Week 26 - Black Sheep - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 26 is the half-way point to the 52 Ancestors challenge, and I am surprised by how much this challenge has made me think.  The prompt this week is black sheep, and every family has at least one or two - family members who 'disappeared' into the prisons or asylums, were 'encouraged' to emigrate or at least move to another part of the country, or about whom stories were whispered by the older generation.

My family is no exception.  I have stories of illegitimate children, uncles who emigrated to Canada or the United States after a scandal, two ancestors who died in asylums and a few fascinating stories played out in the newspapers.  Sometimes it is the black sheep who leave behind the best stories and generate more records for us to find than their law-abiding relatives.

Two of my direct ancestors, William Mothersole and James Cocksedge (who became brothers-in-law when William married one of James's sisters) both had the reputation of hard drinkers and appeared several times in local newspapers on charges of bring drunk and disorderly.  Below is one example of their misbehavior while intoxicated, causing a disturbance in a local pub.

Bury and Norwich Post, Tuesday 22 September 1863

Apparently the two were friends from childhood and could cause quite a disturbance when they got drunk, and they were inevitably together when they found themselves in trouble.  While not terribly 'black' sheep, they must have been quite a trial to their families and twice found themselves serving time in goal when unable to pay fines imposed by the courts.

Week 25 - Same Name - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 25 in Same Name - and once again I am behind with these posts.
Names are such a vital part of our family history, and one which causes no end of problems.  The spelling of names, changing names, repeating names through the generations - they all have the potential to trip up the wariest of researchers.
As I have discovered my family history, one habit I have found again and again is the habit of reusing the name of a child who has died with the next born infant of the same gender.  In one or two cases, a name has been used several times in one family before finally a child survived infancy - and it adds another dimension to the challenge of tracing the family.
My 4x great-grandfather John Green was born 24th July 1760 in Fordham, Essex and died 25 October 1808, also in Fordham.  He had two brothers named Isaac, both of whom died in infancy.  The first brother was born 5 June 1761 and died just three days later on 8 June 1761.  The name was then given to the next son, Isaac born 7 April 1765 and died 6 March 1766.
John Green then went on to name his third son Isaac, after his two brothers.  My 3x Great-grandfather Isaac Green was born in 1792 in Fordham (the Green family lived in the village for several generations).  He married Betsy (Elizabeth) May 7th November 1816 in her home village West Mersea, Essex and died 18th September 1882, again in Fordham.  Together he and Betsy had 10 children, two of whom were called Isaac.
Their third child, and first son Isaac was born 25th March 1821, and died 20 March 1823.  Just months later Betsy gave birth to twins, Isaac and Joseph, on 14th June 1823.  This Isaac lived into his eighties, and died 21 December 1904.
With so many boys named Isaac in just a few generations (not to mention a few cousins and second cousins who also bore the same name) making sure that the information I find is actually relevant to the correct man is a challenge. Several time I have gone chasing an Isaac Green only to find he is a cousin or uncle of the man I am trying to research.  It all adds to the challenge and makes me take extra care in checking my facts.

GRO England and Wales extends PDF Pilot

The GRO of England and Wales has been piloting a service providing PDF copies of historical birth and death records. The pilot, originally extended to July 2018, has now been extended further to continue to assess longer term demand and there is no planned end date at this time.  Currently the service does not cover marriage records at all.

Applications for PDF’s cost £6, must be made online and include a GRO index reference. England and Wales records available in this extended pilot include:

• Births: 1837 –1917
• Deaths: 1837 –1957

National Family History Month

August is National Family History Month and once again Campaspe Regional Library will be offering a number of talks throughout the month.  Bookings are now open on our homepage, or the check out all the wonderful offerings around the country check out the National Family History Month website.

Below are the sessions we are offering at our library branches across the Shire.

WDYTYA Magazine

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available to download and read electronically free via RB Digital for our Campaspe Library members.

Inside this month's issue

• FamilySearch
  Sharon Hintze reveals how you can discover your ancestors for free on the world's biggest family history website
• Series 15 preview
  Jonathan Wright gets an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse of the must-see latest series of Who Do You Think You Are?
• Uncover your Irish family
  Nicola Morris, Irish expert on Who Do You Think You Are?, shows how to trace your forebears in Ireland
• Pleasure boating
  Caroline Roope explains why our Victorian ancestors loved to spend their summers on the water
• Beach photographs
  Jayne Shrimpton gives her top tips for dating your family's holiday snaps
• Plus...
  The best websites for tracing Boer War soldiers; using DNA Painter; the lives of ancestors who worked as paper-makers, and much more...

Week 24 - Father's Day - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 24 is Father's Day, and like Mother's Day in Week 19, it was a special day in the family calendar.
Father's Day was probably less stressful for Dad than Mother's Day was for my mother, as it didn't involve children invading his domain and creating a mess.  Like Mother's Day, Father's Day involved a special breakfast followed by handmade cards and handmade gifts, after which Dad usually disappeared into his shed and his garden.  As my sister and I grew older the gifts generally improved, although Dad always insisted that he didn't want a fuss, didn't want presents, didn't need anything and we weren't to waste our money.  We always made a fuss, however, and I think Dad looked forward to his special day each year.

The Green family c1974

Even after we left home, we always acknowledged Father's Day and tried to make it home whenever we could.  Father's Day when we couldn't make it back was somewhat problematic, as Dad was profoundly deaf and virtually never used the telephone, so it was generally up to Mum to relay messages and pass on our thanks and good wishes.
Gifts for Dad were often practical - knitted gloves and beanies, books and magazines, plants and goodies for his garden.  Usually a cake was made at home (with Mum's help until we grew older) and iced and decorated with much more enthusiasm than skill.  It was still a chance to say thanks to Dad, for whom family was the most important thing in his life, and acknowledge how much he did for us.

Week 23 - Going to the Chapel - 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 23 - Going to the Chapel - immediately brings to mind the church my father's family regularly attended in Fordham, Essex. 

Old postcard featuring Fordham Church

Fordham All Saints church was build in approximately 1340 and restored in 1861.  In 1965 it was designated a Grade 1 listed building.  It was my father's family church for many generations and their home was only a few minute's walk away.

Chelmsford Chronicle, Friday 1 Jan 1904

As in many small villages, the Church was at the centre of village life.  Many of the records I have for my family centre around the church - baptisms, weddings, funerals, Sunday School, fundraising and poor relief - and several such events were not only to be found in the church records but also reported in local newspapers, such as the funeral above.

Fordham Church - several of the old headstones belong to my Green family 

It is wonderful that the old church still stands and is used today by new generations, and I hope one day to make the journey back to England and visit it myself.