Genealogy Chat

How did your cousin's Golden Wedding / family reunion go yesterday ? .................Did you get your tree up ?..................... did you manage to paper the WHOLE marquee ?...................How many fell off their chairs with boredom at the whole 'tree' thing ?...........................How much info did you collect?.............. Tell us, tell us............ Sarah :-)..............or have you still got a sore head?

Hi Sarah Well, it was a lovely day - eventually! We did set off a tad later than planned as the weatherman said the ozone levels were going to be very high and people with asthma might be affected, and I had given my last salbutamol inhaler to my son earlier in the week, so before we went we had to go to the chemist with my new prescription which fortunately arrived that morning. Then husband had forgotten to fill car with petrol, so he had to go and do that. Finally, already hot and bothered, we set off. It was while we were sitting for 15 minutes at a level crossing while they sorted out the barriers (thank goodness for air conditioned cars!), that I realised I had left the family tree and all the photos behind! I put it down to the heat, personally. There was a church service before the knees-up - we snuck in at the back during the first hymn. BUT - the good news. There were people there I have not seen for about 40 years! I did remember to take my camera so have lots of photos (which I WILL label with names and dates). Several people were very interested in the family history and have asked for copies. I discovered the names of both the husbands of my half great great great aunt, born 1803, so now shall have raid everyone's pockets to raise enough money to resubscribe to Ancestry, so I can track her through the censuses. I got the names of the wives of 2 of my great uncles (grand-daughter of one of them was there), and the occupation of the one I was particularly vague about. (Not quite as high flying as the rest of his brothers - I think the family had quietly suppressed him!). Also have details of vast numbers of the latest generation, who seem to keep appearing like rabbits out of hats, while I am still imagining that their parents are still aged about 10. All in all, it was very, very good. I could not have stuck the family tree up on the walls of the marquee anyway. It was so hot they went round removing the walls to let the breeze blow through (it kept blowing over the beautiful flower arrangements as well so we got some practice in at fielding - wonder how the England cricket team is fixed?) I am going to have to work out how to scan the photos that I have which are stuck into old albums so I can post them to people saying 'Do you know who this is'. The really, really amazing thing is that I can see some strong likenesses in some of my old photos to some of the various cousins who were there. Which has given me clues as to who some of the photos may well be. I am going to be well pleased if I turn out to be right. It must have been a major operation to organise, but oh, it was so worth it. Makes me feel maybe in a couple of years when I have a birthday with a big '0' at the end, I should try to do the same thing. Not sure I have the energy, but it is so good to meet up with people not at a funeral! So, my tip of the day, get out there and organise a really big family party! Tina

Tina, SSSooo glad you had a good day - even without the big handbag!! Get those photo's to the printers and 'enjoy'. Dea Xxx

Oh, HONESTLY, Tina! I cannot believe you forgot your tree! Still, sounds as if you did ok without it and have plenty to bite on for a while. That scanning business (I came a cropper with this yesterday myself LOL). My 3rd cousin sent me a load of scans by snail mail and there is one of a woman standing on a cobbled street, grinning her head off. He has put 'unknown' on the back. I sent scans of these scans to my brother who emailed me excitedly to ask me what I was doing posing in a cobbled street with a silly hat on? There IS a resemblance which I thought I could see, but didnt say anything because I sometimes wonder if I see what I am looking for, if you see what I mean. £cousin also sent a comical family wedding group (well, I thought it was comical). In the photo are Alfred Hitchcock, Dr Crippen(well, that's who they look like) and my Great grandfather, who always wore a bowler hat. He has taken it off for the piccies, and a trick of the light makes him look as if he has been trepanned! LOL. The bride is holding a VERY LARGE bouquet well above waist level, more lol. But what I wanted to say - all these people look like me! I would love to know how far back in time these family resemblances go - do I look like my 10 x GGM for instance? OC

Listen here, Olde Crone, I might have forgotten to take the printed version of the family tree, but believe me, it's all in the head (well, nearly all). I did get caught out just once when my godmother, who is also my 2nd cousin once removed and approaching her 85th birthday, asked me if I knew when her grandparents had married. I could not remember! However, I do have it on the tree and have promised to send her the date. The cousin whose anniversary it was has 3 sons, 2 of whom I have not seen for donkeys' years. I have a photo of one of them in my old album. Well, obviously, it is not actually him, but it is his double! By a process of elimination I think it must be his grandmother's brother. I am hoping that when daughter comes home from uni for the summer, she can be persuaded to drive me over to see said cousin again, this time armed with my photo albums, because if anyone can identify some of these photos, she will be able to. My godmother was talking to me about my father's mother, who I never met as she died before I was born. I know I look like my father. My mother always said I looked like his mother as well. Personally, I think mother was lying as godmother was telling me how tall and slim and elegant grandmama was. I don't do tall, slim and elegant - more michelin man, if you know what I mean. But I do find old family photos disconcerting - it's the way these total strangers look back at you with your own eyes. Tina

Nudge - for people who missed my confession first time round. Tina