General Chat

I still have absolutely no idea who she is. It is like some of these celebrities now in reality shows - who are they?

Had it been a progarmme about Dr Barnardos, I think it would have been very good. The haunting photograph of the 3 children when they were admitted. The mother had died and grandparents had struggled and were just about to have to put the 3 into the workhouse (to keep them alive presumably). I just thought she had no idea - just desperate to say that biological great grandfather Charles Patient was a wonderful man.

Welll as an ag lab in Essex, he would have been a poor man. And I wonder if fostering Barnardos children allowed him and his second wife to have a small income to keep themselves out of workhouse. He would presumably have no pension and, in his 80's, would no longer be getting any wage. Only his nephew appeared to have been earning any money in his household in 1911 census. He would have been 86 (possibly died that year) when young boy went off to Canada on his own.

No high hopes of Gary Lineker next week either. Leicester fruit market, wayward brother. But must keep open mind. :-)

I like Lesley Sharp and she is certainly a very talented actor so I looked forward to this one. But I was disappointed. It was too recent for me. I don't watch that Davina programme because I feel embarrassed for those taking part and I felt the same way last night.

The Barnardos stuff wasn't that interesting because they missed a golden opportunity to talk about the export of reluctant (but expensive to maintain) children as cheap labour for the colonies.

I thought some of it was too personal to be interesting, ok they did mention genealogy sites at one stage but it, to me, was not a geanealogy programme. I like Lesley Sharpe but, as Gwynne says, having people in my tree who were sent to Canada, I would have liked to know more about that. and who of us could just pop to Canada for a couple of days to meet somebody who was not even an ancestor. No, again as Gwynne said, too recent and not really genealogy research.

I think it also gave us a foretaste of how difficult family history will be from now on.

Do you trace you actual father, or your biological father or both. Nicky Campbell only seemed to be interested in his father, not in the one who donated his sperm. Lesley was the opposite, but very worried she might upset late father.

When I was little, it was rare to have a child out of wedlock who did not have a mother and father to mould them. Only one in my class had a stepfather instead of a father and he was deeply ashamed about it. Now it is very common that child has one parent, with other adults hovering in background.

I have tried to do a wheel chart of my great grandparents and my OH's. They are 16 people and, if I try to go back a further 3 generations, there are probably 126 not expected 128. 126 because a couple of ancestors were first cousins who married about 1800 period.

But Lesley and others would not be able to do that type of wheel family tree. And I doubt I will be able to attempt one for my grandchildren either.

I too was disappointed in last nights programme.

I don't know why she bothered with the child who was sent to Canada
no relation what so ever and thought she also wanted to find out what
happened to the other child...why!!!

As far as I could see I didn't think she was at all interested in finding
out about her family at all.

Emma

I agree with everyone that it went off track.
We would have gone down the lines of our own family to find our heritage more.
When we had done that as far as we could,we could have gone off on a tangent out of interest,but that could have made another programme about Barnados.
Do you think the producers want tear jerkers every time?

Have you seen Dazed/Confused comments about George Maybury on another thread. Apparently George's brother (remember photo of little George and his brother and sister) was killed in WW1.

And another programme entirely has run the story of the Mayburys and the Canadian connection. It was the photo of the 3 children entering Dr Barnardos that prompoted memory of Dazed/Confused.

So that was why Lesley was interested in the two little boys with her elderly gt grandfather in 1911. BBC were short of original materiall and it was nice to get a free trip to Canada for her and crew.

Have seen the thread John and agree very interesting.

Why Lesley Sharp should be interested just because of their
connection to her relative is beyond me, no family ties at all
so nothing to do with the aim of the programme imo.

Emma :-)

Agree with everyone's remarks, programme was so disappointing.
I thought Lesley might have been more interested in her birth mother's ancestors as she did actually meet the sisters.

It must have been embarrassing for Lesley's half siblings,I don't think I'd have been comfortable on camera knowing what my father had done (or hadn't done as the case maybe.)

Mau

Next week is Nick Hewer.

Wondering if Gary Lineker's will be of interest tomorrow.

Emma :-)

Gary seems about as interesting as snooker star Steve Davis. Crisp eating seems highlight of his life.

But, looking at the grabs from tonight's programme, we may be pleasantly surprised. Let's hope so. :-)

True John, hopefully it will be interesting.

Emma :-)

Nudge :-) :-)

Am I the only one who enjoyed Lesley's story.

She had already found her birth mother several years ago and made contact with that side of her family. So she had no need to follow that path again.

She wanted to know more about her birth father, but waited till the man who had always been a father to her died, as she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Her half-sibs must have been willing to meet her and appear on tv, otherwise we wouldn't have seen them.
I felt rather sorry for her sister, as their shared father had been so nasty when she got pregnant before marriage. I bet she wished that she had know at the time, so that she could have told her dad what to do with his nasty attitude.

I hope that they are able to have some sort of a relationship, even if it is just exchanging Christmas cards.

As for following her greatgrandfather (or was he greatgreat?) I think that she was possibly looking for an ancestor from the paternal side of her family that she could look up to.

I also think that the programme makers may well have chosen what lines to follow and realised that the Maybury story was interesting (Do I understand that they had already investigated this family for another programme? tut-tut!).

I hope that Lesley was also given help and info about her blood reletives.


However, I often go on tangents when investigating my family tree. This includes researching people that are not related.

e.g. in 1911 Census two sisters from Herefordshire (my first cousins twice removed) were in service in different places "up north" Both families the girls worked for had sons old enough to serve in WW1. Both of these young men became soldiers and both were killed in action.

It all made interesting reading, I was able to find out quite a bit about both "boys" and still felt a connection, even though my only real link was that my relation was a servant in their house.


I was just pleased to see that I am not the only person who wants to fill in the whole story regarding the life and times of my family members.


Tess

looking forward to tonight. I am a football fan, so have heard of Gary Lineaker!

Enjoyed this one.
More like the family history we know than last weeks.
Thought he seemed relaxed and really interested in his ancestors.

This week was really boring, it was as if they were trying to fill in time by showing him at the studio, and him playing football.
Only really concentrated on two of his ancestors, total let down, but I expect as he is a well known footballer most will like it.
Disappointed with the series :-( :-( :-(

George

It was boring, G Lineker is not the sharpest knife in the drawer,came across as a giggling schoolboy, I actually dozed off, first time I have ever done that when watching any WDYTYA, hubby gave me a nudge in case I missed anything, I didn't.

Joan.

Well tonight start convinced me it is the so called experts helping the stars who decided who they follow.

Yes I was disappointed in Gary story as it also had too much padding.

He could have followed another ancestor in that time.

Well tonight start convinced me it is the so called experts helping the stars who decided who they follow.

Yes I was disappointed in Gary story as it also had too much padding.

He could have followed another ancestor in that time.