Question that keeps me awake at night

[madfan]

Hi all,

One of the (many) questions that keeps me awake at night is:

If I could meet one of my ancestors who would it be?

Well I think I have finally decided that it would be my gg grandmother. She wasn't famous or had an exciting occuption or anything like that but I would like to ask her what it was like to have all those children (including triplets), how did they manage? how dd she feel about all the changes that would have been happenng around her and around the world during her life time, things like that really. I think one of the reasons that I choose her is that I have photos, so (rightly or wrongly) knowing what she looked like seems to have made her more 'real' to me I suppose.

Who would you choose? 

[*sara*]

i would choose my maternal ggrandfather, i have a photo of him holding me but he died when i was a couple of months,  i have photos and all his war medals.  i feel i know him but I would love to ask him about his life, in the war and in an orphanage.  some people you feel empathy with - even if you don't know them!

[Lydart]

My maternal Great Grandmother ... she was married at 15; had 13 children, and was obviously a strong and determined character from what I was told as a child.  She passed on her strong will to my grandmother, mother and I think to me ... so where did she get that fighting spirit from ?  Her mother ?  Her grandmother ?  I'd love to be able to talk to her and find out where the Suffragette spirit came from !

[cheshiremog]

Well I am just greedy - I would really love to meet them all.  Since being a small child I have dreamed of visiting the past even for just a day.

But if I have to choose one - then it would be my maternal grandmother, who we alway thought was Irish and apparently spoke with a strong Irish accent - but it turned out she was born in Devon to an Army family of Irish descent. She had an illegitimate child with an unknown partner, then had a further eleven children out of wedlock because her second partner could not divorce, then she deserted all of her chidren and had the cheek to marry as a spinster to her third partner,having one further child. Thirteen in all.
Her very first child apparently 'went mad and died' - whatever that means ?
I wonder what really drove her to it? I often wonder why.

[XPhile2868]

Probably my maternal grandmother who died quite young in 1968 of a brain haemorrhage. Shes the only grandparents I never met.

Stephen

[Springbok]

Quite striking that for all, so far, it is a female ancestress that one would most like to meet.

I knew  my own paternal Gran(b.1890) and  both of my husbands Gran's. One (1874)had been deserted with 2 teens and a 3 yr.old.The other(b.1856) had, had 13 children and a myriad of ggreat grandchildren,. Both had had tough lives but still thought modern life (in the 1950's) was not so challenging/ interesting/exciting  as the Victorian era to the 1920's .

Their stories were so interesting and really probably to our modern views ,they were just not particularly bothered about  their GGreat or whatever grandchildren.. I always had the feeling that their attitude was  "We have had a hard life and done our best , but really not concerned about the next" gen"

Oddly I am getting to that stage now, my children are in their 40's and their sprogs nearly leaving home. and suddenly there is a feeling that the world and it;s problems is someting that is their problem! We have done our best ( more than likely failed )

Our ancestors did their best to survive, as we have done, and that probably is only what we can ask of of our ancestors "just how did you survive"?

Spring

[sallysmum]

It would have to be my maternal gt grandfather.  He signed up as a soldier in 1864 and served 20 years in various places such as Gibralter, Ireland, India and South Africa.  He picked up and married a welsh lass on route (altho prior to that, according to his military records, he picked up a couple of bouts of VD - the old dog!)  Altogether a very fascinating chap.  Oh yes, I would ask him the big question - where was he born and who were his parents, because I'm damned if I can find him!

Sallysmum

[madfan]

 Oh yes, I would ask him the big question - where was he born and who were his parents, because I'm damned if I can find him!

Sallysmum

 If only we could do that  think of all those broken brick walls!

Since being a small child I have dreamed of visiting the past even for just a day.

Cheshiremog - Snap, but don't get me started on time travel, thats another question that keeps me awake at night! I'm sure I used to sleep better before I started all this family research malarky!

We had a similar experience to you in that my mum always thought her grandma was Irish, she said she used to imagine her coming off the boat to England when she was little etc. Well it turned out she was born about 6 miles away from my mum.

Thanks everyone for your interesting replies and sleep well!

Zoe

[cheshiremog]

just out of interest Sallysmum, what was your maternal Gt grandfather's name? Who did he marry? Where did he sign up? What was his given age at any one time? What regiment was he with? Are there any census details at all?
You never know, a fresh pair of eyes and all that.