Genealogy helped me plan better to ensure I leave something behind for my children and Grandchildren. A lesson to be learned here.
Back in the 1700s one of my ancestral lines were filthy rich with loads of properties and income from lands. They lived in grand houses and inter married into very wealthy, similar families. Generally they had a jolly good time doing nothing but mix with the gentry and inherit the money left to them by their hardworking, astute forefathers.
But they were a fickle lot and not very good business men. Loads of the money got squandered on gambling at cards and race horses, drinking and making merry, investing in business enterprises that were doomed to disaster, paying out compensation to others who shared in their losses.
But much more was lost in marriages, where the females of this line either got dumped by the husband (for being a bad wife or too ugly or not being exciting enough) or carelessly died in child birth (
)
And the males married unwisely, then because of their unhealthy life style died of apoplexy, leaving a rich widow who remarried out of the family and took the money with her and she would die in childbirth too.
Did the husband give the dowry back to the family? Not likely he hot footed it to the next wealthy widow or eligible lady with plenty of financial backing.
By the late 1800s rather than being landowners my lot were poor agricultural labourers, peasants and work house dwellers.
So learning a lesson from all this selfishness in the past, I have ensured that all my hard earned cash will not by squandered and have set up small trust funds for each of my children and grandchildren.
Then I will be able to rest in peace when my time comes
Oh and they will have my family tree work so they can learn the lesson too.
Here endeth the genealogy lesson.
Pennine
