Today has been beautiful weather-wise, bright and sunny. I was blessed to spend a couple of hours with my granddaughter and 2 of my great-grands, Daniel and Sami. We had fun. Me and the kids waited in the car while mummy went into the places, and we played being silly while she was gone. 4 year old Daniel is already a character, and 2 year old Sami is destined to follow in his footsteps. Their silliness is genetically passed down from their greatgrandmother - ME!
My weight-loss took a day off, courtesy of my granddaughter buying 10 packs of minis from Chick-Fil-A ... I didn't realise I'd munched over 1000 calories ...ooops ... not good. I've been pedalling on the elliptical bike, but unless I pedal a few hours, today is a bust. It's ok, tomorrow is another day!
I was without my Ancestry subscription for 3 weeks, and boy! Did I suffer withdrawals! I am so addicted to my family history research. I've always loved history, and the more I find out about my family members, the more inquisitive I become.
Yesterday, I was able to use my AVON money to order hubby's DNA kit, and then they offered me a 6 month worldwide subscription for $79 ... how could I refuse, LOL. So, today I was back doing research, and lo! I hit paydirt.
I started working on my hubby's family, and in searching info about his mum, I found her High school yearbook from 1947!
She is 4th from the left on the top row. I was struck by how much Mark's sister, Pam, looks like her mum. I also found one of my hubby's cousins, and we started messaging back and forth. They haven't seen each other since they were kids over 40 years ago. I also found a descendant of my great-grandmother's brother and am awaiting a response, as I am very interested in our shared great-great-grandfather who had a bird shop at 1 Rathbone Street in Canning Town. I am wondering what info they might have to share that I may not already be aware of. I'm so happy to be able to continue my explorations for at least the next 6 months and expound on all that I already know. I find this journey fascinating!
My nan was born in Plaistow and grew up in Canning Town, so when I started on my family history journey, that was where I began. Growing up, she had told me stories of her childhood, so I felt like I knew some of the places she spoke of. I also remember her taking me to her parents grave in the East London Cemetery, the bus ride and ensuing walk to get there, and - stuck in my mind - a narrow cobble stoned street with a cobbler shop on the corner, that we'd pass as we walked.
She had worked at Achille Serre's dry cleaning company, and is shown 2nd from the left, in this picture.
It's where she met my granpop, who (obviously) she later married.
My nan was born Rose Poyser on 9th January 1908, and was the eldest of 5 children, her siblings being sisters Ivy, Lily and Alice, and brother Harry.
Her parents were Samuel Poyser, known as Sam, and his wife Mary Ann (nee Hunt) who was known as Polly. In those days apparently, many girls named Mary Ann were known as Polly. My nan was christened February 7th in St Luke's church, Canning Town, which was known locally as "the Cathedral of Canning Town". Later she went to Sunday School there, and to school.
My great grandmother died suddenly in 1936, of a stroke. She was only 50. Sam never remarried and died 17th October 1955, when I was just a few months old. They were buried together.
Sam had worked hard all his life. He was one of 8 siblings and began his working life at the Thames Ironworks, the 1901 census showing him aged 15 as a "carrier for a rivettor" there. He worked there until the shipyard closed, and in later years was known as a carpenter and a wheelwright. Apparently, he had a little yard off Fox Street (behind Rathbone Street) where he made the wheels for the costermonger's barrows, and also for the Romany vardoes (there being quite a large gypsy population in Canning Town down at Cherry Island).
My nan spoke of us being related to the famous Queen of the Gypsies, Rose Lee, and so I had always thought we were descended from her and had Romany blood, particularly as Sam making the wheels for the vardoes was often mentioned as "retaining his connection to" them. Further investigation though provided that Polly's younger brother, Danny, married Urania Lee's (Gypsy Rose Lee) granddaughter, Louisa. I know my nan spoke highly of Urania, so it seems that much of the non-gypsy family members were accepted into Louisa's family.
I am certain that Danny is among the mourners here and, because of the respect held for her, I have wondered whether my nan, Sam and Polly are here, too.
I had struggled to figure out how Danny and Louisa had met. Danny's father, at that time, having a shop at #1 Rathbone Street in Canning Town, and previously had conducted business out of a smaller location off Hallsville Rd on Satterton Street, my original thoughts had been that they must have met there. However, later research of my family's addresses showed Forty Acre Lane, which led down to Cherry Island, so I began to surmise that maybe the lads from Forty Acre Lane and Cherry Island may have hung out together, and thus Danny met Louisa through Sam (after Polly had married him). Sadly, the truth will never be known as all who would have known are now long gone.
Danny and Polly's father was Charles Hunt, whose business was listed in the 1912 Kelly's Directory as a "bird shop". Although we have no definite information, there was a huge preoccupation with imported songbirds in the Edwardian era, so my assumption is that it was that, somewhat of the beginnings of a pet shop as we now know them.
Since I finally have a morning where I feel somewhat alive, I figured I needed to make the most of it and try to catch up on a few things just in case the dreaded lergy manages to rear its head again and knock me out again!
Have I only been sick, 6 days? It feels like forever! The dizziness, waves of nausea, throbbing aches all through my body, my head feeling like it wanted to exlode every time I coughed. Sleep and wakefulness alternating in short rotas, coughing fits that made me choke and gag, sweats and chills, listlessness and a general malaise of feeling sorry for myself.
Yet mine was a very "minor" case of upper respiratory, and thankfully, because of how "well" I take care of my body, I managed to avert it getting to my lungs and causing me greater issues. Trust me, I know I am well blessed, and extremely thankful to be so ... I feel so badly for those dealing with a worse case of this. My poor hubby, for instance, is still fighting off some aspects that were always far worse than mine. And he also takes good nutritional care of his body. Our doctor is always so pleased with us at how we (usually) stay free of these opportunistic ailments. I guess we were due for it then, so hopefully this is my worst for the next couple of years.
It totally messed up my work goals for the week. I have so much to catch up on over the next few days. I am so thankful for AVON's new social media center, as I'd already scheduled so many posts for throughout the week, so - even though I wasn't online - certain AVON posts popped up on my Facebook profile and business pages. Without that, my AVON identity would have shrivelled into silence these past 6 days.
On Tuesday, at my doctor visit, though, I received a silver lining to my cloud. I had lost a few more pounds, and broken another barrier, and am now 79lbs lighter than I was when I began. Of that, I am well pleased!
Friday was the anniversary of a young friend's death. April 13th 1982, a C130 left Mildenhall AFB on what was colloquially called "the Turkey trot". The night before, we had bumped into our friend, DZ (Mark Dzierzak) as he was driving the crew van around the base and he swore us to silence that he was back, as he was goig to surprise his girlfriend (another friend of ours) with a marriage proposal. Sadly, that was the last time we would see him. The plane exploded in the air near Incirlik.
He was one of 9 crew members lost.
Apr 13 198274-1678 Turkey Capt Dean A Van Dam
Apr 13 198274-1678 Turkey 2 LT Robert J Babineau
Apr 13 198274-1678 Turkey 2 LT Mark L Kaspar
Apr 13 198274-1678 Turkey 2 LT Daniel Lee
Apr 13 198274-1678 Turkey 2 LT Frank M Savala Jr
Apr 13 1982 74-1678 Turkey TSGT William J Turk
Apr 13 1982 74-1678 Turkey SRA Pamela K Myers
Apr 13 1982 74-1678 Turkey A1C Mark A Dzierzak
Apr 13 1982 74-1678 Turkey A1CEdward A Sekula
I have made it out today, we went to do grocery shopping and I survived, LOL. Definitely been getting the run around with getting my phone replaced, that's for sure!
We picked up Chinese for lunch and hubby restocked my brochures in my rack, there in Mei Mei House. They forgot my steamed rice, so I saved on calories there! My taste buds are still not working properly though. I haven't really "tasted" any of the food I've eaten today. I guess I have to wait on that then.
