Lives of your great-grandfathers


Remember the ancestors. Have great hopes for the thread.
Does it help you rekindle past glories which you took absolutely no part in?
My granda died because of cannon dust he had on the chest in 1956. My other granda was killed in the cut opposite St Luke's school. Great grandfathers. I have no idea.
 
Without a doubt, I love reading about stuff like that some proper characters, be better than peaky blinders.
I've only done the paternal side of great grandparents (will do the others eventually) just off the two I've done. Murder, bigamy, an incident with dynamite. We lead boring lives now man.
Brilliant.
Tried my best not to live a boring life. You only get one go marra.😁
 
Does it help you rekindle past glories which you took absolutely no part in?
My granda died because of cannon dust he had on the chest in 1956. My other granda was killed in the cut opposite St Luke's school. Great grandfathers. I have no idea.

For my own part, it helped me understand my parents' upbringing and how it affected their lives and attitudes, with the knock-on to how I was brought up.
 
Going up the male line, I'm pretty sure he was a miner. He died before I was born. All I ever knew of him was an old and early photo on the wall at my grandpa's house. One of those ones where no background was really captured, just a round picture around the face that seemed to fade away. I wonder what happened to that picture. I always thought he looked stern but posh, which would not fit with being a miner. Perhaps taken in his sunday best.

No idea on my mam's dad's side. My mam's mam's mam lived until I was probably about 14. She was a fantastic lady and full of fascinating stories. She was brought up close to Catherine Cookson and was the same age, I think they knew each other. My nana might have been a year or two ahead of her at school. Some of the real life events that went into Cookson's books, she remembered. The changes she saw come in in her life was fascinating.

She was a seamstress. Her dad died when she was quite young, so her and her mam faced poverty or make a living without a man in the house. Her mam started bringing in clothes for mending or would pick up old and worn clothes then cut, trim and make new clothes out of the best bits. She used to unpick the worn collar off a shirt, turn it around so the worn bit was on the inside folded over bit and get another few years of wear out of it. My nana picked up all the skills and it kept her out of the workhouse.

She loved her sewing and crochet. Some of the stuff she made, and her various dress making pattern books are now in one of the 1950s houses in Beamish. Fantastic going to see her stuff and show my kids, with it being their great great granmother's stuff. Admittedly my daughter was interested, my son less so!
 
For my own part, it helped me understand my parents' upbringing and how it affected their lives and attitudes, with the knock-on to how I was brought up.
It was specifically tagetted at the quoted poster mate. He's a right wing loon on the politics forum. I fully understand what you are saying. To move forward we have to look back.
 
Never knew my grandad on my mam's side, he died when my mam was a child, never mind my great-grandad.

Both my great grandfathers on my dads side were coal miners, one born and bred in East Durham, the other moving down from North West Durham to work at the then new East Durham super pits in the 1920s.
 
Only knew one died on my 11th birthday Duncan Robertson Wallace him and his Brother William came down from Dumfries for work, god knows how He told me they walked.They got work here then joined the Army together, saw a few campaigns then settled back in Roker met my great grandmother then had a decent life, A long time ago I still miss him now,a strong man.I’m going to get his headstone replaced soon in Mere Knowles I’ll see him again some day.
 
I only ever met my maternal great grandad.

He was born in Dalton-Le-Dale in 1912 (I think) and raised by his aunty and uncle. His surname was Graham and his nickname was Grahamy-owa-the-beck, as the house they lived in was, you guessed it, over the other side of the beck that runs through the village.

He served in the Royal Navy during WWII (always corrected people when they just said “navy”, as he wanted people to know it wasn’t just the merchant navy). He travelled around the world and absolutely loved it. His favourite place they were at was Malta, so a few years ago I finally went and turns out it’s a favourite of mine, too.

After leaving the Royal Navy, he drove the busses locally until retiring.

I slept there most weekends as a kid and will never forget his crinkle cut deep fat fried chips.

Sadly died of cancer about 20 year ago.
I go to Malta regularly and always visit the military cemetery near Mdina. Go next time if you haven’t been already.
 
I know very little about them, but;

GGF 1. Born circa 1850's. Down my fathers line.

GGF 2. Born 1852 at Shipston on Stour, which is North East of London.

GGF 3. Born circa 1858, Fressingfield Suffolk. Down my mothers paternal line.

GGF 4. Born circa 1861, possibly Houghto-le-spring.

Seems my family moved up from South and East of the country.

I have a smidgen of Family tree that was given to me by my Niece.
North West of London, you numpty.
 
Only knew one died on my 11th birthday Duncan Robertson Wallace him and his Brother William came down from Dumfries for work, god knows how He told me they walked.They got work here then joined the Army together, saw a few campaigns then settled back in Roker met my great grandmother then had a decent life, A long time ago I still miss him now,a strong man.I’m going to get his headstone replaced soon in Mere Knowles I’ll see him again some day.
We may be related.
 
Going up the male line, I'm pretty sure he was a miner. He died before I was born. All I ever knew of him was an old and early photo on the wall at my grandpa's house. One of those ones where no background was really captured, just a round picture around the face that seemed to fade away. I wonder what happened to that picture. I always thought he looked stern but posh, which would not fit with being a miner. Perhaps taken in his sunday best.

No idea on my mam's dad's side. My mam's mam's mam lived until I was probably about 14. She was a fantastic lady and full of fascinating stories. She was brought up close to Catherine Cookson and was the same age, I think they knew each other. My nana might have been a year or two ahead of her at school. Some of the real life events that went into Cookson's books, she remembered. The changes she saw come in in her life was fascinating.

She was a seamstress. Her dad died when she was quite young, so her and her mam faced poverty or make a living without a man in the house. Her mam started bringing in clothes for mending or would pick up old and worn clothes then cut, trim and make new clothes out of the best bits. She used to unpick the worn collar off a shirt, turn it around so the worn bit was on the inside folded over bit and get another few years of wear out of it. My nana picked up all the skills and it kept her out of the workhouse.

She loved her sewing and crochet. Some of the stuff she made, and her various dress making pattern books are now in one of the 1950s houses in Beamish. Fantastic going to see her stuff and show my kids, with it being their great great granmother's stuff. Admittedly my daughter was interested, my son less so!
What a brilliant story marra.
And what a legacy she left for the world to see.😇
A life less ordinary is always best George 😉
Never a truer word spoken marra.
 
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Only did one side of my family's ancestry as not in touch with my dad but still interesting and through that side I can back to like the 200s though a lot of that I am a bit skeptical about tbf as you get to about 1100 and earlier then I think a lot of the ancestry is based on mythology.

Example of earliest known ancestor: https://www.geni.com/people/Fornjot-King-of-Kvenland/6000000001233379149

But anyway my two great grandparents I have a bit information on but should do more. One was still alive when I was bairn and can remember him but from his side I struggled to find anything past him (there is a lineage but not 100% it's correct).

Born 1914, died 1990, was military I believe but haven't searched military records yet which is why I don't have much on this side of the family. Says he had one child (my grandad) but know that is incorrect as well as my grandad had a brother.

On my Nana's side he father was definitely military as have photos. Born 1901 and died in 1966, he was called Murray and was from Irish decent. I found my 3rd great grandmother through his lineage who was born in Louth and was married in Sunderland at age 17, have her coming to Sunderland in 1951 (or maybes before) so came over before the age of 7, time period puts in directly at the time of the great potato famine of Ireland so I guess (but can't say for sure) that's why they came across then. That region of Ireland was very heavy in potato farming so makes sense.

My 3rd Great grandfather Patrick Murray also seems to have been from Louth but there's multiple people it could be from my research so haven't been able to narrow down which is the correct one or correct details to go any further on that lineage.
 

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