If it was possible to visit one ancestor tomorrow - would it be an easy choice?

[Regorian]

This opportunity would be perfect for me. 1740's Mitcheltroy Mon. one family and one man. Father, John born 1702 died 1749, mother Hannah. Don't know now when and where they were married and don't know mothers maiden name. We are descended from one of their male children.

He would have known about our family going back to 1690's in Llandogo Mon. Cousin employed a genealogist to take back my researches from 1740's to 1690's only limited by lack of earlier parish registers.

 

[Chilternbirder]

It would be difficult, perhaps go back to Scotland and have my portrait done by my ggg uncle William.

[Finley 1]

It would be difficult, perhaps go back to Scotland and have my portrait done by my ggg uncle William.

Lucky you


I love his paintings especially,   Elizabeth Ann Edgar, that at one time I hoped to be a family member... but uncertain.


xin

[coombs]

If it was just one ancestor then I think I would choose Sarah Bradford, formerly Coombs, nee Unknown. I did find out that her first hubby George Coombs, my ancestor, came from Dorset originally and they were in London by 1812 when he was a coachman in Holborn, according to his first sons baptism. It has given me an idea as to where Sarah was from but if they met in London then she could have come from anywhere. I suppose the fact she said she was not born in county (Middlesex) in 1841 and died by 1851 gives me something to think about. Where in England did she originate? She may have been from London but from the what was then the Surrey area of London (Lambeth, Southwark).

[River Tyne Lass]

http://milin.net/genealogy/genealog/Letsuse/witnwisdom.html

Thanks for posting this great poem Jaybelnz - I have seen this before I think on the link above.  I also like some other poems on this link - including the 'Census Taker.'. I am sure when our ancestors gave census information all those years ago they would have had no idea just how much we descendants would value this in years to come.

Xinia, I am greedy too.  It would be hard to limit myself to just one ancestor if I could time travel.  I think I could narrow it down to between two.  If this was a real possibility I would have to give very serious thought to this if I was limited to only one.  I think I would also have to work out a list of questions.  It would be awful to return and think .. oh no! I forgot to ask ...

Chirp, I think I would like to be shown my ancestors work/trades too.  It would be interesting to be shown how to make a besom, or how to pilot a boat on the Tyne or how to do blacksmith work etc.

I am enjoying reading all the interesting and amusing posts on this thread.  These are certainly giving me a lot of food for thought and these are certainly stimulating my imagination.

[Finley 1]

I have decided it would be my wonderful Nan .. I KNOW that lady loved me xx as much as I love her always



xin

[jaybelnz]

I just followed you  link RTLass,  WOW - what a treasure house.  Thank you for the link. 👍👍🌺

[Tickettyboo]

Hi RTL

No contest here, without a doubt I'd plump for a day with my maternal Granda, my childhood best friend, teller of stories, singer of songs and the bestower of the bestest whiskery hugs and kisses.

 Am smiling at the link with the quotes and poems, I resisted genealogy for a long time, I knew it would be addictive and take up SO much time, then I thought I'd just peek and the rest, as they say, is history :-)

Obsession
by Tickettyboo, aged never grew up

I've gorn and dunnit, silly me
I'm now researching my family tree
I really wish I'd never looked
Cos now I am totally, utterly hooked

I got a subcription to Ancestry
(I'm even transcribing for free bmd)
Tracing dead rellies with anticipation
But my lot had got no imagination!

Generations of Georges and Williams and Johns
Grandas and Dads and then the sons
They had lots of children, (none of them barren)
Oh how I yearn to find a Darren!

All the Johns married Mary Anns
(I suppose it saved rewriting the banns)
and every blooming Isabella
Found a George to be her fella.

From Shetland to Northumberland
They moved around to toil on the land
Life was hard, don’t think it was fab
In 1860 as an 'Ag. Lab.'

Another branch of these past folks of mine
Spent their lives on the banks of the Tyne
I've now got proof, it was no myth
GG Granda was an anchorsmith.

Grandma was a bit po-faced
She always seemed so straight laced
Athletically now, I just can't fault her
That was quite some dash she made to the altar!

Lets not forget the tears which were cried
For babies born who, too soon, died
I think of their parents so forlorn
With such a hard life, was there time to mourn?

But though it was hard they just kept going
Moving round for work, to-ing and fro-ing
Its fun learning about the past folk who
Were the ancestors of this little Boo

Boo

[River Tyne Lass]

Boo!  This is fantastic!  What a wonderful poem you have penned!  I am going to write this down when I get home.  I am very privileged that you have put your own poem on here.   I am sooo pleased I started this thread! 

Genealogy is addictive.  I think some people are more prone to becoming addicted.  I think people like myself with vivid imaginations and love of story telling and who have had someone in their past who may have triggered a love of history.  My Dad is the one I credit in my life for this.  He was a great story teller and used to take me around places with family connections including grave yards!  I remember him taking me to visit the miners' memorial at Earsdon as a child and my Grandfather's grave with no gravestone at Annitsford, St John RC.  We also had his Uncle John's war memorial plaque on our wall in the kitchen.  I would go on to research this in later years.

I started on family history tentatively in the Easter Holidays of 2013.  I just wrote down a few names and information from the Census with regard to a Great Grandfather's family.  Then I started again in 2014.  I thought that I would get my family tree 'done' that year.  I didn't realize at that point that I could not get this done and dusted in one year only!  In reality, I now think this will be a lifetime interest.  In my case, I had no idea at the start how addictive I was going to find this.  In 2014 I had some mind-blowing successes and became totally hooked! 

Regarding poems I am going to write a little ditty below which I wrote as a child - I think I may have been about twelve.  I even had a tune which I used to sing this to.  As a child I used to love to pretend I was married to the boy next door and had lots of children.  However, I also used to like to pretend I was a gypsy travelling all over the countryside in a caravan.  I could visualize country lanes, rivers etc and imagine myself in a caravan being pulled by a horse.  Then when I started family history research I discovered that one branch of my family tree on my Dad's side had in fact been Irish travelers!  I wonder if there is a hidden memory in the DNA.  This is the ditty:

'Sitting by the river, gazing at the stars
Wondering how far I've travelled
I'm here without a care
Come rain or shine
All of my troubles have unraveled
It's a fine life to be free
And the free life is for me
I wouldn't give it up at any cost
And as I like to roam
And I have no proper home
There's never any chance of getting lost!

(In reality, I had no proper 'troubles' and of course, did have a 'proper home'. )

My Grandson, is a baby and has not yet reached his first birthday.  However, when he gets older I am going to share my love of family history with him and take him around places with family connections as my Dad did with me.  Hopefully, he will also become an addicted family genealogist like me!

Thanks again, Boo for posting your poem.  I love it!  What a treat to come on here and read this with a smile.