Have you ever wondered if there are any skeletons in the closet, hidden away in the branches of your family tree?
After I found out that my Mum had died, I started to wonder about my maternal family history.
I took advantage of a 2 week free trial of a popular family history site, and was amazed at what I discovered. It also left me with more questions than what I started with!
Due to the breakdown of my family of origin, I had very little information to go on. I had vague memories of my two great grandmas – both died by the time I was 5. There was the lovely cuddly Great Grandma (grandma’s mum) and cranky old Grandma Bessie (grandpa’s mum).
The Jane Austen Connection
I discovered that crabby old Grandma Bessie, was actually christened Elizabeth … and then I stumbled across her maiden name. She was Elizabeth Bennett – as was her Mum before her. Yes, really! (Totally loving the Jane Austen link – even if the spelling of Bennet isn’t quite the same ;-)).
I’d heard rumours that Grandma Bessie had been a bit of a bad girl in her time, and that there was a baby born on the “wrong side of the blanket”.
Skeletons in the Closet
When I started digging I found that actually, she gave birth to THREE boys out of wedlock in the early 1900’s – my grandfather was the youngest. I’d known of two, but didn’t know about the eldest boy who died aged 5 – around the time my grandfather was born.
I can still remember my Mum and Grandmother sniping about old Grandma Bessie, that she was “no better than she should have been”. Apparently she was a stickler for convention and fiercely class-conscious – which seems quite odd now that I know her story!
Turns out, Grandma Bessie didn’t actually marry until my grandfather was 8 years old. It’s left me with so many questions:
- In all the records I’ve found, the two surviving sons bore her married name – even though she didn’t marry until nearly a decade after they were born! So who was the father?
- And, did they all have the same father?
- And if so, why didn’t he marry Grandma Bessie earlier and make her an honest woman?
- Great Grandfather was a good 20 years older than Grandma Bessie and died long before I was born. Was it a love match, or a marriage of convenience?
- And maybe, biologically, he’s not my Great Grandfather at all?!
Mind you, who knows how accurate the historical records are.
My own mother died only 7 years ago, and when I ordered a copy of her death certificate I found no fewer than six mistakes on it. SIX! Names spelt incorrectly, the birth years of my siblings muddled up, and no mention whatsoever of two of my mum’s 4 marriages … it just goes to show you really can’t trust even the official records. (And did you know, that if I wanted to get the records changed, there would be a fee and a lot of paperwork involved? Doesn’t exactly motivate me to make sure it’s an accurate record!).
Have you ever tried digging around in your family tree? Find any skeletons in the closet?!
I used to work in family history research, so yep – there are a LOT of incorrect records and it’s expensive to change them. I’ve never actually dug too much into my own family history though.
It’s amazing what you find when you start digging. As the ad says, “you don’t have to know what you’re looking for – you just have to start looking”! 😉
I know we are related to the actor Errol Flynn via marriage on my dad’s side.
(((( Hugs ))))
I don’t think there’s anybody famous in my family tree – though on my dad’s side we have a semi-famous (or should that be notorious?!) jewel thief!
I love family history! We don’t have any skeletons in the closet that I know of. I’m intrigued by your family history and the fact you and your hubby have been married for such a long time is a true testament to the person you are despite your family history on your mums side. X
Thanks Bec – I feel very blessed to have picked such a wonderful man in the fist place, that is half the battle! Loz’s family have traced their roots (in Malta) back to about the 16th century, would you believe! Now that’s impressive!
I have tried to help dad with that site and failed miserably, you need so much time and the right dates and names. So I gave up and put it in the too hard basket, the fact that he doesn’t live in the same country as me didn’t help either. Rae xxx
Yes I was lucky that a relative had done most of the hard work for me (I’d never met this man, but my grandfather was his uncle and he’d traced the family back quite a ways).
My father has been digging around his side of the family who emigrated from England when he was a little boy. Much more interesting is my mother’s side but of course as you point out the juicy bits aren’t always recorded!
It’s always interesting to hear about family histories! On dear hubby’s side, a forebear was first printer in NSW, and apparently hubby’s side was from the as you described -born on the wrong side of the blanket!
You know that was one thing I was a bit disappointed about – no convicts in our family tree – and no royalty either – LOL!
I have done the Ancestry.com thing and found a lot of skeletons in my closet too. There were a few illegitimate births, a philandering great grandfather, and even a bar fight that resulted in my great great grandfather dying in his sleep. Such scandal!
It really does make history come alive in a whole new way!
It can get a bit addictive I find!
Hi, came over from the comment you left at my blog. It was great to meet you at the #pbevent. Naturally I found your family history story very interesting. From your discoveries you will understand why it is necessary to have more than one piece of primary evidence. Regards Fran