In Search Of The Past ...

I have absolutely surpassed myself tonight, and I'm feeling smug as anything ... Mum has got the bug back for researching the family tree over the past couple of days, and her enthusiasm kick started mine. I decided that instead of continuing to trace the maternal line, I'd make a start on finding out something about my GranGran's ancestry. I am absolutely blown away by how much information I've managed to find in just one evening.

My GranGran's name was George Thomas Clark (isn't he handsome?) ... now that Mum has finally got around to giving me viewing privileges on what she's got on Genes Reunited, I could see that she'd taken it back as far as Her Greatgrandfather (Harry), but that was it. I have managed to find and upload the names and years of birth of Harry's siblings (3 brothers, 1 sister); the names and years of birth of Harry's children (5 boys and 2 girls), including lots of detail about George, Harry's second son who is father to MY George (does that make sense?) . I've also managed to find the names and relevant dates for Harry's parents, and although I couldn't be sure about the maiden name of his Mother (my greatgreatgreat Grandma), a chance discovery on the 1871 census confirmed it for me. Anyway, I now have the Clark line dating back to 1817, and hopefully I'll be able to find some more information tomorrow.

I was very interested to discover that the Clark family seem to have originated in Aylesbury, coming to London sometime in the 1870s (I think). Harry (my GG-Grandfather) appears to have married a London girl, and I wonder if that was why they moved here. I have a good friend/ex-colleague who lives in Aylesbury now ... wouldn't it be spooky if it turned out that he lived in the house that my ancestors had? Unlikely, but!

Add to that the fact that the Carr line (maternal Grandma) originated in the Brighton/Hove area, and my Cockney accent seems to be diminishing fast ...

From the census records that I've printed off, there seems to be a lot of mention of the males in the Clark family being brickmakers, so there's more research to be done there, I think.

All this family history research brings home to me again just how important scrapbooking is ... I just don't know where to go to look for more tangible information about how life was back then; or to get any sort of understanding of why they came to London etc. It makes me miss my Grandparents more and more when I realise that they would have had a lot of the answers that I crave. Then of course I get on to thinking about times spent with them when I was little ... the biggest treat in the world was staying over at their house in the little bedroom that used to be Mum's, with the Thelwall print on the wall. Bacon sandwiches for breakfast, and GranGran taking me to the shop across the road to get a can of Fresca and a packet of Tooty Frooties. Rolling down the grass (it sloped a little); jumping over the sprinkler on the lawn on hot days. The smell of GranGran's shed at the bottom of the garden ... the ditch beyond the back fence (it stank!) ... the plum trees in the garden ... I could go on and on forever remembering such precious things.

Speaking of precious things, we think that Ethan might be coming down with chickenpox. One of his little friends at nursery has it, and we think it's imminent in our little man. Both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings he was asleep on the couch within about 20 minutes of getting home (he's generally the sort of little monkey that would still be going at 2.00 am given the chance). This morning he seemed very different ... absolutely no expression on his little face, and whimpering that he was tired and didn't want to get up (after sleeping straight through from 6.00 pm). Apparently he didn't eat his breakfast at nursery (they always know he's ill if he won't eat), and they had to cajole him to eat his dinner. Tonight he slept from about 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm ish, woke up and had a few chips with us and has been bouncing around. I think he's got a very slight rash on his belly and back (it's hard to tell in artificial light), so we'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.