Family Tree

One thing I have been doing recently is having a good sort out and organise. The reason for this is that now I have more and more space available to me, space to spread my wings so to speak and its nice. With the living room being some kind of ad-hoc bedroom space for a while, it was a bit rammed in and busy. No one's fault really and it was a situation that was the way it was because that was how it was. No bitchiness or bitterness or anything of that kind. We made the best of a rather awkward situation and that was the way of it. Natt is my friend and it was a pleasure to help a friend during their time of need. Right now I am having a sort out and getting rid of things I no longer have need or use for. There are a lot of things lying around here. I have always pictured my mind as a desk. A desk can sometimes be cluttered and covered with things it doesn't need to be. This is kind of how I visualise my mind so to me, clearing my desk can mean a lot more than the simple answer.

Its amazing how much clutter just mounts up when you aren't looking. I have a lot of DVDs, games and consoles as well as a rather hefty book collection and CD collection. This stuff is stuff that I have accumulated over the years and some of it does have sentimental value to me and there are things that I don't think I could ever part with. Particularly certain soft toys like my Donald Duck which have wonderful stories about a fantastic holiday.

One thing I have wanted to research for years was my family history. Its fascinating to see how far back I can look and see how my family has grown and expanded over the years. Its something my mum was doing and she has been a fantastic source of information. I like history and it is so much fun to look at where we came from. Maybe one day, a relative will look back and maybe use what we found to find out more. Our time here isn't always long but I like to at least know a bit about the people before. I also have an interest in folklore. When you look at the history of a place you find out a lot. All my years in Redditch, I hadn't known much about the "Lady of the Moat" in Moon's Moat. Her story of love and betrayal and her ghost coming back every year to walk through her home. I find Redditch a rather interesting place, along with my hometown. So any chance to get my teeth in some good history is appreciated. I think a natural interest in the world around you is good and when I couple that with time on my hands, it is a great way to spend some time. So far, I have managed to trace my Mother's family (mainly on my mother's paternal grandmother's side, Edensor) to 1812 and my 5th great grandfather. On my Father's side (concentrating on the Fullard side) to 1740.

Its interesting because talking to my mum, she told me some stories and stuff about the family and what she knew and I shared with her what I found out. I like to think that one day what we've both uncovered will be pulled together to make a complete family tree. And maybe one day, how cool would it be to trace some long lost relatives? I find it incredible that we have roots deep in our history (The Fullards particularly had links with Staffordshire since the 1800's and had other branch families out in Dorset and even some way out in South Africa and Canada) that connect us to so many different places and times. It grows every time I do some more on it. To find as far back as my 9th Great-Grandfather William (the name William seems to pop up a lot in our family history, my dad is as far the 7th William I have found) and his wife Harriet. I also did some digging in to my 6rh Great Grandfather's past. This is just a bite of what I found and something I found fascinating.

William was born in 1787 in Birmingham to his parents James and Jane. He joined the military in 1809 and proceeded to get to a Navy Lieutenant and received a medal in China at around 1840-1842. He married a lady called Ann Parr who was 10 years younger, and they moved to live in Dorset where they had their children. A photograph surfaced as well. This was taken about 2-3 years (or so my search has told me so far) before he died in 1849. I found it amazing as I went through his history and found out more and more about him. I also couldn't help but notice a few things about how they looked. Particularly William who does remind me of my brother Stephen and paternal cousin Nick. It has almost been like getting in to a time machine and going back to see them. I wonder what they were like? This is one good way of looking to the past. Seeing who you will discover and what stories you can find about them is fascinating. In some ways, it can even help you work out who you are as a person. So far I have manged to go back even further with links to India and Canada but I won't bore you all with that. I may also have tracked down some cousins from my dad's side of the family but again, I won't bore you with all of that.

Let's enjoy what I have found for now.

Loves
Wendy xx