Nikki-ann : Journal

27th August 2007

Monday - 8.45pm : I seem to have been neglecting my journal lately. I've just been busy with work and then tired in the evenings. Time seems to fly by when you're run off your feet!

Something else keeping me busy... I recently signed up for a distance learning course in Digital Photography. I've got 2 years to complete the course, which gives me around 2 months to get each module finished. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it as it's something I've been meaning to do for a while now (although I must admit that my timing could have been better since work is so busy at the moment).

August Bank Holiday weekend is nearly at an end, but I have been out & about a bit. Saturday was quite a hot day, so we waited for the cool temperatures of the early evening before going for a drive. We headed up into the Kerry Hills. You can see for miles in most directions (as you can see in the photo below).

"View from Kerry Hills"

Looking towards Montgomery and Churchstoke.

We then took a walk up Roundton Hill near Churchstoke. It's beautiful landscape (as is the rest of this area) and you can see half the country from up there. Although, I must admit something... I only made it halfway up! In my defence, the path isn't the easiest to get up (lame excuse, I know!). I'm going to try again another day.

Yesterday was a lazy day for me. The highlight of the day was watching the Turkish F1 Grand Prix. However, I was practically jumping up & down shouting "No!" at the TV when Lewis Hamilton's tyre blew, but at least he managed damage limitation and still finished in the points (and Fernando Alonso finished 3rd, so another bonus for McLaren).

I had a nice slow start to the day today with a bit of a lie-in. After an early lunch my parents & I drove over to see Nan & Granddad as it's his birthday this week. He'd told us all not to buy him anything, but we, of course, ignored that instruction! We're all going out for a meal next weekend too, so it won't be long before we see them again.

We then headed further into deepest darkest Shropshire, through the lanes below Brown Clee hill. Part of my family come from this area and the hamlets & villages are so beautiful and untouched. We first stopped in Clee St. Margaret, a hamlet where there in an unusual ford. Instead of the stream just crossing the road (what usually happens with a ford), here the stream not just crosses it but flows down the road for a bit before continuing on it's course. So for those not in the know it looks like the lane is flooded! We took a walk around St. Margaret's churchyard. I have ancestors buried there, but sadly in unmarked graves. Nan knows where the graves are, so I think I found them from her description.

We then headed over the hill to another beautiful village, Stoke St. Milborough. Again, I have at least one ancestor buried there in an unmarked grave. Beads hang around the little church gate, I'm not sure whether they were deliberately left there or whether they were found and are waiting to be collected (see the pictures below).

Now I'm back at home and already thinking about being back at work tomorrow. Thankfully, it's a short week and I'm looking forward to the weekend. Firstly, there's the meal with my Grandparents and I'm also hoping to go to a local food fair.

On the family history side of things... I managed to find the right death certificate for my Great Great Grandmother Sarah. What puzzles me about it is the cause of death. The certificate states the cause of death as "Decline". What does that mean? Obviously, her health must have been in decline, but why? She was only 34.

Thanks to Kimm, Cyberevolution, Bob-kat, Andrea, Long Day With Short People and Rashbre for commenting on the last post.

19th August 2007

Sunday - 4.15pm : I was right about my Great Grandfather Thomas re-marrying after the death of my Great Grandmother Sarah. However, I had picked the wrong death certificate for Sarah, so I have sent off for another that will hopefully match.

One thing I've come across while working on my family history is the amount of people who are called by their middle name rather than their first name. It's something that can become confusing when doing research. It seems to be quite common, especially in all sides of my family. Only this week I realised that several of Nan's sisters weren't called my their first names and I only found out when I was trawling through the birth indexes. A quick phone call to Nan confirmed what I'd discovered. Sometimes you really do have to push for such basic information such as somebody's real name. I often find if you don't ask you don't get, but then that is a common theme in life.

Once again the internet has connected me with family. Last year Genes Reunited enabled me to get in contact with a second cousin and his wife and I didn't even know they'd existed until then. We even had copies of the same old photos. This time Genes Reunited and Facebook have connected me with cousins who I haven't seen since I was knee high to a grasshopper.

Anyway, that's all from me for now. I'd just like to send my best wishes and thoughts to a friend who has been rushed into hospital.

Thanks to Jean-Luc Picard, BreadBox, OldOld Lady Of The Hills, Expat Mom, Bob-Kat, Apple, Natalie, SNiP and Andrea.

5th August 2007

Sunday - 3.25pm : Ever since discovering my Great Great Grandfather Thomas I'd wondered what had happened to him after 1871. I knew he was still alive in 1897 as he was noted so on his daughter's marriage certificate. He had a very common name, but the name of his birth place wasn't so common.

Early on I had ruled out a Thomas married to Susannah (or Susan) in census records post 1871, because my Great Great Grandfather was married to Sarah. Recently I looked a little closer into that Thomas who was married to a Susannah. His occupation was a "Brewer" as was that of my Great Great Grandfather in a previous census. His birth place was Castle Caereinion, the same as my Thomas. Do you see where I'm going? Then I spotted that this Thomas had a step-daughter - his wife had probably been married before and so it's possibly this Thomas may also have been married before. I'd ruled this Thomas out long ago, now all of a sudden the pieces of the puzzle were falling together.

I did more research. Maybe my Great Great Grandmother Sarah had died after 1871, which would have left Great Great Grandfather Thomas free to remarry. I found a number of Sarah's who had died in the area between 1871 and 1881, so I noted them down. Next I searched the BMD records for Thomas marrying between 1871 and 1881. Again I found a number of them and noted them down. Next up I searched for a Susannah marrying in the area between 1871 and 1881. The only surname I had for Susannah prior to her marrying this Thomas was that of her daughter. I looked at the results and matched 2 marriage records. I then looked back at the death results for Sarah, looking for a death before the marriage of Thomas and Susannah. Bingo! So I've now ordered the marriage certificate and the death certificate, and I'm just waiting for them to arrive to comfirm my thoughts.

I want to take a day off work to go to Shropshire Archives sometime soon. I want to have a look through the Shropshire County Quarter Sessions. I recently found a reference to an inquest regarding a deceased male infant with a family surname. I then came across another reference to the same inquest, but this time it was under my Great Great Grandfather Joseph's name (as the father of the deceased child). As neither reference gives no name for the child I think the child may have been stillborn, but I won't be sure until I see the records. There's one or two other things I'd like to see while I'm there.

Thanks to David in the Mountains, Kenju, Karen, Andrea, Bob-kat, Daystar, Miss M, Old Old Lady of the Hills, Skye, Shopper and Lissy for commenting.