July 14, 2014

Months ago as I was planning my trip to Europe, I hired a genealogist to research my Morgan family line.  I wanted to find out who my great-great-great-great grandfather was.  I was having a difficult time finding any information on him, so I hired Jennifer.  (To find out more about her refer back to my first blog.)  Because Jennifer lives in Wales, she was able to access information that is not yet online.  Not only did she find him (Edward Morgan) but, she also found his first and second wife, (Mary Evans, and Mary Powell)  She proved to be invaluable.

Today, my daughter and I met Jennifer in Knighton Wales, the ancestral home of my fourth great grandfather.  This was an emotional day for me.  Jennifer had planned a 3 hour car trip to take us to all of the parishes and towns where my ancestors were either christened in, married in, or buried in.  Jennifer grew up near Knighton and was very familiar with the area.

We met in Knighton at the Horse and Jockey Inn where Katie and I would be spending the night.  The Horse and Jockey Inn existed during the time of Edward but was used as a livery stable.  From Knighton we took a short drive to a place called Farrington, where we would find a house Edward had lived in.  The house was built in 1666.  It is situated on a hill overlooking the hamlet of Knighton.  It is surrounded by farmland and has a beautiful view of Knighton.  Grandfather Edward lived in the house, but he didn’t own the land.  He was a tenant farmer.  I have tithe records that show which lots he and his sons rented and worked. 

Edward's house                                                                              Horse and Jockey Inn

As I stood and looked out over the beautiful green valley, I wondered what Edward saw when he gazed out toward Knighton in the late 1700’s?  How had the landscaped changed?  Could he ever have guessed that someday a great, great, great, great granddaughter would travel thousands of miles to return to the land and discover who she was?  Did he know the land he loved would someday call to me?

These are pictures of the view of the hamlet of Knighton from the farm house.

After leaving Farrington, we then traveled to the church of St. Michael Llanfihangel Nant Melan.  This is where Edward and Mary Evans were married.  It is a very sweet little church and is still used today.  The next parish was in Llanbister.  The church was being reconstructed and we were not able to go in. 

 

 

Sadly we were unable to go into this church in Llanbister to due construction, but we found some graves with the last name of Rogers which could be connected to the Rogers family my great, great, great grandfather Edward married into by marrying Elizabeth Rogers.  It will require more investigation.
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The country roads in Wales between the little towns are narrow and only allow for one car to fit at a time.  Navigating between loose cows, sheep and other vehicles proved to be not only entertaining but dangerous. 

 Llangullo Wales

 Mary Evans was christened here. 

Our next stop was Llangullo.  This is the church where Mary Evans was christened. 





 

 This is the inside of the Knighton church.

 I lit a candle in honor of the ancestors.

The graves to the left are George, Edward and Mary

 Our final stop was  Knighton church.  This is where Mary Powell and Edward are buried, as well as George, his brother John another brother and his wife Hannah and children. George and John are both children of Edward and Mary Evans. Edward their eldest son and my great- great-great-great grandfather, is buried in Staffordshire England with his wife Elizabeth.  I have not yet confirmed this but I do know that Elizabeth is buried there and Edward died in Staffordshire.

The church in Knighton is very large for such a small town.  It was built in the 1100’s.  I was so happy to be here and be this close to my ancestors.  It is an impressive church on the outside and inside.  Katie and I enjoyed looking around.  Each of the churches have a book that visitors are encouraged to sign and write in.  I told the story of my ancestors and my journey to find them. Then I made a donaton and lit one candle for, Edward, Mary, John, George and Edward the son, For Mary Powell and Harriot and …. But most of all for grandfather Edward.  I have felt closest him.   Katie and I then went out to the graves. A friend told me, to put shaving cream, yes, you heard right, shaving cream on the graves.  It fills in the cracks and crannies on the inscriptions making them readable.  It worked.  We photographed and cataloged them. Mary Powell and Edward share a headstone.  George has one next to them.  They are all buried on the left hand side near the entrance to the church.  John and his family are buried on the right side.  His grave was the most deteriorated and  hardest to read.  We didn’t have flowers to place on the graves but we picked wildflowers that were growing in the cemetery and pressed them.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day and I am grateful I was able to visit all of these sites.

One day, I know I will meet my grandfather Edward.  When I look at him, will I see me in his eyes? Will he know who I am? Until then, just like the roots of an ancient tree that has lain forgotten and  grown old, and covered with moss.  I will walk quietly, treading carefully as I search for those roots, knowing that as I do, they will once more be awakened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

English Breakfasts and spectacular scenery

This is my first English breakfast in Debden England

Catching the train to go to Ludlow England and then on to Knighton where my ancestors lived for 3 generations.

The English countryside is as beautiful as it is portrayed.  It is so green and lush and it goes on and on.

When we arrived in Ludlow we went to get our airbnb room.  We found out we had the entire house to ourselves.  It was built in the 1600's and the lady who let us in said that her father had lived in it at one time.  I felt like I was living in a storybook. It was lovely and we got another full English breakfast in the morning. Ludlow is a very charming town and if given the chance I would go back there again.  We had such a great night sitting in the room upstairs and reading Dickens. Well, I read Dickens while Katie worked on her paper.

This is the front door and entryway to the house.

The house had 3 stories.

Ludlow has a great castle and an incredible church both built in the 1100's by the Normans.  It was so fascinating and interesting. 

There is a lovely river that flows through Ludlow called the Temes. This is not the best photo I took. The best one is on my phone.  Unfortunately we have had spotty wifi and because my tablet is a surface I have to use a program to download my iPhone photos and then transfer them to the tablet and it takes forever, so I have to make do with my camera.  The next blog when I can get to it will be about my journey to my ancestral home of Knighton.  It was incredible!  I went to all of the towns they lived in and all of the churches they were christened in, buried in or married in.  It was a 3 hour journey among the hamlets where they lived. It was very emotional for me.  Cheers!

Am I Really Here?

I arrived.  I survived a 10 hour plane ride with about 3 hours of sleep. I was met by Katie's landlady Jan.  It was instant friendship the moment we met. Katie was in rehearsal so I had to wait a few hours before she arrived. Jan and I had a bit of fun trying to find petrol and then get back on the freeway going to right direction. When we arrived at the house, we were greeted by Bella.  Jan asked, "Would you like to go wee wee?" to which I immediately replied, why yes I would.  Jan burst into laughter and said "no, I wasn't talking to you,. I was talking to the dog"!  Funny moment.

 This is Jan sitting with her beloved Bella.

 Katie and I went for a lovely walk around the neighborhood and to her school.  This is a little church we saw along the way.

 This is the main building on the part of campus where she has her classes.

A very smelly but lovely green pool on campus. The video below is a blackbird singing. We couldn't figure out what kind of a bird it was.  It had the most lovely songs. I hope you enjoy it.

 Sunset was spectacular as were all the flowers we saw growing in peoples yards.

 Because it rain so much there are slugs and snails everywhere.  Look at the beautiful colors of shells.

Along our walk we also saw red foxes. There are a lot of them here and they live in the neighborhoods.  I haven't been able to capture one on film yet but I'll keep trying.  Katie made me stay up till 11:00 the first night so that I would get on the right schedule.  The next day I was on my own to explore.  So I took a nice long walk to a town called Loughton.  It was a long but lovely walk.  This picture shows the typical kind of homes here.  It has been rainy but  not cold.  Today I am off to London on the tube to have a day of theater watching Katie in an all female cast of "Two Gentlemen of Verona". Then we will watch another production from her fellow students.  Ta ta for now.

CDA Cares, Service and Reflections

 Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do volunteer work with the California Dental Association.  Twice a year, they provide free dental work to those who cannot afford dental care in the state of California.  Not only do their services include cleanings and fillings, but they also include extractions, dentures and partials.  Over 800 dentists, hygienists, technicians and dental students were there.  In addition, hundreds more volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and others provided other needed services. It was an amazing thing to watch as a "hive" of workers, came together to help repair and restore smiles.

I worked as an escort.  I took patients who had gone through the medical triage, examination and x-rays over to another building where treatments were being given.  My walk from one building and back was equivalent to one lap around a track.  I worked from 5am to 11am and I walked a lot of miles but it was all for a good cause.

I got to talk with a lot of people yesterday as I escorted them from one building to the next.  They  were anxious but so grateful to have dental work done even if that meant having some teeth pulled.  One woman told me she had been suffering from tooth pain.  Her sister called her and told her about the free care and so she came.  She had to wait hours to get her tooth pulled but she was grateful.  Another woman told me she had lost most of her teeth due to Methadone use.  She had a lot of regret over the choices she had made earlier in her life and was not looking forward to having more dental work as a result of those choices.

I have done a lot of reflecting about my experience yesterday.  I was given an opportunity to talk with, work with and show care and concern to people I would otherwise have never interacted with.  It touched my heart.  It also reminded me of the Savior. He loved for ALL mankind, the leper, the lame, the poor and meek in spirit.  He turned away none, but gave love to all and an opportunity to be healed through Him.  It has given me much to think about and reflect on.  I am grateful for those six hours and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve others.

Life's Lessons

2 weeks ago my second grade class received a cup of caterpillars.  We have watched the miracle of metamorphosis as tiny caterpillars grew and formed chrysalides.  We have marveled at the transformation that occurs as a caterpillar sloughs off its body and turns into something new, and we have eagerly awaited the emergence of the butterflies.

Today we watched one of the butterflies struggle to break free of its chrysalis.  We all gathered around and stood watching this miraculous event.  In the struggle however, it became apparent that something was wrong.  I settled the kids into their desks and got them writing about what they had just witnessed.

Only the abdomen and one wing of the butterfly had emerged.  I could see that one small piece of chrysalis was keeping the butterfly from freeing itself and so I took a small pin and helped break the butterfly free of its prison.  It was obvious that much more was wrong.  The butterflies wings were mangled and one antennae was underneath the body and the tongue was fully extended instead of curled up.  I knew that the butterfly was deformed and would not fully develop and would die.

After a few minutes, I stood in front of the class with tears flowing down my cheeks and explained to them what had happened.  I was surprised and embarrassed by my reaction over such a small thing, but knew that here was an opportunity.  I spoke of nature and how all living things are affected in some way by deformity.  We talked about how lucky we were to have ten toes and fingers and arms and legs that worked properly, and we talked about the importance of respect for all living things.

As the day went on, the little butterfly fell on its back.  No matter how many times we tried to right it, it would not stay.  It was difficult for all of us to watch.  When the students left, I knew I had to release the butterfly from its misery.   As I held it in my hand, I thanked God for the life of this butterfly and for the opportunity to see it emerge right before our eyes and for the lessons it taught us.

I was reminded of a time when my brothers and I as young children brought home Monarch caterpillars from Flathead Lake Montana to watch them turn into butterflies.  When the butterflies hatched, one of them was deformed.  We were all very saddened. As my youngest brother held the poor butterfly in his hand just before we released it,  he turned to my mother and asked: "When I die, will that butterfly come to greet me?"

I have been very tender hearted today over this butterfly, and in fact a little surprised by my emotions.  Today I am grateful for the reminder that ALL living things are a gift from the creator of us all.

Searching

I have never worked on genealogy nor really had a desire to do so.  In preparing for my pilgrimage, I have had a deep desire to find out all I can about  my great great great grandfather Edward.  Why Edward?   He is the farthest back I can go in my Welsh lineage. And so, I began my search.  My search for Edward.  A search that has now become my obsession.

My mother suggested I look for a Welsh archivist  who might be willing to help look into my roots.  How hard could it be?  Very hard!  No matter what combination of words I put into Google, I came up empty.  Empty, except for the fact that I found a website called the Powys Genealogical Society.  They had a contact.  I emailed the contact explaining my upcoming trip to Wales, specifically to the town of Knighton to look for my ancestors and expressed my desire to find an archivist and wondered if there was any way possible they could point me in the right direction.

I received a response from a woman named Jennifer.  She was a genealogist and she would be happy to search for my family.  I thanked her kindly but told her that the cost of my trip had made it prohibitive for me to hire her.  She then explained that she grew up in a town very near Knighton and attended school there.  My interest was piqued, and I was tempted, but I politely turned her down.

I forged forward with new found interest in the unknown world of genealogical research. I began having luck with census records, and marriage certificates, often spending 5 to 7 hours at time, hoping that I would find a baptismal record, or death certificate that would verify my grandfather Edward and his parentage.

 One day, I found a link to the name of a person who had been doing some research on Edward's wife,  Elizabeth.  I sent off an email asking for any information they may have come across re: Edward.  A few minutes later a reply came back.  The reply was from a genealogist who had been hired by another man to research Edward and Elizabeth's lines.  He told me he would ask for permission to share his research.  A few hours passed and permission was granted!  I now had access to pages and pages of research and documentation on Edward and Elizabeth and their children as well as Elizabeth's parents and siblings. I also discovered that the man who hired the genealogist and I had much in common!  Edward and his son Charles Rogers Morgan were both our common grandfather's!

With new found knowledge, my research became more earnest.  Like me, the genealogist was unable to find anything more on Edward.  He did however, have some guesses as to Edward's parentage.

I then began looking at wills to see if I could find anything that might lead me to Edward.  While researching, I thought about Jennifer and of her offer for help.  The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that my finding her was not a coincidence, rather, she had been placed in my lap.  With the blessing of my father, I contacted her.  I sent her all the documents I had received from the genealogist and told her that hopefully it would shed new light.

Two days later, I received the following reply.  I have included the use of parenthesis to explain to you the reader, the significance of her information.

"Dear suzanne
 
Interestingly one branch of my Morgan family farmed at Farrington ( I had no idea that she had a Morgan line! A possible parentage for Edward lived in the town of Farrington).  I will look it up this weekend.  [not as early as yours]
 
Also my gggrandfather Richard Morgan was born In Llanfihangel Nant melan c1803 to Richard and Mary Morgan. ( Llanfihangel Nant Melan is the birth place of Edward's wife Elizabeth).
 
My sister runs a pub in Llanbister. (Lanbister, is the birthplace of Edward)  Last weekend she had someone staying with her who are researching the Greenwood family. (The Greenwood line is Elizabeth's mothers line)  They want me to do some research but they have not emailed me as yet.
 
Kind regards Jennifer"

You can imagine my surprise.  I was filled with excitement and energy I found it difficult to sleep that night. 

What an interesting journey I am on! I can hear Edward in my dreams.  He urges me onward.  Onward to the past, and forward to my future.