A Sunday slice of history: or how I'm not a bad person but I am kind of glad the Titanic sank.

Which is a dreadful thing to say on the 100 year anniversary, but bear with me, there is some reasoning here.

Back in the early 20th Century, my great grandmother married a chap by the name of Frederick Simmons, who was a merchant seaman. The family story has it that he had the choice to go on Scott's voyage to Antarctica or on the Titanic. His wife was pregnant so he chose to go on the Titanic because he would leave after the baby was born and be back much sooner. Too much irony for words, as whilst Scott didn't fare well, he would have been more than fine as part of the ship's crew.

This is that baby (or Great Uncle Ted as we used to call him) and my great grandmother in 1914 or so.

My great grandmother went on to marry again and had four more children, one of which was my grandmother. 

So you see, I am terribly sorry Titanic, but all things considered, I am pretty much on the iceberg's side.

(And in a delightfully linking-up way, this little fellow went on to marry the lovely lady I showed you yesterday - my Great Aunt Lily Johnny Galecki's ancestor).

A Sunday slice of history.

Turns out that what you can find out about your family is pretty awesome. Yeay to all you people who put things online.


So please hear it for a little bit of that...


My grandfather was in the RAF and was stationed in Singapore in the 1950s. I know exactly how and when they came home because the shipping lists are out there. 

Which is brilliant. First class back from Hong Kong to RAF housing.

This is in contrast to an earlier journey he did. I found a passenger list from when he came back from India via Australia with his parents as a child. That was 3rd class and I suspect the journey was a lot less fun.

A Sunday slice of history.

I have been watching a lot of Who Do You Think You Are lately, as well as a bit of Time Team so, you know, I am feeling at one with my roots. This made me feel like I ought to be a little less shallow, just for a bit, so I am shelving the Sunday Lustworthy posts for a couple of weeks so I can share a couple of awesome family stories with you.

This one isn't strictly an awesome story, more a really old letter. Also it is a work-in-progress - we found this letter amongst my grandmother's papers when she died and we don't really know any more than it shows.

It really is from 1746, which feels terribly impressive, and is written by a loving nephew to his aunt. We don't recognise the names as family names so enquiries are afoot to find out more and then to work out why my grandmother had it tucked away.

Just you wait for the Titanic story. Oh yes.