General Chat

I do remember my grandfather talking about his time in the trenches during WW1.

He said that on Christmas Eve, the guns stopped.

The soldiers met in the middle, wished each other Merry Christmas, some swapped ciggies & they had a chat.......... and the next day they starting shooting at each other again.

Very sad.

It's the only "war" story my grandfather ever told.

I've heard many tales of this happening on (how many?) Christmas Eve, it's often seen in movies......... I've got one somewhere, half in English half in French... can't remember the title.

The only 'historical' event I can recall being told was about my grandfather.

During the General Strike, he volunteered to drive omnibuses. Other than that, they kept their heads down and concentrated on earning a living.

I was told that my ancestors were all God-fearing, clean-living etc blah blah blah.

Then I started climbing the tree......... and found out the truth! They were normal people, a few God-botherers, a few a bit on the dodgy side, a bigamist, a few single mothers, one cousin's husband was hanged for murder.... a real mixture!

My great-grandmother had lots of stories; I was six when she died...... wish I could remember the stories! All I remember of her... she laughed a lot and read tea-leaves.

:-D

I remember going to visit my mother's aunt soon after she was widowed in the early sixties. She mentioned that my grandmother was not the mother of her eldest brother but that he was the son of my grandfather and my grandmother's sister.

Of course, the family were disgusted and accused Aunt Kate of being a troublemaking liar.

Well, she wasn't lying at all, he was the son of my grandfather and my grandmother's sister born about six months before my grandparent's wedding.

Not only that, the dirty old bugger was thirty- three at the time and the sister was fifteen. It certainly makes me wonder about some of the other things that the family didn't mention.

My maternal gran used to tell a lot of tales in the firelight when I was a little girl.
Sounded so romantic.
Her mother,my great gran was Cornish and married an Irish soldier stationed near Plymouth.
Gran said that her mother lived in Looe and when the French ships were coming to invade and the army redcoats were away,the local women put on their red shawls and sat on the cliffs to make the enemy think the soldiers were there.
Looking into the history it seems that it wasn't her mother,but her grandmother...if it is true.as the dates are wrong.
Plus ,it was her gran who lived in Looe and her mother was born in Torpoint.I have been there and seen the house and walked down the street .

My mother told me that my grt. grandfather was an African American
and a Lion Tamer in a circus.

He couldn't have been famous cause I can't find him.

Oh and she also said he was born in India :-S :-S

Emma :-)

We have the name Ainger in the family and always were led to believe that they were French aristocracy who fled in the revolution.

Oddly, we did not think to deny this.

Unfortunately, I was made redundant and thought I might have a little look at the family and there was an Ainger labouring on a local farm long before the revolution began.

My granddad told me his father was a Canadian mounted policeman, yes he was in Canada but was in the army where he met my g grandmother. He also told us he was one of 15 but on the 1911 there are only 11 and g gran was 45 so I'm thinking no to 15.

I met my nans niece who said there was skeleton in that side of the family but cant find out what it is

Glad you found Aunt Nell Shirley, it's lovely to being reconnected to your family.

I wonder how that story started GiN, and by whom?

My best story that wasn't true, is of my paternal Great Grandfather, I was told by my Dad that he killed by being almost beheaded, whilst driving his horse carriage under a bridge. I searched through local paper archives of the time, thinking that it would have to of made the papers, found nothing at all, I then got his death certificate, he died from ....bronchitis :-S

Another one is that My GGrandmother came from Bulford from a very fine house of good stock and she tresured some of the things that were past on to her thought to be worth a few bob, however when her father passed away she her Mother and sister moved to Derbyshire from there she met my ggrandfather.
Of course I can find her living in Bulford in 1881 living in a fine house as 15 yr housemaid, as for the fine stuff she aqquired must of had a big carpet bag ;-)

My Grandmother, born 1905, used to tell me about her parents and grandparents, and how her Grandfather was born into Irish gentry, but was ostracised by his family for getting the maid into trouble. When I researched my family, I found a very different picture! He was Newcastle born and bred, and his wife was Liverpool Irish!
No Irish gentry to be found anywhere.
So, I've exploded the family legends! :-D :-D

Lynda

The lovely thing is one if the daughters of Ellen the home child came to London in WW2 as a member of the Canadian Nursing Service and did manage to locate one of her mums brothers,

Through him the family were reconnected but sadly her dad had died in 1939 never finding his daughter

Gran corresponded with Aunt Nell as she was known in the family and in 1948 she went out to Canada for 6 months to meet up with her step daughter and her family . In 1949 Nell came over to meet up with her brothers and half siblings and their families

I remember meeting her .I was 12 at the time .

Gran kept up correspondence till she died in 1958 and mum took over from then.

After mum died the link was lost BUT i have reestablished it again with the youngest daughter who is 79 so a bit older than me.

So Aunt Nell was lost for a few years but was again with her birth family

Aren't the old stories that have been added to, or made up, that have been told to us by our ancestors wonderful, what you believed as gospel when you were young, you now know was a load of old cods wallop, but just the same you loved hearing them, and still mull over the stories in your head. My untruth to my Grandchildren is that fairies live at my house, the older 3 have sussed me, but the younger one believes, she knows for sure that when others see dust, that is really fairies flying around :-D

If your story is true Shirley, it's sad, but at least they took the kids back, except for the eldest girl :-(

Dermot, you may have got your coat, but you've let your hat behind :-D

Ohhhh Maggie I was told the Spanish thing as well by Nana, now obvioulsy they have now moved Spain and call it Ireland :-D

Where would any of us be without grandparents! And another thing - if our parents didn't have any children, it's unlikely we'd have any either.

Ok - I'll get my coat & leave now!

Well mum did give us some family info some of which have a ring of truth!!

She did say that her mum and dad had been married for 3 weeks when a letter came form a children s home addressed to both of the so nan opened the letter . It said we understand you have now married so please collect your 6 children from the home.

Caused an almighty row with grandfather cos he told he had 4 kids from his previous marriage.

They collected the children but missed by a month the eldest girl who had been sent to Canada as a home child.

Sent me off on a wild goose chase looking for the other 5 knew of 3 as gran bought them up with grandad but spent time and money on the other 2!! they didnt exist !!

some of mums other family stories too had some truth in them but embellishments had altered facts

I met one gran only once - stayed with her for 6 weeks, but I was only 11.
She told porky pies - sorry, embellished the truth - one of her grandmother's was apparently Spanish - not likely with the surnames Truran and Best - and both born in Cornwall!! She also never admitted who my dad's dad was - hinted at who it MAY have been, but without a DNA test - and his descendants are, naturally unwilling, despite my not believing it was him - we will never know. Nevertheless, she was a lovely lady.

Saw the other gran quite a bit, but she was very reticent about her past. However, since she died, I have about 60 letters between her and my granddad,(that's 30 to grand dad and 30 from grand dad), from when they were courting, which are very elucidating.

I've also found out quite a bit about my ancestors from the 'petty sessions' sections of old newspapers :-0

lets just say I dont think my paternal Grandparents weren't that proud of their actions, ;-) one story is my Grandfather lied about his age to join the army to fight in WW1....ermmmm no he didnt he had been married for 2 years before the war started, and been in the army 1 year previous ,however he did lie about his age when he married gave his age as 22 when infact he 20 and lets say in a hurry to marry and I often wonder if a year was added when they celebrated their wedding ann...ohhh we have been married 25 yrs this year when actually it was only 24. :-0

My mums mum Nana was the just the opp she couldnt give a toss quiet happily tell us that she married in June and gave birth to my Aunt in August. We'd like Ohhhh Nana what you like.

My own son threw up in my face once that I sent him to school with a hangover, I shouted back that I went to school many a monday morning with a stinking hangover but Ive never complained. :-P

Great story Sharron :-D

My Chinese whisper stories passed down, are also interesting Hayley, probably not an ounce of truth in them, but I loved being told them, again and again :-D

I feel very blessed that both Grandmothers spoke of there families, and about there youth, maternal grandmother was the best though, she used to tell me how she got out of her window to go out, because her dad wouldn't let her, she never held back of what she got up to, it must of rubbed off on me, because just last week, I told my eldest Grandson something I had done, he feel about laughing, and said he was proud of me, and my street cred raised a few notches.

I reckon that's what Nans are for, to tell it as it is. I hope my stories of life, live on a good few generations, and are spoken about often, and told with love & affection :-D

Very interesting though Sharron.

I have heard a few tall tales, lets call them, not actually historical in national history but stories that have passed on through 3 generations that in a way happened but not quite as the story goes, I was willing to believe these and passed them on until my research proved them not to be ....if you get my drift. ;-) S'pose its a bit like chinese whispers.

My Mother had a habit of that, more so where my dads family were concerned...she is such a snob :-0