My Lockdown to do list

So were aren't in complete lock down in Australia - it is a strange situation. Only go out for essential things - but for many it is business as usual and the government just keeps throwing money at people to try to keep the economy from tanking.

For many small (and large) businesses it is too late, thousands have joined the queues at Centrelink. Other businesses have been innovative and changed their whole business plan in an attempt to keep going. Hopefully this innovation will carry them through - and carry on into our post Covid-19 world, whenever that might start.

I have a list of things I'd like to achieve with this enforced time at home - it seems most of us do. This is mine:

• Blog regularly
• Tidy up sources in Family Tree Maker
• Tidy up place names in Family Tree Maker
• Sort out my filing; bits of paper, photos, implement an organised electronic filing system
• Catch up on Netflix
• Read some books
• Keep applying for jobs - because, why break the habit ?
• Sort out some of the yet to be unpacked boxes
• Make a task list of things yet to be tackled in the ongoing family history search
• Make a business plan, or brainstorm some ideas at least

What are you doing ?

#52Ancestors, Water

Water is such a useful element. For some of us it has therapeutic properties – nothing like walking alongside a babbling brook, or watching the waves crash on the rocks or beach to clear your mind. For others it is something to avoid like the plague – an irrational fear; is it really irrational though if you can’t swim or you get seasick just looking at a boat ?

It sustains us, it helps plants grow, and crops and feeds farm animals. It falls from the sky (if we are lucky) and nourishes life. It is used for recreation; swimming, sailing, rowing, kayaking, surfing, even ice skating and skiing if it gets cold enough.

Water is a renewable resource (as long as there is enough rain) it is a clean, sustainable energy source.

My grandfather was a fitter and turner. He completed his apprenticeship with P & D Duncan Ltd Christchurch between 1922-1927 and stayed on until at least the middle of 1928. By 1929 he was employed by what was to become State Hydro Department and was working at Lake Coleridge the first large power station which had been built by the state between 1911-1914, From there a life long association with hydroelectricity began.

Those early stations in South Island were each constructed on separate rivers. The first state owned station in North Island was Mangahao commissioned in 1924. During WW1 the government investigated large schemes in North Island and planning for what became the foundation of the country’s 20^th century integrated electricity system began. The Waikato River scheme built multiple stations on one river, using the same water over and over again to generate electricity and power the nation beginning with Arapuni commissioned in 1929.

As a child my mother moved from station to station following her father’s employment. She and her siblings were born in Kurow, while her father was at Waitaki. He had moved there shortly before his marriage and his new bride followed a little later once cottages were built for married men allowing them to be joined by their families. From Waitaki they moved to Highbank on the Rakaia near Methven, and then to North Island: first to System Control at Hamilton and then to Mangahao, Maraetai as Assistant Station Superintendent and lastly Whakamaru where he was Station Superintendent when it was commissioned in 1956.

In 1924 my grandfather’s elder brother Frank aged 20 told his parents he and a mate were off to Auckland for a holiday…but went to Sydney instead. Construction for the harbour bridge had only just begun, but Sydney wasn’t were Uncle Frank ended up. He went south and found employment in the Latrobe Valley where the State of Victoria was beginning what would be a 70 year programme of power development based on brown coal deposits. Yallourn was a thermal, coal fired station, still using water (from the Latrobe River) but in a different way, to generate electricity for the masses.

In 1947 my Dad joined the State Hydro-electric Department as a draughting cadet. After two years he progressed to become an engineering cadet and went on to study at the School of Engineering at Ardmore. He met my mother while working at Whakamaru and Maraetai. In Hamilton he worked with the District Power Station operation and maintenance often spending days visiting stations on the Waikato. I remember a couple of times he drove the pilot vehicle ahead of the wide or long load trucks transporting massive pieces of machinery. Sometimes if we were at Nana and Grandad’s we would go up to the top of the section where you could spot a piece of the road between the trees to watch them.

In 1972 we moved to Wellington, Head Office where Dad took up a position as Design Engineer, working on the design of stations in the Upper Waitaki Scheme specifically Ohau A, B & C.

As kids we knew those power station names like the back of our hands along the Waikato; Aratiatia, Ohakuri, Atiamuri, Whakamaru, Maraetai, Waipapa, Arapuni, Karapiro. Along with others we had visited on family holidays, sometimes staying in the village hostel, Tuai and Piripaua at Waikaremoana, Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki.

Lots of things stick in my memory from those holidays; my brother locking himself in the toilet at the hostel at Waitaki, learning about the salmon ladder at Aviemore, the force of water spilling down the dams, the immense size of the earthmoving equipment.

We knew all about headraces and tailraces, pipelines and penstocks, turbines and generators – and water was what made it all happen.

Getting a bit of Kulcha !

culture

/ˈkʌltʃə/

noun

1. the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

2. the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.

All over the world we are all living quite different lives compared to last week, last month, last year.

Many people who only ever dreamed of being able to work from home, are working at home. Parents have become home-school teachers – now that is something I always wished I had been able to do. There is a lot of adjusting to do when your home becomes your office, school and still needs to be home as well. It will take a while before everyone establishes a routine and feels comfortable in their new environment. But it will happen.

If it wasn’t for the added requirement to be socially distant from our families, friends, neighbours and communities I would have loved to be able to offer parents some respite – allow them to focus on their work for a bit. But in reality that isn’t going to happen and once everyone has worked through all the little challenges – what a great opportunity to spend more time with your kids; help them with their study, find different ways to learn things, find different things to learn. Learning isn’t all about textbooks and math (thank goodness). Every cloud has a silver lining.

But when you need a break from school work and work work – what do you do ? Jump on the trampoline in the backyard, play a bit of cricket or chase, you could go for a walk around the park or along the river – but not in big groups. Read a book, do a jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, test your quiz skills at www.sporcle.com .Even go to the museum, art gallery, walk around a garden, take a guided your of a palace – virtually of course.

How wonderful is this ? Has your holiday or vacation been cancelled or impacted by our current situation ? Don’t let that stop you. Look where you can go ! No admission charges either. Perfect.

MelbourneMuseum 

Get aSTEM fix at Science Works 

ImmigrationMuseum 

Check out the collections held by Museums Victoria 

Explore the National Gallery of Victoria, they have exhibitions, collections e-books and kids activities too 

And it isn’t just Victoria either – travel the country; a city or state at a time. Travel the world !

There is the British Museum in London 

The Louvre in Paris 

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam 

The National Art Gallery of USA in Washington DC 

The Guggenheim in New York 

You can tour Buckingham Palace 

or the Palace de Versailles 

World travel has never been more affordable – and from the comfort of your lounge, bed, dining room table, study, back yard.

Get travelling people – it’s amazing. My bucket list is growing !

#52Ancestors, Prosperity

The prompt for this topic read “Do you have an ancestor who seemed to do well for himself? What about a family photo showing a big car or fancy dresses? How about an ancestor with a "prosperous" name like Wealthy or Fortune? Feel free to be creative with the theme!”

I have been thinking, trying to find options, maybe an option that wasn’t the most obvious. But here I am, still mulling it over. DO I have an ancestor who seemed to do well for himself ?

I think we all do – prosperity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For the Ag Labs in our previous generations having continuous employment and successful crops was as important then as it is today for our farmers and market gardeners. Being able to grow and sell crops, feed and clothe families is prosperity in anyone’s book. For those ancestors who made the leap to emigrate; whether by free choice or legal enforcement, seeing their dreams materialise through the opportunities available in new colonies to those who worked hard – regardless of class or background promotes a sense of prosperity too.

My paternal line – the one we would follow with Y-DNA – has strong, deep roots in Somerset, England for at least 300 years. Throughout that time they have done pretty well for themselves.

An indenture detailing the lease for three lives of a quarter share of Hagley Tenement in the parish of Milverton (now Ashbrittle) Somerset is held in repositories in England. I have seen a copy of one – and several family members have had a go at transcribing it. Most repositories date the document at 1725, however the copy we have been transcribing suggests there may be multiple documents, and that the one we are working on is earlier.

The piece of vellum encasing the document says it contains

“Leasehold Deeds of

Hagley Manor

Granted from Lord Lymington

and others to the first Thomas

Davysis (sic) that came from Wales”

 – but this piece has no date. I have been doing a bit of reading about Lord Lymington today.[i] John Wallop (a 3^rd son) inherited the seat and estate from his brother Bluet who died unmarried and without issue in 1707. Their lineage stretches back to the reign of Edward I – managing to manoeuvre their way through changing alliances; Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor and Hanoverian. John’s father, also John, was also a 3^rd son. His uncle Henry or his grandfather (also Henry) are mentioned as defendants in a dispute regarding rent at Hagley Manor in 1665. I haven’t found when the family first came to be in possession of that particular manor, yet. They had quite a collection of manors.

His titles, Baron Wallop of Fairley Wallop in the County of Southampton and Viscount Lymington of the same County were created on 11 June 1720, in the 6^th year of the reign of George I.

Here’s is the thing – the indenture we have been transcribing was made in the 5^th year (1719) of the reign of George I. It is signed by Thomas Davys the Elder – so is he the first Thomas Davys who came from Wales ? I’m not entirely sure about that claim. There are other instances of Davys in Somerset earlier than this, and early pre internet and microfiche researchers in this line have potential parents for Thomas the elder…in Somerset.

My interpretation of the indenture differs to others as well. Some say that Thomas the younger was the leaseholder and was settling the quarter share on his father. BUT to me it reads as if Thomas the elder was already in possession of the entirety and is settling one quarter on his son at his marriage to Jane Hellings which was intended to take place (and did) in 1719. It details a sum of good and lawful Great Britain money, the cider wring, mill and more. The 2^nd life of the lease was to begin at the death of Thomas the Elder and his wife Judith. Thomas died in 1724, his wife Judith reputedly lived to 100.

Thomas the younger’s grandmother who died at Hagley Bridge bequeathed to him in her will dated 16 September 1705, an oak carved bedstead. This supports the paper trail research and refutes the statement that Thomas the elder was the first Thomas Davys to have come from Wales. Perhaps something was lost in translation and it was his father John who came from Wales (although he married into a local Milverton family).

Thomas the younger went on to buy the manor of Raddington in the adjacent parish and styled himself as “Lord of the Manor” It is unclear who the third life of the lease at Hagley passed to after the death of Thomas the younger, but it was likely one of his sons. In 1830, and until early 1841 a William Davys lived there. I believe this William was a great grandson of Thomas the younger. A document written around 1830 states that William was in the possession of several wills. Hopefully they are now all safely in a heritage centre or some other archive.

It is also unclear whether either Thomas the younger had siblings who remained in the area and who may have inherited possession of other parts of the Hagley manor at their father’s death. (Or whether thomas the eder had other family also in Somerset. Thomas (the younger) and Jane had 8 children and most of them married into other local, landowner or farming families. Three married into the Yeandle family of Upcott Farm in Raddington parish.

Things took a turn for the worse though. Thomas the younger (who was Thomas the elder at this point) died aged 88 in June 1783 without a will and left the manor at Raddington encumbered in debt to his son the Reverend Thomas Davys.

The Revd Thomas died in September 1783 just three months later. He left a will though – dividing the manor between his three surviving brothers each to have their own distinct messuages and discharge their father and brother’s debt.

His brothers; Benjamin, James and George seem to have had mixed results as well. They did all leave wills though (whew). George died in 1786 and left no children, Benjamin in 1801 left two sons and James in 1802, left a very detailed will providing for his widow, children and grandchildren.

The family DNA is well represented in Raddington, Milverton and Chipstable parishes – marrying into other families in these same parishes and also others nearby. Cousins marrying cousins generation after generation. James though seems to come out of the financial mess in a better position to his brothers. I haven’t read George or Benjamin’s wills – I think I will need to go to Taunton to do that. So I shouldn’t judge them too harshly yet.

Forty years later at the 1841 census we are related to every family farming in the Raddington parish – cousins, uncles, aunts. There is still money. My great great grandfather James is at boarding school in Barnstaple, his brother Thomas not quite full age will soon take over the ownership and running of the Manor farm.

Life is good.

---

[i] Arthur Collins, The Peerage of England; containing a genealogical and historical account of all the peers of England, now existing, etc, Volume 3, W. Innys, R, Manby, T. Wotton & F. Gosling, 1741, pp361-396. Google Books.

I miss the planes

Life is slowing down all over the planet. People everywhere are being discouraged – even banned from congregating en masse. No going to the footy, no going to movies or the gym, no going out for dinner or out unnecessarily.

Many people are beginning to work from home. Wouldn’t that be great ! I have no job, so I feel like I’m always home lately. My heart goes out to those working in essential services (medicine, health, police, couriers, banking, retail) who can’t work from home. They have to keep going; to take care of us should we need them.

I am concerned that many people are not taking “social distancing” seriously. Going out and about; doing the things we all did without a thought until a few weeks ago. Not just people in the at risk age groups, but young people too.

Remember, you might be taking all the precautions – it doesn’t mean you are invincible. None of us are immune. You might not have any symptoms, but you could still be infected and give it to your grandparent or a friend from BINGO.

The other day I was messaging my niece. Her family, spanning FIVE generations, have agreed to not see each other for at least a month. They don’t even live too far apart from each other in the scheme of things, but they have made this choice to protect each other.

For me, well we share a house so we see each other all the time, but one of us works in health – where exposure to already immune-compromised people makes our hygiene habits critical. But a lot of thought goes into planning a trip to the supermarket to replenish essential supplies (if you can get them – no thanks to the idiot panic buyers and hoarders).

Our borders are closed; only citizens can enter the country. It is the same in many other countries too. I can leave – but I can’t come back. Even if I did leave I would need to go into “self isolation” for 14 days on arrival.

Aside from the measures our governments have made all across the planet in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, and the public service announcements we see online, tv and billboards and hear on radio reminding us to wash our hands (still amazed we need to be reminded about this)…what else can we learn ?

We are a social bunch, so some of us will struggle with these new rules. We can still be social though. There are online options for staying in touch with people – you can even PHONE people. Remember when we used to do that all the time; without a thought ?

Being mindful and taking time to reflect have been messages promoted by “alternate” health practitioners to help people take control and help them reclaim some calm amidst the crazy busy lives many of us live. But mindfulness and reflection aren’t “new fangled” things. They have been around forever. You can practice mindfulness yourself. You don’t need to pay someone. It is all about slowing down, taking time, being in the moment, reflecting, relaxing.

While you are working from home, just at home or trying to keep the kids amused, take a few moments for yourself. Listen to the birds, admire the flowers, be transfixed by butterflies dancing, watch the leaves as the breeze tickles them. You can do other things too – go for a walk (fresh air and open spaces are good – even now), bake; but take your time and enjoy the process – it will taste better ! knit, craft, read a book, PLAY with your kids, read to your kids.

Take time to write down and record some of the things which are going on in what seems to be a crazy situation. The world is slowing down, we all have time and we should take advantage. It’s what I am doing – you could just write it in a notebook, a diary, in a word document (like a digital journal) or blog. The problem with our digital online world is that none of us are really sure how anything will be archived, or how information might be accessed in the future. We can go to libraries either in person or online and read old newspapers, some of us are lucky enough to have diaries, journals and letters written by our ancestors. We can glean information from these about how past events like this affected our families. Spanish Flu, World War One, rationing, World War Two, industrialisation, fashion, education, the Depression, exploration across the planet and into space, mining disasters, shipwrecks – it’s all there, but what will we leave ?

All of my genealogy buddies are revelling in this enforced time at home to get on top of filing, tidying resources, checking facts have been correctly cited with source information, RESEARCHING, contacting DNA matches (because we all have time to reply to message now – right ?).

What’s going on in our home ? A spot of gardening, a jigsaw or two, genealogy (duh !) extreme cleaning, reading, baking, catching up on all those tv programmes and movies that we haven’t been able to cram in, applying for jobs (because - never give up), the occasional walk and a bit of just sitting, taking stock and watching the world go by; albeit more slowly now.

What do I hope is going to come out of this ? That we will be better people, that we will care more for each other and our planet. Look at how quickly pollution has decreased – even disappeared – as countries have slowed down and workplaces have closed down; hear the birds now that that industrial noise is quietening, see the water clearing in canals and the sea life once more visible.  The virus is threatening us, but at the same time healing our planet.

I do miss the planes though as our world slows down. It was a bit mindful for me watching them flying overhead returning from a journey or just beginning a new adventure. The sky is empty. The world is getting quieter.

We can do this. Take care of yourself, distance yourself from your loved ones and friends, cherish life, help the planet heal and we will heal too.

STAY HOME.

STAY SAFE.

WASH YOUR HANDS

DON’T GO TO THE SHOPS EVERYDAY.

DON’T HUG or SHAKE HANDS.

PROTECT OUR ELDERLY POPULATION.

PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH COMPROMISED HEALTH.

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.

Pandemic and an irrational obsession with toilet paper

A couple of months ago news started to trickle out of China of a virus spreading throughout a community at great speed. Other countries began to put measures in place to limit travel to and from China, specifically from the affected province. China enforced quarantine and built hospitals in record time.

Day by day, week by week the numbers of patients grew and sadly deaths began to occur. No-one was clear on the cause or the path of transmission. Other countries noticed increased numbers of cases and travel sanctions were placed on them too. Travel advisory information updated recommending citizens did not travel to the affected regions.

The nay-sayers in countries across the globe complained their governments had not done enough. Governments weighed up their options; keeping their citizens safe vs protecting the economy.

Markets fell dramatically. People, even those you would least suspect, became doomsday preppers. Panic buying ensued. Worldwide toilet paper of all things became the most sought after item on the shelves. Only problem – there wasn’t any on the shelves because the irrational buying behaviour of a few was contagious. Perhaps more contagious than the virus itself.

How did toilet paper even become the “must have” product ? If you had to self isolate for 14 days maximum – does your household truly need 36 (or more) rolls for that length of time ? I think not. If you do, you likely have bigger problems than COVID-19.

Soon enough, in a matter of days, other staples started disappearing from shelves as quickly as they were refilled. Flour, rice, pasta, hand sanitiser, meat, eggs, tinned and frozen vegetables and fruit. The rest of us, shook our heads in disbelief. The elderly and regular shoppers bewildered, unable to buy the basics, let alone do a weekly shop.

Still today, six weeks after the first rumours of a virus, shelves are empty and our understanding of the behaviour of the virus is only slightly clearer. Media outlets feed the panic with their sensationalist reporting, always looking for a new angle to strike fear into the hearts of global citizens. Social media perpetuates the panic “Does anyone know if there is toilet paper at <insert name here> ?”

Self-isolation and social distancing have become catchphrases. Re-educating people to wash your hands, with soap, properly has been paramount. It beggars belief though – do people seriously NOT know how to do this ? It is basic hygiene.

Coronavirus; COVID-19 sounds pretty nasty – and there is a lot of anxiety surrounding the unknown. For us at this end of the planet it seems like something happening far far away. But we are still feeling its repercussions, seeing the number of cases begin to climb. Markets are in disarray, travel plans cancelled, large gatherings (festivals, sports fixtures, concerts, markets) cancelled, weddings and other celebrations postponed, jobs are on the line. Entire countries are in “lock-down”. Millions of people all over the world will “catch” the virus – 80-90% will survive. Many of the 80% could be asymptomatic; not showing symptoms but still contagious.

Potentially most of us we will hardly notice it. Some of us may be get really sick, or know someone who does. Some of us might even lose people we love. The elderly and those with underlying health issues are most at risk.

If you need to self isolate, or your suburb, town, city, state or country is locked down, take heart from the people of Italy.

This is not the first pandemic to threaten global health. It is the first to occur since social media became a thing. A platform that brings us news, updates, lies and propaganda straight into our lives. Instantly. Mainstream media; television, radio and newspapers continue to do their fair share too. There are many articles trying to educate us; to explain the measures we and our governments must take, the importance of flattening the curve and the dangers of not heeding the warnings. 

In the scheme of things this pandemic is one of the smaller threats our race has faced. SARS, Bird-Flu, Swine Flu, Asian Flu, Hong Kong Flu, Spanish Flu, Russian Flu, HIV/AIDS, Cholera, Smallpox even Measles. Most of these now have effective vaccinations widely available to prevent the spread of infection. Pandemics in History

Panic buying isn’t new either – just enter those two words into the search bar on Trove or PapersPast – you will be surprised. Financial crises, disease and war have all contributed to them in the past. Sugar, butter, cotton sheets, soap, tobacco and meat. Panic buying during WW2 and after led to governments introducing extensive rationing. None of them seem to be ridiculous as toilet paper though.

What a thing to go down in history for our descendants to read about.

“How we survived the COVID-19 pandemic and toilet paper panic of 2020.”

How much of this media driven mass hysteria has put the world on the precipice of a global recession potentially larger than the Great Depression 100 years ago ? Chaos in the financial markets was always going to happen, but could we have done anything different ?

«  Let’s stop being dumb.

«  Let’s just wash our hands, make sure we live and work in clean environments. 
«  Let’s remember not to shake hands and touch our faces.

«  Let’s be responsible citizens and stay home if we are sick, distance ourselves from the vulnerable.

«  Let’s be innovative.

«  Let’s be positive.

«  Let’s be kind.

Maybe this our chance to take back our resources, to manufacture what we need in our own countries, to live more sustainably.

These are just my thoughts and an attempt to document what is happening right now. Check back in a few months to see how we are all getting on.

May the force be with us all.  

#52Ancestors, Strong Woman

I’ve searched and searched and racked my brain (and the brain of others) in my endeavour to find a subject for this topic. In 2018 I hinted at some women in my tree and the tough decisions some had made in their lives, some who overcame difficult situations and others who stood up to be counted for something they believed in.

So this time had to be different. I looked for people with the Strong surname – none. I’m pretty sure there are no women weightlifters or circus people hiding on a yet unexplored branch of the tree either.

So, what makes you strong ?

One person’s strength is not the same as another – even if the two are as close as sisters. Is the sister who bid farewell to all that was familiar to her and followed her husband to the other side of the world to make a new life with better opportunities for her children stronger than her sister who stayed and lived in the same village as generations had before her ?

Everybody’s journey is unique and the events we experience shape us; the way we respond to them defines us.

Caroline Ann Cooper is someone in my family who I think was a pretty strong woman. She strikes me as a resilient, strong woman to have carried on despite the adversities she faced.

Things started out great, she was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 23 January 1861, the 6^th child for John Cooper a tailor and his wife Mary Ann. By the time her younger sister Emma was born 20 months later, her family had left Wellington and relocated to Kekerengu, north of Kaikoura on the east coast of South Island where her grandmother and several of her mother’s brothers and sisters had also moved. A few short years later when she was about 10, the family had moved south into the township of Kaikoura where the youngest three of her siblings were born.

When she was about fifteen her mother left, taking the three youngest children with her to Australia. By that time two of her sisters had married and started their own families so I imagine it would have been expected that Caroline would assume some of the responsibilities, along with her eldest sister, of caring for the younger children and their father. In September 1879 her eldest sister Charlotte died aged 28.

Tom Cooke and his cousin William emigrated in the mid 1870’s first to the West Coast before settling in Kaikoura. They were both in the building trade. My great grandfather is said to have been apprenticed to him. William was a painter and ironmonger, operating a hardware store and offering employing to locals. He also left a legacy to the youth of Kaikoura – but that might be another story.

In April 1881 Caroline and Tom were married. Their first child and only son Thomas, arrived three months later. Three daughters followed, the youngest in 1887.

Something went awry though; in 1891 Tom appears on the UK census…and he is on every subsequent UK census until his death in 1926. Caroline remained in Kaikoura and raised her children, I guess with some support from her family, perhaps also from Tom’s cousin William.

In 1902 her son Thomas married in Wellington where it is thought he had been living and working for some time, then her eldest daughter married in Waiau in 1904. In 1905 her middle daughter, Flora, died aged 20. In about 1912 ahead of the outbreak of World War 1 Thomas left Wellington, taking his family to Melbourne Australia where he continued to work as a builder later enlisting with the Australian Imperial Forces.

He did not return, dying at Pozieres in July 1916 and posthumously being awarded the Victoria Cross. A memorial brass tablet commemorating his heroism was unveiled at Kaikoura School, a gold necklet with an engraved Maltese Cross was presented to Caroline and a war memorial was erected to remember him and the other Kaikoura boys.

In April 1918 Caroline’s youngest daughter, Ethel, died after an operation at Christchurch Hospital. In November of the same year her eldest daughter, Catherine, was a victim of the “Spanish Flu” leaving seven children aged between 5 and 14 years.

A small notice appeared in the Marlborough Express, 3 December 1918

The death occurred at Waiau on Nov. 25th of Mrs Catherine Oldman, wife of Mr C.A Oldman, at the age of 35. The deceased was the only surviving member of Mrs C Cooke's family (Kaikoura) who has lost her three other children, including Private Thomas Cooke, who won the Victoria Cross whilst doing his duty to the Empire.

Caroline’s cottage on Brighton Street, Kaikoura was one of three which burnt down in the early hours of 27 June 1935. All her furniture except a piano was saved, the other two cottage occupants weren’t so lucky. Her home was rebuilt and is described in her estate sale as being 5 years old, a three roomed cottage with a bathroom, sunporch and detached washhouse.

After her death on 11 January 1941 just a few days short of her 80^th birthday, Caroline was buried in the Kaikoura Cemetery and her home, furniture and belongings were auctioned as part of estate.

#52Ancestors, Favourite Discovery

There have been a few finds which have taken some digging, putting to one size, reinvestigating and lateral thinking.

There was Annie H Richards born in Mold, listed on the 1881 census for Dudley as “niece” in the household headed by my three times great grandfather Henry James. Who was she and how did she fit in ? Richards was a surname we hadn’t come across at all in our research. The others in the household were Henry’s unmarried daughter Elizabeth and his grandchildren Albert and Laura. Some late night puzzling to determine how she could be a niece of Henry uncovered Henry’s mother’s marriage to a Mr Richards after Henry’s birth and several half siblings – and that how Annie fitted in. Like he did for his grandchildren, Henry had taken in Annie after her father (his half brother) had died.

Then there was unravelling the story my mother-in-law had told us about her grandmother being a twin. The twin had died young and the mother remarried. Confusion as to which was her birth name and which the surname of her stepfather made it tricky to know where to start. It took over 30 years – but I got there in the end.

But probably the one that still makes me smile is finding Aunt Lizzie. I wrote about her in Week 14, Maiden Aunt; #52Ancestors 2018.

We had her birth certificate, and had found her on census’ from 1851-1901 (1861 excepted) as Elizabeth. She lived with her parents and then father and sister, and later stayed and cared for her father until his death in 1905.

We had a family story about her emigrating to the US when she was in her 70’s. I searched and searched for her in Ellis Island records and in immigration records on Ancestry. Nothing.

We had a note written by my grandmother’s cousin detailing some of what he remembered of life in England and who they had stayed with on arrival in Boston, en route to Seattle.

They stayed with a family in Boston who initially we thought were simply 2^nd cousins – part of the family that Elizabeth and her parents had been staying with on the night of the 1851 census. Elizabeth’s mother and the wife in the Duffill household were sisters. We had no other apparent connection to that family.

Until I broadened my search (Elizabeth and James are such common names to be searching for) and found (in the wee small hours) Bessie. Not Elizabeth, not Lizzie, but Bessie; arriving in Boston in 1906. The information about where her intended destination was and who she was meeting was a revelation. Her address was to be care of her brother in law Albert Duffill. The same family, but to be a brother in law their must be a sister – surely.

Lizzie wasn’t Lizzie at all - she was Bessie ! and she wasn't 70 either.

Turns out she and Mary (my 2xgreat grandmother) had an older half sister who had married one of the half siblings of their Duffill cousins. (Mr Duffill senior had at last 4 wives and children from every marriage). A descendant of Ellen (the half sister) sent this photo to my third cousin and myself not long after we made this connection.

 Is it a 1908 Model T Ford ? I’m not a car person but I have been comparing old photos and it seems about right. We don’t know just who is who, but we all believe that two of them are Ellen and Bessie.  I colourised the photo on a free site recently to see if colour would help pick out any features. Not really, but I am inclined to think Bessie is the lady facing towards the camera 2^nd from the left – just because her face shape is similar to that of her father in a (labelled) photo found in a family album.

Making this discovery certainly filled out our tree and tidied up some loose ends 10 or so years ago. While we haven’t found much more or been able to jump back to earlier generations than those we already knew, I have spotted some DNA matches amongst the matches of my mother, brother third cousin and myself who connect back through this family to the Thomas family of Ellen and Bessie’s mother.

Just wish they would reply to messages though.