Hi everyone, I hope you are well. Take some time to get comfy, grab a drink and snack, and just take some time for you. I haven’t uploaded a blog post in over a month, which I really apologise for! I have been writing posts but they were either incomplete or I got too into my feelings lol.
Today’s blog post is going to be full of updates on my personal genealogy research and my university studies.
Firstly, I have been incredibly busy with my university work. I submitted my final assignment for the module last week. It took a lot of time and effort, but I ended up with a piece of writing that I was proud of! I get the results for this module near the end of October, so I will update you guys then.
I start my next course, English Language, at the start of October and I am so excited for it. I really want to learn more about reading and writing, plus the history of the English language. I will let you know how this course goes for me!
I am hoping, within the next 5 years, to write a book about some of my ancestors. Well, inspired by them. I am not putting too much stress on it, but it is something I would really like to do. We will wait and see what happens…
As for my genealogy research, I have been researching many different areas and discovering lots about my ancestors. I have especially been working on my ancestors pre civil registration period, which means a lot of looking at church records. I have been enjoying it, and have had a lot of luck. However, it can get a bit confusing and the certainty that you have found the right person isn’t always there. I am so grateful for civil birth records and the fact they tell you the mother’s maiden name lol. Some baptism records do, but it really depends on the area. I have mostly seen it with my ancestors from Durham.
I have been looking at my ancestors from all over England. Today, I started to look into a line of my family tree that came from London. So far, that’s actually my only branch that comes from London! It has been interesting to look into, but a bit of a struggle too.
I thoroughly enjoy learning new things about my ancestors, especially finding out about unique jobs they had or places they lived. To be fair, I just love learning any details about them. I find it all so fascinating. I was also researching some ancestors who owned a pub in Wokingham, which is still there today! They owned it in the early 1800s too so I was shocked to see it is still there. I have attached a photo of the pub:
I have also been interested in learning more about history, but more specifically things like fashion and houses. I want to be able to understand the way my ancestors lived in all these different eras, and just know little details. Like what my female ancestors would have likely worn to a wedding in the 1830s or what my male ancestors wore to work when working as a labourer.
I look forward to learning more as time goes on. I just dream of having a good insight into their lives. Even the way they spoke, what words did they commonly use? Just everything!
I think going into genealogy, I had a very preconceived perception on how people lived. In my head, they all followed religion loyally, never had children out of marriage, didn’t openly talk about mental health and much more. Finding illegitimate children and ancestors who had taken their own lives was a bit of a shock for me, but it helped me realise they really were just people – they were human.
I have so much respect for all of my ancestors, especially the female ones. They experienced a lot of hardship in life, but showed such strength.
Something I have spoken about on here before is the high number of illegitimate children in my family – especially in one branch. I often think about the mothers and what their experiences were. When I see that my 3rd Great Grandmother had her first baby aged 16, with a man in his early 30s, I just think about how this poor young girl must have been groomed.
Everyone’s circumstances are different, and their reasons for having illegitimate children are different. Some couples just had a baby before they married, or the man was off fighting in a war. There were just so many situations, however, they all received judgment at that time.
Reflecting on the judgment these women experienced during this time is heartbreaking. Learning that women gave up babies they loved so much just to ‘save the family name’. It is so sad. I am glad things have changed now, but the impacts of the past are still felt today.
Researching your family tree and learning about all of the lives of all of these people is just extraordinary. It helps you see how much people people went through so you could be here today, but also seeing how much people are still going through.
I think, on the face of it. the world seems to have progressed a lot. Which I agree, we have made progress. However, I think there are still many areas where we are falling behind but it isn’t always acknowledged.
I am always hoping the world will become a better place for future generations.
As well as doing genealogy research, I have taken the time to look through some of the photos I have. When clearing out my grandparents house, after my grandad passed away, I found lots and lots of photos. Most are from my grandmother’s side.
I found photos of my grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents. I also found photos of cousins, aunts and uncles. It was amazing to see so many photos of different relatives.
Finding photos of ancestors is such a precious and amazing experience, being able to put a face to a name is the best feeling. I truly love finding photos of my ancestors and I will always try and look for them where I can.
I store all my photos in a massive box, and even then it is full to the brim. I just love being able to have physical items that link me to my ancestors, like photos, letters and more. It just feels so special. Below, I have attached a photo of my Great-Grandparents I found.
I absolutely love this photo, they look so lovely together. I believe this was taken at a wedding, but I am still unsure of whose wedding it was. However, something really special, is that I have the receipt of the victory suit that Gladys is wearing, and it tells me it is pink. I was then able to ask some very nice people to add colour to the photo and this was the result:
The colour really helps bring the photo to life, it is truly so lovely.
My Great-Grandmother, Gladys, was very beautiful. She took a lot of pride in her appearance too, always dressing well and loving her makeup. I have a necklace of hers, that my Mum got her, that you open it up and there is face powder and a mirror inside. It is so cute. I also have a hairbrush and mirror she used, which are gorgeous.
Being able to have these things is so special, and it helps me feel more connected to her. In other words – it is an honour to have these things that were once hers.
As for updates, I don’t really think I have any more. I have the next few weeks free while waiting to start my new university course, so I am just taking the time to relax and do things I enjoy. Of course, that entails a lot of genealogy research. I have also been taking the time to post on social media, in hopes of gaining a community of genealogists or just people interested in genealogy. My goal is to teach as many people as possible how to research their family history.
When I am not doing genealogy work, I am usually playing games. I am obsessed with Overwatch 2, but I also like my cozy games such as Animal Crossing and The Sims 4. I also enjoy reading books, I am actually reading some genealogy related books at the moment. I looove watching TV too, I love Eastenders and Hollyoaks, but also lots of other shows. I have been watching Call the Midwife from the start, for the first time ever, and I have really been enjoying it. I think I am on season 3 or 4 now, but I need to get a move on so I am all up to date in time for Christmas!
As well as doing these things, I have also been taking time each day to try and learn the Irish language, although I haven’t been dedicating as much time to it as I should. I plan to start dedicating more time to it this week.
I have had a very busy few weeks, from doing my university assignment to dealing with health problems in the family. But I am now taking some time to just relax, although I have been struggling to wrap my head around the fact I have so much free time at the moment. I am just not used to it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, I truly appreciate it. I apologise for not posting more frequently. I do struggle with my mental health and it has been especially bad recently. When attempting to write blog posts, I have ended up talking sooo much about my emotions and the things I have been dealing with, which doesn’t really make pleasant reading.
Once again, I thank you for your patience, and I will try to upload more frequently. I really enjoy writing these blog posts and it means the world to me that people actually take the time to read something that I wrote.
Sending you allll the love in the world,
See you in the next post!
Jessica Jean xoxo
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