Grizel to Grace ~ Changing the Optics

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 48 (GRATITUDE)

When I first found the name Grizel in an ancestor's record I pondered why anyone would name their child after the tough inedible part of meat (gristle). I just couldn't imagine why a parent would name their new baby girl after such a yucky thing. Next I wondered if the child was particularly whiny, and named after the grizzly noises they made.  I then thought maybe the child was born with hair the colour of 'salt & pepper', and it was a spelling variation of grizzled. 

When I found several named Grizel in the records I was searching I realized there must be something more to this name. 

The name Grizel is: 

"Scottish and English variant of Griselda, from Old German,
possibly meaning "grey battle-maiden". " 
                                           1

What I found interesting is that all of the Grizels I found were known as Grace.
The name Grace invokes far more attractive visuals that the name Grizel did for me. 

I love the name Grace. I also love the word Grace. It's a part of my everyday language. I frequently comment that I am grateful the people that care about me give me grace. I am not perfect, and the grace offered by those around me assists me in living life authentically.

GRACE & GRATITUDE walk hand in hand. 

Now back to the name:

"Grizel / Grizelda / Griselda

This name is thought to have been derived from the Old German
"grisja" (grey) and "hild" (battle). The 14th century author Boccaccio
wrote a story about Patient Griselda in the Decameron and the English
author Chaucer wrote a version of this in "The Clerk's Tale" which
popularised the name and associated it with patience. Grizel became a
popular form in Scotland though there were many variations -
Grizzel, Girsel, Girzel and Goirzel. It was used by both the nobility and
commoners - one well known bearer of the name was
Lady Grizel Baillie (1665-1746), daughter of a Covenanter,
the 1st Earl of Marchmont. She wrote a number of Scots songs and her
"Household Book" was reprinted by the Scottish History Society in 1911.
In Scotland, Grizel sometimes became Grace
and a diminutive form was Zelda."   1

and 

"Grace

The name Grace came originally from the Latin "gratia" meaning
"grace" or "favour". It was not found often in Britain or Scotland until the
Puritans took it up in the 17th century, prompted by their phrase
"by the grace of God". The Puritans took the name to North America.
In Scotland it became quite popular in the 19th century but in a
number of cases it was derived from another popular name, Grizel, which
became "gris" and "Grace" (see also below). The name was given a boost
as a result of the heroine Grace Darling (1815-1842) who rescued some
shipwrecked sailors off the coast of Northumberland. In 1900, Grace
was the 22nd most popular first name in Scotland. However, in recent years,
despite Princess Grace of Monaco, the name is
not found often in Scotland."   2

 

All of the Grizels I found were in Scottish records. The first Grizel I found in our Bramble Bush was the mother-in-law of my 5th great uncle.

Grizel (Grace) Watson

BIRTH 25 MAR 1787 • Lamington, Lanarkshire, Scotland

DEATH 1 OCT 1865 • Kirkmuirhill, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
her husband was|

Alexander Pate

BIRTH 10 DEC 1779 • Clannochdyke, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

DEATH 25 MAY 1826 • Abbeygreen, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Their daughter

Elizabeth Pate

BIRTH 16 JUL 1818 • Lesmahag, Lanark

DEATH 19 JULY 1873 • Turfholm, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
married my 5th great uncle|

James Graham

BIRTH 16 JUL 1811 • Closeburn, Dumfries, Thornhill, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotlan

DEATH 23 MAR 1886 • Drowned in River Dothan, Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire

This couple has been very memorable for me because it is through one of their descendants that I was finally able to confirm this family line.  Prior to the DNA match I had taken my 5th great grandparents out of my tree several times. I had started my tree over twice concerned I may have not researched accurately. 

The DNA match finally allowed me to believe I had reasonably exhausted my search, and could claim my 5th great grandparents: Peter & Ann (nee Kirk) Graham.

The DNA match confirmed that James Graham was the brother 

of my 4th great grandfather 

Robert Graham

BIRTH 16 JAN 1814 • Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfries-shire, Scotland

DEATH 24 MAR 1892 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland
married (my 4th great grandmother)

Susanah (Susan) Hamilton

BIRTH 03 NOV 1814 • Carnwath, Lanarkshire

DEATH 11 APR 1894 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

The parents of James & Robert Graham were:

Peter Graham

BIRTH ABT 1788 • Closeburn, Dumfriesshire

DEATH Unknown
and

Ann Kirk

BIRTH ABT 1785

DEATH Unknown

James and Robert had two sisters that I have found so far:

Mary Graham

BIRTH 9 FEB 1819 • Crawfordjohn, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

DEATH Unknown
and

Elizabeth Graham (who married William Stark)

BIRTH 10 FEB 1821 • Muirkirk, Ayrshire, Scotland:

DEATH 22 NOV 1903 • 16 Anderson Street, Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire

My brick wall still stands at Peter Graham & Ann Kirk. I have found birth records for the 4 children I have listed. I have found no birth, marriage, or death records for either of them. I have found no records for other children. |I am still searching.

By using family line specific DNA profile photos I can easily see where DNA matches have confirmed the paper trail research.

Still searching to get past the brick walls!







This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***






Footnotes:

1 What's in a Name? Grizel, Retrieved November 28th 2020 from
https://www.whatsinaname.net/female-names/Grizel.html

2 Popular Scottish Forenames, Grace, Grizel, Retrieved November 28th 2020 from
http://www.rampantscotland.com/forenames/blnames_fg.htm





Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

Robin Hood's Good Deeds ~ Claiming Friar Tuck as My Own

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 47 (GOOD DEEDS)

This week's we shall focus on Robin Hood's good deeds to honour my relative 
Friar Tuck.

My 6th great grandfather was Henry Tuck from Sharrington, Norfolk, England
                  --- seems close enough to "Sherwood Forrest" to own this family member.

BUT please don't bother checking google maps -- you can just take my word for it

If you are related to me via the Bayes line below ... you get to claim this too  😉

Solomon Bayes (my 4th great grandfather)
BIRTH 26 NOV 1815 • Great Oakley, Northamptonshire, England
DEATH 25 OCT 1882 • Northumberland, , Ontario, Canada
and
Mary Ann Tuck (my 4th great grandmother)
BIRTH 15 JAN 1823 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England
DEATH 28 JAN 1908 • Cramahe, Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada

If you are related to Solomon Bayes you get to claim Friar Tuck as an ancestor OR related by marriage ... in case it was in question for you😉

Mary Ann's parents (my 5th great grandparents) were:
James Tuck
BIRTH 19 JAN 1791 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England
DEATH 13 JAN 1881 • Cramahe Township, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada
and
Martha Bolter
BIRTH ABT 1788 • Norwich, Norfolk, England
DEATH 24 NOV 1883 • Northumberland, Ontario, Canada

Mary Ann's grandparents (my 6th great grandparents) were:

Henry Tuck

BIRTH 18 APR 1770 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England

DEATH 17 SEP 1826 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England

and

Ann Moy

BIRTH MAR 1764 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England

DEATH JUN 1846 • Sharrington, Norfolk, England

Mary Ann's Great Grandparents (my 7th great grandparents) were:

Thomas Tuck

BIRTH ABT 1750 • Norwich, Norfolk, England

DEATH BEFORE 1815 • Norfolk, England
and

Dorothy Huson

BIRTH ABT 1750 • Norfolk, England

DEATH Norfolk, England

 

As you can see I have only tracked the Tuck family back as far as the mid 1700s, and the Robin Hood stories have roots in the 1400s so we can't be sure of the direct relationship to Friar Tuck. BUT I think we have established enough proof to claim this ancestor!!!

BUT then again - the Robin Hood tales are make believe. There is some debate that the characters may have been based on real people. There does seem to be some basis for the character of Friar Tuck to have been based on Robert Stafford. Robert Stafford was a Chaplain who became a thief and may have used the alias Friar Tuck.  BUT the Robin Hood tales really are fiction.

The odds of a TUCK member being part of the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest shenanigans are low.  BUT not non-existent. By the time we arrive back to our 7th great grandparents we have 512 of them. The number of relatives we have who descend through those 512 X7 great grandparents is ginormous.

At least one of those relatives must be the ancestor for our oldest son as depicted in the photo below.

Merry Shenanigans in a Canadian Forest!

In case you were curious about the distance between Sharrington and Sherwood Forest.

Source: Google Maps

Definitely not close, definitely too far to walk, and likely too far to claim the tales of Robin Hood as my own.

Enjoying a little make-believe among the facts!





This is why I search - 

Cause ... 



You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***







Sources:

A Beginner's Guide to Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Wright, Allen W. Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
https://www.boldoutlaw.com/robbeg/friar-tuck-beginners.html

Friar Tuck, International Heroes, Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/t/tuck.htm

Friar Tuck, Find-A-Grave, Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4286/friar-tuck

How many ancestors do you have? Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from

https://nmcdn.io/e186d21f8c7946a19faed23c3da2f0da/71b809487afe4d7da3262b45ea8ef886/files/services/library/genealogy/diagrams/ancestors1.pdf

Image, Friar Tuck, Old Book Illustrations, Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/illustrations/friar-tuck/

The Real Robin Hood, The History Channel, Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/robin-hood

Who Was Friar Tuck? WiseGeek, Retrieved November 23rd 2020 from
https://www.wise-geek.com/who-was-friar-tuck.htm

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

When the Heart Speaks Across the Years ~ Remembering the Children Lost Before it was Time

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 46 (DIFFERENT LANGUAGE)

I renewed my Ancestry membership this week. Over the past two years I have let my membership lapse until something prompts me to renew it. This is the second year in a row that has happened because I received private messages from distant relatives that reignited my interest in a particular line. 

I began thinking about who I would write about with the DIFFERENT LANGUAGE prompt. As often happens when I start looking through my tree I end telling a tale that needs to be told, and not necessarily the one I was planning to tell.

I found my 4th uncle

James Joshua (Joshua) North

BIRTH ABT 1865 • White Waltham, Berkshire, England

DEATH MAR 1937 • Camberwell, Surrey, England

married to

Louisa Ann Flower

BIRTH 13 MAR 1859 • Deptford, Kent, England

DEATH ABT. JAN 1929 • Camberwell, Surrey, England

They were married 16 Nov 1890 St Michael, Burleigh Street, London, England
Joshua was a bachelor, and Louisa a widow.

Louisa's first first husband was a sailor:

William Griffiths

BIRTH ABT 1851

DEATH BEF. 1890

I haven't found the records of his death, or if the had children. 

2nd husband (my 4th uncle) James Joshua North, known as Joshua,  was a Railway Porter.

As I was searching for more information about Joshua and his wife Louisa I was surprised to find a record that Louisa was in a mental hospital admitted on 4 May 1893. She was admitted for mania resulting from the loss of a child. This is the first reference I found to any children for Louisa. I found no records for this first child. 

On the 14th of April 1899 Louisa & Joshua welcomed twins: Harry & Louise North. A year later, on the 15th of March 1901 they welcomed son: Arthur Joshua North. 

Easter is a time to celebrate abundance. That is exactly how Louisa & Joshua must have felt when their twins arrived 12 days after Easter in 1899. Almost a year later,  one month before Easter, they had another son. How they must have celebrated the arrival of three miracles in less than a year after their earlier loss. 

I found no records of other children for Louisa and Joshua. I found records that Louisa and Joshua resided together until her death in 1929. I found no records that Joshua remarried before he died in 1937.

October 15th is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day. Every year I remember the babies born still or lost too soon. When I read the admission record for Louisa in 1893 my heart broke for her. It was a time when there was not a lot of understanding of how miscarriage and infant death happened. There weren't a lot of interventions available. No one talked about it. The expectation was that women didn't dwell on what happened moving forward with more children. There was little understanding of the long-term impact on body and mind. As was typical of the time I found no records for the loss of this infant except the admission to a mental hospital for the child's mother. 

It makes me sad that I found no records that this child was born, loved, and lost. 

The language of the heart is timeless. I hear her tears, her loss, her heartbreak. Not all language is spoken. Sometimes it's the feelings that are heard the deepest.

We REMEMBER!!!


Never forgetting the little ones who didn't get to grow up!

*** I was originally going to write about Twin Speak, but then this blog went a very different direction ***



This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***





Sources:

October 15 - Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, Retrieved November 15th 2020 from

https://www.october15.ca/

Infant loss photo photo, Overcoming Setbacks: Dealing with loss and how we recover, Nancy Arroyo Ruffin, Retrieved November 15th 2020 from: 
https://nancyruffin.com/2015/10/13/overcoming-setbacks-dealing-with-loss-and-how-we-recover/



Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

Movember Canada ~ Facial Hair & The Bramble Bush

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 45 (BEARDED)

Facial hair is an interesting thing. As a woman I remember the first time I found a wayward hair, and plucked it. At some point I discovered that facial hair really is a genetic trait, and I was very disappointed to discover I carried that gene. This year would have been a perfect opportunity to participate in Movember since leaving the house in 2020 requires a mask.  Do I really have to worry about those wayward facial hairs? Instagram has let me see what I might look like if I just let me facial hair grow as it desires.

My husband tells me he began shaving in grade 6.  

He is a paramedic so must keep clean-shaven where it would interfere with his respirator at work. 

His beard grows quickly as shown below - about a week into our camping vacation. 

About 1995

We have two sons. Our youngest definitely out-beards our oldest. Most folks who meet the two of them assume the younger is the oldest because of his facial hair. There are times he has it short and tailored as it is below, and times it is long and bushy. Our oldest has times it's longer, but his beard could never be described as bushy.

They get their facial hair from different parts of this Bramble Bush.
They get their fun attitude about life directly from their dad.

Is Your Dad A Guitar Hero - Father's Day competition
Awarded the title of Mr. Congeniality 
He wasn't the winner, but he was the photo featured in the paper 

When considering which ancestor to write about for the prompt BEARDED I went searching through the photos attached to our Bramble Bush. I was surprised at how few men in our Bramble Bush wore a beard. 

I kept searching with the idea that I would write about the longest beard.  I didn't find any photos depicting a long beard. 

In keeping with the theme I opened this blog with - 
I decided to write about a father and son duo who had impressive
(or at least I think they are) beards.

My husband's X3 great grandfather:

Robert Henry Williams

BIRTH 31 MAR 1831 • Ontario, Canada

DEATH 12 FEB 1896 • Bayham, Ontario, Canada

and his father X4 great grandfather:

Isaac Williams

BIRTH 19 MAY 1802 • New York, United States

DEATH 19 MAR 1868 • Bayham, Elgin Co, Ontario, Canada

As you can see the photo above is not the greatest quality. On November 2nd I mentioned to my husband that I thought I would have to renew my lapsed Ancestry membership because I wanted to find a clearer photo of X4 great grandfather Isaac Williams. 

I had no idea just saying it out loud would make something happen.

3 days later (on November 5th) I woke to an email from Ancestry letting me know I had received a message from another member. When I went to my inbox I found a message from my husband's 3rd cousin 2x removed. The message was full of details about the Williams/Claus side of the Bramble Bush, and had a link to an 83 page document full of photos and more details. This new cousin offered to send us more photos that aren't in the document. She also provided the information that Isaac and Mary had 8 children. I had only found 4 of them so far. I am so grateful for cousins who reach out to share.
This is what family is all about. 

Now back to X4 great grandfather Isaac Williams and his facial hair.  

The photo above that is very hard to see may not actually be Isaac. 

It has been widely circulated as a photo of Isaac
(the other half not included above is stated to be X4 great grandmother Mary, nee Claus). 

With the photo not confirmed as being Isaac I considered removing it from the blog post. 

I chose to keep it because that photo was where this search began. 

I did believe it was Isaac, and I wanted a clearer photo depicting his facial hair. 

Instead my new found cousin-in-law produced this copy of a drawing held by family members. In this one it is obvious which side of the family the facial hair descends via.

Reproduction of a drawing believed to be Isaac Williams

In looking at the photos of Isaac and Robert Henry it appear as though they are related. The fuzzy photo isn't clear enough to make a positive comparison, but on a quick glance it does appear to be the one that is not like the others. 

With the photos and details about this side of the Bramble Bush provided by the newly discovered cousin there is much research I will be working on for weeks to come. 

 

Returning to the theme of BEARDED. Movember happens every year in November. It's an opportunity to not shave for a whole month for a good cause. There are many other activities if not shaving isn't your thing. This year Movember added non-binary to their registration option. You can raise money for men's health. It's not too late to get started for this year, and next year you could sign up earlier.  

Click the link to learn about the different ways of getting involved with Movember Canada. 
https://ca.movember.com/?home

Wrapping up with another look at this Bramble Bush's facial hair

Instagram photos 

                                     not true depictions of the members of this Bramble Bush


You win some and you lose some when you play the genetic lottery!

This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***







Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

Seeking Gargoyles ~ Across The United States

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 44 (SCARY STUFF)

My great grandfather, Thomas Thomson, was a carver. 

Thomas Thomson
BIRTH 10 MAY 1880 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 19 NOV 1940 • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada

My grandmother told me stories of the travel they did when she was a child for her dad to make carvings.  She told her tale many times over the years. I never tired of hearing of the Gargoyles he carved.

Grandma told me he carved Gargoyles in Cleveland, Ohio & Des Moines, Idaho.

Many times over the years I have searched for Great Grandpa's Gargoyles without luck. I have spent the past month searching virtually on my own in anticipation of writing this blog, but I was not successful in finding the correct gargoyles.  

I thought I remembered he had carved in Omaha, Nebraska where I found gargoyles had been on the old city hall around the top of the building. The historical information I found didn't look promising for when they were carved being the ones I was seeking.  The building had been built earlier than the 1920s that my ancestor was carving gargoyles.  

After searching and searching I realized I had missed an obvious thought. 

Why not reach out to the local libraries. I work in library. How was it I never thought of sending my research questions through ASK A LIBRARIAN services. This is a service I am fully aware of, and yet I had missed it in all the years I have searched. 

When I received my reply from Omaha Public Library my hopes were dashed. The carver of those gargoyles was Joseph Irving. 

I had also emailed the Des Moines Public Library asking about gargoyles in their city, and was disappointed to discover not all library services are free for the user like they are in British Columbia, Canada. My reply from the Librarian at Des Moines Public Library asked for a $20/hour fee paid in advance for their research assistance. 

Seems Omaha Public Library research is also not free. After the one email from Omaha I was told any further info would be chargeable under their premium service rates. 

Without a guarantee that I would have the information I was seeking without first paying using their pay for services wasn't for me. 

BUT all hope was not dashed. 

A nugget of information was buried in the $$s for research reply - they were going to use their newspaper clipping services. Why had I never thought to search Thomas' name with the keyword gargoyles in the news databases before.  After spending several hours searching I did not find any reference to Thomas Thomson who was a carver of gargoyles. 

Anytime I search for my Thomas Thomson with anything close to artistic copious entries for the  the Canadian Artist, Thomas Thomson appear in searching. This makes the search frustrating. I have used Boolean Operators to refine my searching, but as of today I have not successful found the GARGOYLES I SEEK. 

Source: Pixabay.com

I shall not give up.

Sometimes the facts are difficult to find as you tug the threads of the story to create a picture. Genealogy research has no timelines. I know someday I will find the right gargoyles as I continue to refine my search strategies.

Still searching!







This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!










***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***






Image Source:

Dragon, Gnome, Pixabay License, Free for commercial use, No attribution required, Retrieved November 2nd 2020 from https://pixabay.com/photos/dragon-gnome-gargoyle-4031094/

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________