If you could shout at someone from the past....

[Greensleeves]

I would like to ask my 9x gt grandfather, one John Pearle of Rattlesden, Suffolk why, when his eldest son Thomas died in 1649 leaving a widow and six children, did he make a new will leaving everything to his surviving son, and making no provision whatsoever for Thomas's widow and children?   The surviving son had married well and he and his side of the family subsequently prospered.  But for the descendants of Thomas, they spent the following two hundred years  being humble Ag Labs, with occasional recourse to the workhouse, until the arrival of the railways went some way to restoring their prosperity.

[Maiden Stone]

I'd have a serious conversation with a relative of a daughter-in-law of 4x great-grandparents about his plantation and his slaves in Jamaica. He must have died by 1793; his widow re-married then. My concern would probably mystify him. 

[kooky]

I would like to ask my grandmother's sister, Kathleen [known as Kit] Boshell who her mother was! GT GR mother died 5 years earlier

I would also  like to ask my grandfather's brother Hugh Alexander Kane who his wife was.

Kooky

[coombs]

I'd ask the vicar of Wethersfield, Essex why he only put down that Joseph Tiffin had 2 twin daughters in 1736, and not their names. One of them may have been Maria, as a Maria Tiffin died as an infant, daughter of Joseph. I think Joseph's wife was Sarah, as a Sarah Tiffin, wife of Joseph died in 1773 in Wethersfield.

In 1759 my ancestor Susannah Tiffin married Andrew Page. Witnesses seemed regular ones (typical). They had a daughter Sarah in 1763. Would have been great to know the other name of the twin daughters born to Joseph in 1736.

[Debra Sleith]

Ditto, and I would nicely ask every single one of my ancestors to please, please! write names and dates on the back of photos

[jaybelnz]

I would like to ask my 3 X Irish great grandparents what their mother's maiden names were, none of whom were named on their Irish marriage cert! .  Another Bah Humbug!  😢😢

[Jackiemh]

I would like to ask my ggg grandparents where they were born and who their parents were, politely of course.
Also, information on their siblings! Wouldn't that be lovely!
Jackie

[Guy Etchells]

I'd have a serious conversation with a relative of a daughter-in-law of 4x great-grandparents about his plantation and his slaves in Jamaica. He must have died by 1793; his widow re-married then. My concern would probably mystify him. 

Interesting, would you also talk to the native Africans who captured and sold their fellow countrymen to the white traders in the first place?
People seem to forget native cultures had been enslaving their neighbours all over the world for centuries that is how the world developed.
There were very few societies that did not embrace slavery at on time or another.
That does not make it right but we must be very careful in judging the past using today's values.
Cheers
Guy

[Gillg]

I'd like to remonstrate with the judge who sentenced a distant relative age 9 or 10 to 21 days hard labour and 4 years Reformatory School hundreds of miles away from his family. http://vcp.e2bn.org/prisoners/2043-1811-dennis-fairey.html  Dennis was punished for stealing a loaf of bread and some fruit and nuts.  It was just before Christmas and he was the youngest member of a very large and poor family. I expect he was trying to help. His father had already been jailed for neglecting the family.  Many children were sent abroad from Reformatory School, but at least Dennis escaped that and returned to his family.  Was he a reformed character?  We don't know, just that he never married, had a job as a "coach maker/carriage iron worker" in later censuses and lived to the age of 80.