Of family matters and nest building

1 March

Another of my many interests is family history, although this is one pretty well and on/off thing. Last time it ‘on’, I spent a few days in Edinburgh trying to find info on my granddad. The family story is that he came from a family of lawyers in Glasgow. That one was put to bed when I ordered a copy of his marriage licence and found out his dad was a haulier. Ah well … However, having spent a number of hours looking at the records I found that there are a number of James Crosby Clarks born around the same time and all to families in the haulage business, but which one was it. Without his date of birth though I couldn’t get any further. But where do I get his date of birth from?

I was sat talking to someone somewhere or other the other day and I can’t think who or where it was now; but the conversation got round to my dad, he had joined the Royal marines in 1938, granddad died the following year. And snap, of course, his death certificate! That is where I should be able to get his date of birth from. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? But guess what; I still haven’t done anything about it. I will do later this afternoon though. All I need to do now is to chat up Jan about another few days in Edinburgh.

Of course, the Clarks are only part of the story. T’ther side is the Jayne family. Originally from the Forest of Dean, others have taken them back to 1803, and the trails stops at that point. There seems to be a solid brick wall at that point. 

 What is needed is to spend some time in the area looking at and working their way through the records in Gloucestershire County Record Office. That takes time and money I’m afraid so it won’t be happening any time soon methinks.

There are two other lines of course; there’s the woman who was granddad Clark’s mum; but I need his birth certificate to get a lead on that one of course. The other side are the Bolters, on my mother’s side. They have been fairly easy really seeing as they were a family of farm labourers living in Abbey Dore, Herefordshire. Mother’s granddad was named John Bolter. However, the Bolters were not very imaginative when came to naming their kids, and found a direct line of John Bolters all the way to 1749. I rested at that point for while – and I haven’t been back to it since. And that my friends is how it all stands as of now. I’m hoping that later today I will be able to leaver open the door to Clarks a wee bit further now.

Kile made a nest box at school some time ago and even though it was bright red, we put it out in the middle of a bush with little hope it would be used. Well, Jan had a brain wave the other day too, and here’s was buy something cheap and cover it to hide the red. She and Kile did that yesterday and as soon as it was done Jan put it back in the bush. Within hours a robin had been in and out a few times and now looks like it will be used this year. Both Jan and Kile is pleased over that. It will be nice to have robins and blackbirds nesting out back.

It’s been ages since I posted a new photo of the girl of my dreams, and here she is … 

Taken in the Felix Holt the other day.

And today’s funny …

A woman walked into the kitchen and found her husband walking around with a fly swatter. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Hunting mosquitoes,” He responded. “Oh, catching any?” She asked. “Yep, two males, two females,” He replied. Intrigued, she asked, “How can you tell?” He responded, “Two were on a beer can, two were on the phone.”