not sure about my Grandmother's personal effects, but she said when she asked her brothers what they were doing they said they had given the house up and moving out.

When I heard the story I truly felt her pain and anguish. How could they I asked? and her reply was because they cared for no one but themselves. My Grandmother after that time never had a good word to say about her brothers. She lost touch with brother Sid who was one of the youngest, although they did start writing again in later years, and her younger sister Dorothy rushed off to Wales...... I got the impression that the culprits of the furniture incident was the eldest brother Jim. As a result my Grandmother had no heirlooms from her family at all. She didn't really keep in touch with her brothers, although if she met them, or their families she would "speak to be civil, as not too would be as sinking as low as them" I can hear her saying that as I type.

For me this is a tragic story and piece of my family history and as a result family relationships were negligible and this continues to be the case. All my Uncles and Aunts have now passed away and this story is confined to the family history.

Word count 412.