For some time now I have been interested in my family history. I started wanting to know what made me, me. Why was I good at doing things with my hands and not my brain! My parents were both craft teachers so that was a good reason for me being like I am but what about them. The computer has made searching records a fantastic hobby but it is rather addictive. The more you find the more you want to find. The tree can become huge. I have over 1000 on mine now. I am finding things like - on my paternal side I come from a dynasty of Quaker clog makers. That's a very hands on occupation. I am from the North of England my mothers side from Lancashire and Scotland, my fathers side Yorkshire. Some of the information I thought I knew, which had been handed down I could not follow up. It looked like the history of two great men had been combined. The one I am related to owned a mill and a coal mine and was a Mayor. The other founded a children's home and is related to Queen Victoria's physician. All this information I have found on the Internet but it is two people born in the same year with the same name. Most of my ancestors worked in the mills. On my maternal side cotton on my paternal side wool. The jobs I have seen are calico printers, weavers, cotton doffer,cotton drawer,cotton spinner, cotton winder and a salesman of turkey red cotton. there are also a few farmers, stone masons and joiners.I have now traced some branches right back to the early 1500's
I have posted a picture of a needle point made by my Great Great grandmother Lucy Cockshutt in 1855 when she was 16. It is quite large about 3ft by 4ft, so there was also a love of sewing.
The other picture is of Mary Collins born 13 June 1830 and died 5 Feb 1904. She was my other maternal Great Great Grandmother.
3 comments:
It is so wonderful to find out about our roots isn't it.
I has lead my Uncle and my Dad on fantastic journeys, both sad and happy over the last few years.
I hope you continue to find your family fascinating.
That's a pretty impressive history. Can you now see where you are coming from?!! I have delved a little, but not as much as I would like. Suffolk connections are all tied to the land, but with a grandfather who was a tailor, and great aunts who made quilts from the scraps of the silk linings of suits. Where are they now (the quilts!) I ask myself. I do have a large lump of beewax made by my grandfather - moulded in a pilchard tin!
How wonderful Carol!
I would love to be the owner of that lovely work made in 1855.
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