Author Topic: Why are the dead so interesting?  (Read 6782 times)

Offline coombs

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #27 on: Saturday 10 March 18 19:06 GMT (UK) »
And it is surprising how we underestimate how people moved around. Of course not as much as today but often our ancestors did move around, they went where the work was. If you find for instance a Lancashire surname in 1700s Suffolk then it may mean they moved there. Maybe a Lancs soldier was in the army, left and settled in Suffolk, or was a fisherman on the Suffolk coast and settled there. Or they were the son or grandson/daughter of a vicar who was transferred to Suffolk.
Researching:

LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain

Offline Mike Morrell (NL)

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #28 on: Saturday 10 March 18 23:09 GMT (UK) »
I dip into ancestry a couple of times a year. It's not an ongoing hobby. Three things make it interesting for me:
  • finding out where my ancestors (geographically) came from (Wales, Devon, Ireland)
  • discovering more about local (and national) history through the personal 'stories' of my ancestors
  • getting a sense of how it would be like to live 200 years ago
Photo restorers may re-use and improve on my posted versions. Acknowledgement appreciated.

Offline Rena

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #29 on: Sunday 11 March 18 00:27 GMT (UK) »
And it is surprising how we underestimate how people moved around. Of course not as much as today but often our ancestors did move around, they went where the work was. If you find for instance a Lancashire surname in 1700s Suffolk then it may mean they moved there. Maybe a Lancs soldier was in the army, left and settled in Suffolk, or was a fisherman on the Suffolk coast and settled there. Or they were the son or grandson/daughter of a vicar who was transferred to Suffolk.

Definitely some names give a clue - my 18th century family soldier brought a bride with a southern given name back up north with him.   I'd like to extend on your thoughts coombs but this time on movement of single girls.  It's on such puzzling occasions that I mentally thank my primary school teacher for persisting in teaching us youngsters how to work out and solve those awful maths "Problems".  It's understandable that men moved around but how and why would a young working girl move away from home. I use the surroundings such as those described on Genuki for clues.  I have one such girl married in London away from her family in Yorkshire in the late 1700s but dead before the first census.  The answer was that she worked in the "big house" for the local estate owner and travelled down to London with the rest of the household whenever the master & mistress moved between their houses.On one occasion she met & married a 'servant' coachman.  I've found other young girls moved away from their home town across county borders and discovered that there was usually a familial connection that caused  their movement, such as an extended family member with a different surname had recommended a teaching job, or a domestic servant position.
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Offline Jed59

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #30 on: Sunday 11 March 18 01:06 GMT (UK) »
It (FH) has also been described as "The democratisation of history"   All   very well   learning about   kings and queens  etc , and battles.. but who  were the  poor  ......s  that did   all the real work? 
I remember  Jeremy Paxman  on  an early WDYTYA, was absolutely seething at the way his ancestor had been referred to as "your  pauper"  and treated accordingly.   If you do not  learn from history, you are condemned to repeat  it!


Offline Rena

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #31 on: Sunday 11 March 18 02:25 GMT (UK) »
It (FH) has also been described as "The democratisation of history"   All   very well   learning about   kings and queens  etc , and battles.. but who  were the  poor  ......s  that did   all the real work? 
I remember  Jeremy Paxman  on  an early WDYTYA, was absolutely seething at the way his ancestor had been referred to as "your  pauper"  and treated accordingly.   If you do not  learn from history, you are condemned to repeat  it!

I'm passionate about the little man too, although I think it began when I read the announcement of my father's death in the magazine his company published.  Usually a death was reported with a potted history of the ex worker's time at the company but all my father got was the notice of his death, no mention of his occupation, or patents, etc.  He had a massive turnout of his co workers at his funeral for which I shall be eternally grateful. 

Thus, all my ancestors and some of their siblings have notes about their lives. Great aunts supplied me with snippets about their grandparents and other kin, such as education, how low the ceilings were, flagged floors, musical instruments played, parties held, how 2d a week pocket money was spent, catching wild birds to supplement their diet, etc., but those born earlier than the 1850s I've had to research information about their homes and livelihoods including their employers or partners in some cases.

I've had some hard lessons too - and that's not to trust online family tree facilities. I had my father's main paternal line goig back to the 1700s on gencircles, another lady was doing a one name study of the name and she had hers on there too but she didn't have the personal notes that mine had.  One day gencircles disappeared and the new owners informed me they'd only bought the name, thus my tree had vanished.
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Offline Flattybasher9

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #32 on: Sunday 11 March 18 06:45 GMT (UK) »
Come on, lets face it, the ancestors are just "dying" to tell us about our history.  ::) ::) ::)


Malky

Offline Rena

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #33 on: Sunday 11 March 18 12:14 GMT (UK) »
Come on, lets face it, the ancestors are just "dying" to tell us about our history.  ::) ::) ::)
Malky

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yeah, the deadwood wouldn't they
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie:  Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke

Offline Flattybasher9

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #34 on: Sunday 11 March 18 12:39 GMT (UK) »
"Yeah, the deadwood wouldn't they"

Yes, stage by stage  ::) ::) ::)

Malky

Offline Mike in Cumbria

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Re: Why are the dead so interesting?
« Reply #35 on: Sunday 11 March 18 12:45 GMT (UK) »
Whip that crack away.