Family History
Together with our son, who now is a professional genealogist and house historian, I have been extremely active researching the history of - well - quite a normal family. But we have uncovered extraordinary things, from a sea-captain whaling in Greenland; a young women in the household of Queen Victoria's surgeon; the first president of the UK Spiritualist Churches; a soldier in the British occupation of Corfu, and one of the founders of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) in the US. This is a white-knuckle ride through British history, including a fair share of tragedy, grinding poverty in Shoreditch, multiple workhouses, both as inmates and managing them. We learn of an orphan packed off on a stagecoach from Surrey to London, Huguenot refugees from close to Amiens in France, and meet Clement Attlee's batman.
