RootsChat.Com

Well done, Silvery.  I have to say that my ancestors were all hard working people.  They had to be. 

Imagine if all of them could come back to life for a one week holiday in 2012,  and have a family reunion to meet all their descendants over 200 years.   

There'd be hundreds and hundreds of them.  Plumbers, farmers, Beadles, housekeepers, tin miners to  tailors, horse drivers, shoemaker, firemen, sailors, etc.  All those skills and trades!!  And how many pasties did all my grandmothers roll out in their lifetimes?   :-))

In this fantasy, they would all re-enter the world wearing the style of clothing they wore.  They'd all have their accents, customs, beliefs, habits, and lifestyles.  And they'd enter a 21rst century ultra modern hotel in London or New York.  Computers, cars, television, room service, fancy restaurants, new technology.  The music, alone would be startling.  The short dresses and high heels women wear, today, would be shocking.   

They'd be in SHOCK.  When I think of my great great great grandmothers living in tiny row housing in Hayle or Cambourne, or on a farm in Gwinear, with all those children they had to raise with little help, no fans or air conditioning, and all the shoes they had to buy for them, it makes me realize how lucky we are, today.   

Wow, what a blast from the past this is.  There are some famous actors and actresses that are following their ancestral lines and going on vacations to re-trace their roots and also having DNA testing done.

One thing about Cornwall are the names.  I was spending days just looking at the free Cornish Census lists and perusing them until my eyes hurt.  What I couldn't believe is how many people had the same surnames.  And each family had about 5 - 10 family members.  There had to be some in-breeding going on with marrying cousins. 

There was more unwed mothers than we realized, too.  Like Jane who was lucky enough to be able to leave her father's farm with 3 children, and to marry the 'boy' next door. 

Have a wonderful day.  Hope you got some sleep.  It's 11:30 AM in New York and I'd better begin to make up for 29 days of having the whooping cough and get some chores done, and plant some peas in the garden. 

all the best for a very fine day,
Linda
 

I'm signing off for the night.  Been on this computer for days finding all the lost souls of my past.  I feel so oddly connected to them this week.  It has been a labor of love and an obsession to get to this point and I am very pleased with the progress.

Thanks again.

Sweet dreams.

Linda 

Hi Silvery,

I can't sleep either.  From the research I've done, all my ancestors were very "open" with their sexuality, it seems. I still can't find my grandfather Percival Powning Trestrail's father or his birth certificate from Feb. 26th 1885.  I see he lived with his grandparents and one of their daughter's.  My grandpa always talked about a Minnie Jenkins.  That must have been his mother who had him out of wedlock.  He was given her maiden name.  No frigid women in my lineage!!!!   Many got married at 15 and most had at least 5 children and even 10.  One of my ancestors from Cambourne had her 10th child at age 51.

And they lived in row houses with no gardens or back yards for the children to play.  I'd be nuts!!!  
lol

If you have some sleepy time tea like chamomile tea, it might help.  Or a hot bath.

I did not sleep again, last night.  But I managed to get out and buy a big oven roaster chicken on sale and a container of Breyer's Raspberry chocolate ice cream.  Maybe I'll pass out on sugar and too much food, tonight.  hahahahahhaa

Sleep well,
Linda  
Linda  

Hi Silvery,

Oh you are a genius.  Yes I love this site and the tools you are showing me to use.  I'm so grateful to you for that.   I'm not in a position to be paying ancestry.com $30 a month or whatever they are asking.

I took note that Jane's oldest son had a different last name.  It's not a common name like so many of the Cornish names are.  His name was Erskine.  So I Googled it and hoped that would be her maiden name but that doesn't make sense if her father's name is Hendra.  I've never heard of that surname in Cornwall.  I'll have to Google that one, too.

I also noticed that Jane was about 10 years older than John.  Maybe John figured that he didn't have to buy the cow to get free milk, BUT if he married Jane, he'd end up getting the 4 acre farm!!   :-)))

The 1881 census shows them with EIGHT kids - I guess 5 were his. 

I'm very pleased with the work that has been accomplished in the past 3 days.  I was diagnosed with WHOOPING COUGH and have been shut in for 29 days.  Finally at the hospital on March 17 for 11 hours and got the right meds to zap this nightmare bug.

Bless you, dear Silvery. 
Thanks so much.
Linda Trestrail