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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Annie65115 on Sunday 20 December 09 18:12 GMT (UK)
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Well?
Obviously there's lots to choose from but if I could only meet one it would be my 2xgt-grannie Augusta.
I have so many questions to ask her. Could she describe to me her mother's illness that led her to spend the last 20 years of her life in the asylum? Was she aware that 2 generations before that, the family were very wealthy local bigwigs before illness and poverty (and possibly alcohol??) hit? What about her own illness, why was she too briefly in the asylum? What could she tell me about my gtgrandfather - the one who my gt-grandmother subsequently tried to divorce in 1914? Did she remember anything about my grannie as a child? Why did the family move so often? When did she decided to be known by her mother's name instead of her own?
With my medical hat on, I'd also like to know if there was any connection with her being wrongly registered as male at birth, and then with so many of her sons dying as babies- that might fit with a particular inherited syndrome which certainly doesn't seem to be in the family now (thank heaven!)
And I'd like to meet her as I'm somewhat in awe of the women like her who had terribly tough lives, lost so many babies to illness, outlived their husbands but somehow kept themselves and their families out of the workhouse.
Augusta died in 1910 so I can't even speak to anyone who knew her, I can only dream of all she could tell me. RIP, Augusta.
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I would like to meet my Great Grandmother, who died 5 years before I was born. Her parents divorced in 1906 after her father had been having an affair for several years.
Great grandmother met my great grandfather who was at least 34 years her senior, and although she had 4 children by him, she never appears to have married him. Was this because he already had a wife somewhere? Or because she didn't trust marriage after her parents experiences? By all accounts, her 'married' life was not pleasant, and certainly my grandmother could never say a good word about her father.
When great grandfather died, great grandmother was still a young(ish ;)), healthy and strong woman and so decided to see a bit of the world and travelled to Oz to work as a cook on a sheep ranch!
My father knew her well, and always admired and liked her. Unfortunately, he didn't think to ask her any questions about her married life ::) ;D and with the passing of my grandmother (who avoided answering any questions) we can only guess at her motives.
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Mine has to be wo sorry - but they are a couple!
My maternal gt-grandparents.
The Elusive Henry, and his equaly mysterious wife Planceana!
I would love to be able to ask Planceana:
If she knew where her name came from, its always fascinated me and why she hated it so much that she never used it (to the extent her daughter, my nana, only knew anout it when I told her!)
WHY she lied and used a false name on her marriage cert[/li]
Henry ........wow I have a long list for him!
Did he KNOW who his father was? because he gave his real fathers occupation on his marriage cert, with his grandfathers name as his fathers.
Did he actually know when he swore out the oath in front of the judge in 1903 that he wasnt born when or where he said he was on the oath.
Why did he always tell me nana he was an only child & his parents were dead - when he his mother was alive and he had 3 half brothers & a half sister living in the next county to where he lived.
Why did he move back to Norfolk (where he was born) from Lancashire where he was brought up, marry and when he was widowed move back up to Cheshire, and why cant I find his marriage or his 1st wifes death.
lol and HOW did he get away with being 10 years younger than he realy was! Looking at the only picture I have of him now he looks much older than he claimed to be!
cant think what else right now, but I have loads of things I would love to ask them!
Gaille
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There are oh so many.... but at the moment it would have to be my husband's 4 times Great Grandmother Annie HELLYER.
I would love to ask her about being on board the "Glen Huntley", the typhoid ship, which bought her from Scotland to Australia. Who was the man who paid to bring her out as one of the Bounty Immigrant girls ? All we have is his name....... was he a farmer, in business or what? Apart from her parents, what other family did she leave behind and where?
Also would love to know what really happened to her first husband Charles RUFF, why is there no death record for him and why there is no marriage record to her second "husband" Henry HELLYER? Did Charles leave her, or she him?
And is she the Annie HELLYER who keeps coming up in the Court Notes of the old Auckland newspapers, on charges of public drunkenness and nuiscance?
Guess I'll never know for sure, but it's fun to speculate.
Cheers
Karenlee
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For me, it's my 2x great Grandfather, William Nickolas.
His marriage certificate has NO information on it, his death cert says he was born "near Stockholm, Sweden", and his mother was Christina. No father listed. but the real conundrum is, why does it say on his death cert that he had no children?
So, I'd like to ask him, where was he born? What was his mother's maiden name. Does he know who his father was? Why does it say he had no children, if my great grandmother was present as a witness to his burial?
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Loads!!! But at the moment my 3XG granny Hannah - I'd like to know for sure if her parents were who I think they were, if her & Benjamin were an item for a time, if so did he father any of her kids, who were the fathers of her kids and generally what was her life like?
Also my great grandparents Billy & Rose, just cos I'd loved to have met them, and 2xG gran Margaret, to find out where the heck she came from exactly!!
and about 90 others! :D
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Ernest's mother......'cos she's the only one who knows who his father is!!!!
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Great question.
I am intrigued with my great grandfathers sister Annie Montgomery.
In Philadelphia with her husband she started to open her home to boarders, later moving to New Jersey buying a larger establishment and running the place on her own even after her husband passed away. She apparently purchased plots for a few friends and neighbours that couldn't afford too. And even raised one of her nieces, until she was too old to cope on her own.
She looks like a lovely kind soul (in her photos) and I would really like to know her philosophy on life as well as some family stories.
Lil
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My avatar; my gt.grandfather.....Russian John.
Was he Russian? If so what was his original name? Who were his parents? What about the alleged brothers Solly and David? Where did he meet gt.grandma?
So many questions.................. ::)
Nanny Jan
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Ernest's mother......'cos she's the only one who knows who his father is!!!!
Ditto! lol different Ernests tho'!
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Mine would be Morgan my greatx7 grandfather I would ask him who his parents are and where he came from, and Id tell him to stop using the patronymics system because it just makes my life so much harder! :D
Charles
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I would like to speak to my grgrandparents John and Marjory, as his real parentage died with him, so that I can find out who they were and what really happened.
marcie
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Ernest's mother......'cos she's the only one who knows who his father is!!!!
Hmmmmm...are you sure about that Barbara?? ;D ;D
Karenlee
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I would like to meet the one I cant find!!!!!!! my maternal grandmother who put her daughter my dear Mum into Holy Mount in Tottington.
Merry Christmas all
Sunnydays
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Does it have to be only one :( :'(
Ah well, if that is the choice I will go with Joseph Simpson, twin brother to my 2X gr grandmother. He had an interesting life here in Oz and I think he would be able to tell me all about the other siblings and about his travels to Oz (3 trips counted so far)
He could also tell me if he really did set fire to John Taylors Hay shed :o and was it a lucky break that he got off scott free.
Margaret
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If only one, mine would have to be my Greatgrandmother Margaret who came from Mayo to Bilston towards the end of the famine years. She married very young but their marriage lasted sixty years and they and had at least ten children. She died the year before my father was born.
I'd have so many questions to ask and hope that I could understand the answers as they spoke Gaelic at home.
First, I know nothing of her own family other than the name, so would have lots of questions to ask about them. Then what happened to her first daughter as she seems to have lost about three years somewhere in growing up. Where were the first two children in 1861? and what happened to her first son later? Did he go to America and if so, where? Were their neighbours of the same family name siblings of her husband? ... and the others nearby too? Did either of them leave family back in Ireland and if so, what became of them?
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If you could have more than one, say all of them and forget the difference in time dimensions, would that not be a great Christmas party?!!
I would be hoarse with all the questions and talking. You would learn so much, understand so much more than a history book can offer.
Just think about it, absolutely fantastic mind boggling :o :o :o
marjorie
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I would love to speak to my Gt Gt Grandmother, Hannah Austin to ask her who her daughter Mary Ann's father was. She had 2 illegitimate children and I would like to ask her if they were full or half siblings. Her son was named John Edward (known as Edward), she was listed as "former servant" in the 1861 census, the year she was pregnant with Mary Ann, so was there any connection to John Edward Brook who was the tenant of St Ann's Mill, in Kirkstall.
I would also ask her what led to her death from "Hepotic dropsy and coma" in 1871, which going from the medical dictionary could possibly have been alchohol related.
Do you think she'd tell me? My Dad says, I'd just get a clip over the ear.
Cheers,
Jill
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My gggrandfather, Edward Martin, round whom my worst brick walls cluster. I want to ask him where on earth he disappeared to after he went bankrupt in 1854, and when/where he died. I also want to ask him when and where his parents were born and baptised. They were Roman Catholic, and no records can be found of their origins.
MarieC