Looking For Grandpa

Spent most of the afternoon trying to find a grand-parent...makes a change from rooting about under the cushions for the car-keys or my best scissors I suppose...actually I keep my best scissors so well hidden from Himself that I once had to buy another pair 'cos I couldn't remember where I'd put the originals.

He has a perfectly good pair for clipping a bedraggled lump of fur from Bobby's bottom or for cutting string...though I did catch him opening the nebule packet for my nebuliser with those scissors and nearly had forty fits...GERMS! I shouted at him...he looked quite non-plussed and said they looked clean enough...

Anyway I'm digressing again...back to grand parent whose name was Jeremiah...he was born in the late 1600's and lived in an area well covered by on-line parish records...but he isn't there. Or at least I can't find him, apart from his marriage that is...he didn't appear to pay any taxes and he didn't seem to have an apprentice, though he did father ten children...

Turned my attentions then to another grand parent who came from a rather posh family...they were all Yeomen and Husbandmen who left Wills and owned land and appear to have lived long lives, bearing in mind they were living in turbulent times and had nasty diseases lurking round every corner.

I wonder if their survival and avoidance of Smallpox and Typhus outbreaks was because they lived relatively isolated lives in the country-side...could have much to do with their longevity I think.

None of them rushed off to America in leaky wooden boats either...

While looking for the more illustrious ancestor, I found another of the intriguing Criminal Registers...two men...Father and son...were sentenced to seven years transportation for murder and manslaughter respectively...at the same Lent Assizes, three men found guilty of sheep-stealing were sentenced to death...the sentence was carried out a week later. Pretty lop-sided when you could kill a person and get seven years, but steal a sheep and be executed...and I'm wondering how they were found out...caught red-handed in the field perhaps or did a nosy neighbour smell boiling mutton and was grieved because they weren't offered any...

Which ever way those men found themselves in court doesn't seem to be fair...

[Nanaeal]

Thank you for another lovely story of your exploits. Best wishes Nan

[hufferpuffer]

Mmmmm...the mind boggles! it certainly was not a fair measure of punishment back then! As for your posh Grandparents they had the right idea staying isolated like me less germs, less chest infections, less bugs and colds!

[jimmyw123 in reply to hufferpuffer]

strange what you find in your past, in my genealogy, from alcoholics dying in the poor house, to head teachers, etc but one surprising thing was a great umpteen times aunt born 1750, died 1851 at 101 years old amazing when they were dying at 40 then, i have the full death cert, "school masters wife" died at 101 years old , very odd for this time.

just thought it worth a mention vashti, but enjoyed your read once again

love jimmy xxx

[Hidden]

Maybe the grandfather is under the cushion vashti? x

[chopsticks]

one of my ancestors was put to death for stealing a sheep Chris x

[sassy59]

Fascinating stuff vashti and I do hope you find the missing grand-parent. So interesting to get to know those who have gone before. xxxx

[peege]

You make me chuckle as per usual Vashti. The scissors! I hide mine too and my good tweezers!

I've no idea where my lot come from..... but I'm reading the Shardlake series at the moment so im right there in 16th century night and day, I can almost smell the stink. Tough times, glad I'm not there in reality though.