An ancestor's moment you'd like to have witnessed?

[chinakay]

Just got to thinking about this, due to a thread on the Photo board.

My dad was in the Royal Canadian Navy during the war. His brother was in the Black Watch.

So dad was on leave in London, wandering around Trafalgar Square, and who does he spot but his brother!

Of course during wartime, you aren't to tell anybody where you are, or even drop hints. So neither of them knew the other was going to be there.

Dad comes running up to his brother and jumps on him. They pound each other on the back so hard dad said they were both sore for a week.

How I'd love to have seen that! Here's a photo of them standing by the base of one of the lions.

So...any family moments you'd like to have witnessed? No honeymoons

Cheers,
China

[nickgc]

I'm a bit surprised no one has jumped on this thread yet... perhaps there are too many moments to choose a single one.

In that vein, I will say that I would very much like to witness the births of any and all of my brickwall ancestors to ask their parents, "Just what the heck are your names and the names of your parents?"

Nick

[PrueM]

Nice idea for a  thread, China! 

One moment I would like to have been able to witness would be the day my 4xgreat-grandmother Mary turned up at the Quarter Sessions court in Nottingham, wearing some of the clothes she had just been arrested for stealing   

Either she was very dumb, or very clever (and wanted to be arrested and transported to the colonies, as she was).  Either way, I'm glad she did it, otherwise I wouldn't be here 

Cheers
Prue

[Suzy W]

Very clever 4x granny.

I would love to know how my great grand father manage to have a affair with his wife's sister?
I think those wagon wheels must of been burning red hot between the houses they lived in.

Suzy W

[Gaille]

I would love to have been there the day 'the elusive Henry' (my Gt-Grandad) decided to completely leave his past behind & start a new life & deny the existance of his Mother, 3 half brothers & half sister.
(He told my Nana, his Daughter that he had NO family alive even tho all were still alive and living a few miles away)


LOL and - I would have really loved to have been at his wedding - so I could tell the registrar that:
The Groom wasnt named what he said he was
That his fathers name wasnt the one he gave
AND he wasnt born where or when he said .....................

ohhhhh AND just as an aside -
That the Brides given name isnt the one she is marrying as! ...........
(hehe n btw, shes 9 months so pregnant can you do birth registration too cos baby will be here in a day or two!)

lol n would this mean the marriage isnt legal???

Would have saved me 3 years searching if I had been there on the day!

[momo22]

I would love to have been there when my 4x grtgrandad decided to change his name from Edwin to Edward and back again on a whim for census, children's registrations, baptisms....... (unfortunately he had a really common surname) AND to tell his wife to always say she was married before when registering their childrens births

[Galium]

GGgrandmother Mary Ann lent a good dress to a neighbour so that she could attend a wedding.   The dress wasn't returned, and when Mary Ann met the neighbour brazenly   wearing it, she made her give it back, right there in the street!

[Jocie]

I would like to have been there when a 2x Great Uncles 15 year old son came home from boarding school for the Easter holidays and had to tell his father he'd got the headmasters daughter pregnant.
Whoops
Jo

[Willow 4873]

I would like to have been there when my grandad got arrested for climbing onto the back of Prince Alberts statue (the man on the 'oss) whilst he was drunk if only to see how he got up there as he was only 5'

Maybe he broke the reins but I dont think he was responsible for the paper bin lol

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/listed/princealbert.htm

Willow x