52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 12 – March 22-28 – Joined Together

Co-incidentally the theme for this week, Joined Together, is also the explanation behind why I have been missing in action for the last few weeks of this challenge, my son’s wedding.

The wedding was just over 2 weeks ago; however due to my health issues, I find that I must allow extra time on the lead up to such events and afterwards to try and minimise the way that they affect me, so I decided to put this challenge on hold for a while, although I do hope to return to the missing prompts if/when time allows, especially those of Maps and Worship.

On the lead up to the wedding I was struggling for gift choices and decided I wanted to mark the official joining of both families in some way, initially I thought of creating and printing out a family tree chart, but I couldn’t quite decide on one that I really like. In a flash of inspiration (or stupidity!) I decided to dig out some of my old unused cross-stitch equipment and create one myself from scratch. Doing so allowed for the inclusion of some step-parents who were particularly instrumental in each family’s journey, and which would possibly have been difficult to do otherwise.

The begininning of the project - first few stitiches

(own collection)

The act of sitting and stitching whilst reflecting on both my son’s ancestors and my (now) daughter-in-law’s was for me a different but meaningful way to connect to those who have gone before, I found myself thinking about my late parents and grandparents; grateful that I was finally unravelling (maybe not the best choice of words whilst sewing!) more details about their lives; and also wondering about the people on the other side of the tree, what life experiences had they had, and how they may have been shaped by them, but they will be for future research projects, if and when I ever finish researching my own tree.

The completed Family Tree

(own collection)

I wondered how many of the females, whose names I was stitching, and those further back, would have sewn samplers of their own, and how they would have judged my creation, and this reminded me of a firescreen table I inherited from my mother.

The table was created by my Great-Grandfather James Griffith Waldby Duggleby (1878-1960) and the beautiful crewelwork was sewn by my Great-Grandmother Sarah (née Ransom (1877-1960)). Whilst I believe these screens were very popular in the early 1900s and not highly valued today, to me mine is priceless and a tangible link to two people I never had the privilege of meeting. Sadly as you will see from the photograph there is some water damage to the cloth which was there when it came into my possession; I am in contact with restorers about the best way to remedy this, so that I can bring it back to its original glory.

Firescreen Table - created by James G W Duggleby & Sarah Ransom

(own collection)

My mother always said her Grandparents were very much in love throughout their 59 year long marriage; then in 1960 first James and then within just a few weeks Sarah passed away, the family legend is that Sarah died of a broken heart.

Perhaps then Love is truly the thread that joins us all together ........