This
is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in
their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share,
if you wish, to future generations. - See more at:
http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This
is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in
their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share,
if you wish, to future generations. - See more at:
http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:What have you learnt about yourself and your family?
- Think back to the question we asked in Week One - Who am I?
- Before you look back at the answers you wrote then, answer the question again.
- Now compare are there any similarites, it is the same, or have any of the answers changed?
- What has made the change?
- Now lets look at the wider and original question - What have you learnt about yourself and your family?
- Is there anything you still want to write and explore?
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| One of my slides I used for my course on Genealogy |
I've learned over the last 2 years, when looking at your ancestor, or yourself, look for what is going on in their life and whatever it was caused a reaction - good or bad. Another example, is my great
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| Jimmy's wings he obtained before he left. He died about 3 weeks later. |
In fact, in my newer classes or when I talk to people about their family histories, I ask about the era and what part of the world, and then ask them about what was going on during that time. When they don't know, I tell them to research that and it usually helps with understanding what is going on with them or what the actions and reactions in later life are. Then I use the many examples of my ancestors. In fact, I pressed home this fact with my cousins recently. I spent my holiday season tracing my Belgium ancestors - the Gauquie's - back to see how far I could go. Hoping to hit the link that took the name from France into Belgium. The family story was they left because of the French
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| The National Assembly taking the Tennis Court Oath (sketch by Jacques-Louis David). from Wikipedia |
Another great example I use is my great grandfather Jules. He left Belgium and arrived in the US in 1888. The way he treated his wife was as, I think, his father treated HIS wife - Jules' mother, Florence. As the Belgium custom is :
"Rural women were expected to work in the fields as well as in the home. Traditional roles for men and women were observed, and any deviation was often censured. Even though it was not uncommon for widows to carry on their deceased husband's occupation, especially that of farming, it was frowned upon if women assumed a community leadership role, except on a social basis. Children also had chores to do at an early age, and gender-based chores were commonly assigned. On farms, they also helped with planting and harvest, and as a result, were often absent from school during those times of the year."Which is why when I found news articles about my great grandmother getting hurt with cows and
then later talking to my cousins they told me she never had a winter jacket until a few months before she died. Sounds to me it was Belgium customs. Also, could the children part be why my grandfather and his siblings didn't really go to school and they left? We know now, this was why some of the people back then did not go to school and looked down upon it.
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| Great Grandmother Annie Gauquie has been hurt |
As if that wasn't enough, it was how Jules treated his second wife, Belle, in comparison. According to the newspaper, she got 1/3 of Jules' estate. However, family stories has it she got most of his money and land before he passed away. Then she got basically everything after he passed and the kids didn't get anything. I was annoyed at this until I found out that Jules was born illegitimate to a maid servant. This explains why Belle got almost all of his money - because he was taking care of her and her child like no one did for HIS mother. Again - action and reaction.
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| Jules' birth certificate listing his mother and father - the writing on the right was when he was made legitimate |
Oh there's still more that I want to explore. I'm slowly starting to fill in the holes on my mother's side. My father side? Well, that's another jumble that I'll have to try to unmangle again... I think I feel a headache coming on...
