My first blog post this month was a sad one. It detailed the suicide of a cousin on my mother's side of the family. It was particularly heart-wrenching as the poor lady's 11-year-old son was interrogated at the inquest. Naturally, he would have been grieving, and I don't think it was very fair of the coroner.
The coroner's questions implied that he believed Mrs Ellen Gray committed suicide, after having a row with her husband, as he asked that particular question more than once.
I ended the post by saying that another tragedy hit the family in later years. I will write that post soon, and publish next month.
The second blog post this month was dedicated to a complete mystery in my family history. It concerned Catherine Queenan, an elder sister of my great-grandfather, Martin Quinnin.
Catherine was baptised as an infant, then totally disappeared. There is no birth certificate, no death certificate and no burial. She is a complete conundrum.
I personally suspect she died as a baby, but can find no proof of that. If she did survive childhood, there is certainly no marriage certificate or death certificate for an adult Catherine.
The next blog post this month was a little study I conducted into my more recent ancestors. By recent, I mean back to my great-great-grandparents on all sides of my family. I made a chart and looked at numerous sources to deduce whether or not my ancestors could read and write.
Some ancestors were easier than others, for example I know one wrote his own will. The majority came from civil registration documents, where I checked the informants of events and if they signed their name or with a X.
It was nice to see some progression in regards to learning to write with some of my ancestors. One of my Scottish grandmothers was the informant on most of her children's births. It was interesting to see her write her new married name incorrectly at first with her first few children, then be able to perfect her signature with her last children.
I also colour coordinated the chart, with different colours meaning different birth countries, and whether there was a factor in that. It was interesting to see that my ancestors of Irish descent were often less likely to be able to write.
A Family Gold Mine
Now you may notice there is no link attached to this blog post, and nor are you able to find it on my main page. Sadly, I made a rookie mistake.
Whilst going through my drafts and published posts, I clicked delete on what I thought was a very old post - it wasn't. Sadly I have deleted my most recent post, one which I enjoyed writing.
Thankfully I keep all my notes, so will write this one again. It should be up in a few weeks time. For the short time it was around, I received some nice feedback on it.
Blogs I've Enjoyed This Month
- Kindred Past - This blog only has five posts currently, but I can't wait to read more. I have enjoyed everyone so far. The latest 'Hide and Seek with Harry' was particularly well-written, and I really empathise with how aggravating it is when an ancestor just can't be found. Very relatable.
- Dunfermline Men Who Died During WW1 - This is a brand new blog! The blog plans to highlight the lives of the men of Dunfermline and West Fife who died fighting in WW1. The first (and currently only) blog post features a young man who received the Victoria Cross. It's a very good read.
Upcoming...
The blog post next Wednesday will concern the Browns; an old Northumbrian family who have lived in one particular area for centuries. I am lucky enough to be descended from them. Until then...
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