Families

6 August

Kile is on his way back home today, and the flat feels empty again. I was going to take a ride into town this afternoon but I have a bit of work to do here and it won’t get done if I go out. After that’s done I shall get on with some more writing. Last night I got another 640 words done; Arathusia now stands at around 6500 words now. It’s slow progress but it is getting done.

Our block is supposed to be finished by Friday, a week ahead of schedule. There’s still a good bit to do though, and that’s what it is, bits n bobs. On our block the only major task as I see it is removing the scaffolding around the side and front. There’s a small gang installing the downpipes, but even that is causing problems. They’ve had to dig out the old council drains and install new ones, OK fine, but the new drains have been put in the wrong place and that really is causing some problems for the gang working on them now. They’re not massive problems of course, but I’m sure they are adding to the cost of the job.

I have an on/off project of tracing the Clark family name. Part of my wanting to go to Edinburgh a few years ago was to spend time in the Scottish Peoples record office. Actually, I did do so, but as much as I would have liked to. Edinburgh was a new city for me and loved being able to use my scooter to get around and explore, and I did a lot of it.

The problem with all family history is that you start with your own parents and ask them questions about their parents and so. Of course if they tell you something then you tend to take it as being correct; that could well be a big mistake. I once read something in History Today from a professional historian. Talking about website accuracy he said, ‘We are historians. It is our responsibility to ensure that the information we use is accurate.’ (Sorry, I can’t remember the man’s name now.) The internet writers don’t do any checks, or very few anyway. And anyone doing family history, needs to be aware of the same problem.

My granddad Clark told his kids he was from a family of barristers in Glasgow. He had a big row with them and walked out and only worked down a Welsh put because there was no other work. That is the story my dad told me. It seems that his older brother Jim told his family the same thing. Oh dear … I got of the marriage certificate for gran and granddad and great-granddad Clark was a haulier, not a barrister. At least my dad didn’t know about the fibbing, or at least I hope he didn’t.

While I was in the records office I found several births for the name James Crosby Clark and at least one of them was in a family of hauliers. It didn’t really help though and without his date of birth I could go now further. A few months ago I found another fib. I was told that granddad died in 1939, just before WWII began, but I couldn’t find any reference to him around that time. I asked for help on a Glamorganshire family history site and someone came back to my with a burial record of 10 August 1945; no wonder I couldn’t find him. Now I can get a copy of his death certificate and move on from there. Progress at last.

But not on the Jane side of the family sadly. Other Jaynes have managed to get back to 1803 in the Forest of Dean and then hit a solid brick wall. One more family name is Bolter; I’ve traced that one back to a family of farm labours in 1750s Abbey Dore in Herefordshire. I shall leave that one there for now.

Today’s photo … 

Having a chat

Today’s funny …

After suffering a heart attach and having quadruple bypass surgery, a man woke up to find himself in a Catholic hospital with nuns taking care of him. As they nursed him back to health, one of the nuns asked him if he had health insurance.

"No," he replied, "No health insurance."

"Do you have any money in the bank?" asked the nun.

"No. No money in the bank."

The nun asked, "Do you have any relatives you could ask for help?"

The man replied, "I only have a spinster sister, who is a nun."

At this the nun because irritated. "Nuns are not spinsters. Nuns are married to God!"

"OK, then," said the man. "Send the bill to my brother-in-law."