Follow Friday - Family Tree Overload

The Inghamite Church, Wheatley Lane

In my last post (four days ago) I was travelling from York to Lancashire with my fellow family tree researcher, who armed with files, maps and family tree records had planned a intensive genealogy excursion.  

It is now time to catch my breath, and collate all the material we managed to collect.  In three and a half days, we visited 7 family homes/farms, 4 churches and tramped through 5 graveyards, and took over 250 photos.

Gravestone of William Rushworth 1773-1859

I am promised myself a family tree free day tomorrow, and then I will sit down and write about some of the amazing discoveries we made, and the serendipitous meetings, that has left us with so many new leads and connections to follow up. 

If I was to pick a highlight from the past few days it would have to be the discovery of William Rushworth's (Elizabeth Rushworth's grandfather) gravestone at St James, Briercliff. 

William was born in1773 and died on the 9 January 1859 at Pheasant Ford, near Burnley, Lancashire. At the time of his death he was living with his daughter Alice and her husband Joseph Wallbank.

  

The gravestone was in extremely good condition considering its age, and also confirmed that William's youngest daughter Alice and her husband were buried in the same grave.   It was interesting to note the change in the spelling of the name Wallbank.  At the time of his father John's death in 1856 to his death in 1898 the spelling of the name changed from Woabank to Wallbank.

Those Places Thursday - Planning by UK Genjourney

Time is ticking by soooooooo quickly!  In less than three weeks I will be winging off to the UK.  I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all the things I hope to have organised before I left.  I guess they will still be here when I get back.

Elizabeth Taylor

In my last blog I listed a number of action points that would assist me in making the most of my research time. Now I have to make the hard decision on which branches of our family tree to focus on.  In other words Rationalise!!!

If you follow my other blogs,Family Stories, Photographs and Memories and

The Other Half of My Family Tree- stories of my female ancestors,  you will know that I am fascinated by the story of Elizabeth Rushworth (1843-1927). 

Elizabeth and her husband William Taylor (1833-1928) came from Burnley, Barnoldswick and finally lived in Colne, Lancashire, and it is for this reason that I have decided to base myself in Lancashire for four weeks. I hope to be able to connect with their descendants and check out all the local resources (Libraries, museums, newspapers) to help to put together a more comprehensive picture of their family and way of life.

There are three other branches of our family tree that I would like to follow up on.  The first being the Goldings/Gee families who immigrated from Oakington and Longstanton, Cambridgeshire to Adelaide, South Australia in the mid 1852 on the "Epaminondas". Edward

Golding and Maria Golding (nee Gee) were my great-great-great grandparents. They immigrated with their brothers, sisters and children seeking a new life in the colony of Adelaide, in South Australia.

Also, I plan to visit Daybrook, Arnold in Nottinghamshire.  My great-great-great grandfather  Lynn David Shepherd and his wife Elizabeth (nee Mariner) were born and married in Daybrook.  Lynn was a soldier in the Battalion of 69th Regiment of Foot and fought in the Napoleonic Wars. When he returned from the war he joined the Royal Veteran Corps bound for New South Wales, Australia. Lynn, Elizabeth and their children came to Australia on the "Orpheus" arriving in Sydney cove on the 19th September 1826.

Hannah Nesbitt's Grave

The final branch that I plan to explore is that of my great-great grandmother on my mother's side, Hannah Nesbitt (1827-1913) who lived in Alnwick, Northumberland.  She married Francis Newman (1820-1852) in 1847 and they travelled  from England to South Australia in 1850 on the "Boyne". Unfortunately Francis died while seeking his fortune in the Victorian gold fields, and Hannah remarried my great great grandfather William Herbert  (1818-1881)and they settled in the copper mining town of Burra in South Australia.

There are a number of family stories that say Hannah and her family lived in or near the castle at Alnwick.  I am assuming that her family were on the staff at the castle.  There are also stories that some members of the next generation returned to Alnwick to visit their family.  It would be nice to see how much truth is in these tales.  Of course there is also the bonus side to visiting Alnwick! That is to be able to tell my grandsons that I visited the Castle where Harry Potter was filmed!!!!

Of course I plan to keep an open mind and if the opportunity arises and there is a chance to delve into other branches of our family tree, that will be a bonus.

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

What better way to start off a travel/discovery blog than with one of my favourite poems.  In fact “The Road Not Taken” sums up my philosophy on life in a very succinct way.  To embrace opportunities and new adventures even if it means treading on the “road less travelled by”.

Where is this leading to you might ask!!  For the first time in my many years,  I have accrued 

Elizabeth Taylor (1841-1927)

Long Service Leave and I plan to use some of this time to pursue one of my dreams.  That is to delve deeper into the  story of Elizabeth Taylor (nee Rushworth) and her family. Anyone who follows my blog.The Other Half of my tree - stories of my female ancestors, will know that I am fascinated with her story and would really like to know more about her life, family and the times she lived in.

 

My husband is heading to England at the end of June as the coach of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby League Team, which will be playing in the World Cup in Medway.  What better opportunity!  So I plan travel over to England at the end of May and spend a month digging around for more information and catching up with a number of fellow researchers who are researching connected branches of the Taylor and Rushworth Family Trees, in Lancashire and Yorkshire.  Stay tuned for my journey of discovery.  Perhaps, if time allows it I will be able to visit a couple of other places with links to other branches of my family. 

I will then join my husband for the World Cup (with a few side trips in southern England to keep me amused).  Following the world cup we plan to visit exchange family in France and Finland.  (Exchange as in, the families of two international students that lived with us when they were on exchange in Australia). They are both now married with young families. 

What better way to enjoy my extended leave, family tree research, family links, travel and of course one of my other indulgences photography.