Saturday, July 22, 2023

Generation Seven - Siderfin Book

Doing the charting by hand was a good idea. I have it mostly in my head but it is better to see it visually. Spending the morning sorting seven and eight as that works well towards my next goal plus the members of eight are + in seven being the children of the seventh generation. It is amazing how much I have gathered up these last couple of months on the seventh generation and having the two items ordered on hand will be a welcome sight as well just to continue with verifying what appears to be the case or revising to fit that scenario. Personally I think that I have it right; it makes the most sense although having Robert and Ursula Siderfin, plus John Siderfin, in an answer to a case about Timberscombe did give me pause for thought and I await that particular item. It will be reviewed by an individual at the National Archives by the 28th of July and then generally takes a couple of weeks to obtain the scanned copy. That should see me into the eighth generation and preparing the ninth. The Eighth generation though does bring me into the time of census taking in England plus the civil registration. So somewhat easier to organize and look at for sure. The Commonwealth period in England caused a loss in records which is sad but often enough when a system is changed by drastic means the tools of the prior time are neglected (in this case the priests were told not to enter data into the parish registers) and a return to normalcy often brings about restoration but it does take time to re-establish the networks.

Yesterday ended up being somewhat sunny in the morning and the rain caught in the leaves lent a sparkle to the trees with the wind gently rustling through the trees. It always makes me think that God is there with us enjoying the beauty of His creation but likely wishing we would learn much more quickly how to live with nature and not destroy it. Waiting and watching; that I believe is God. He no longer walks or talks with man nor does he interfere. One must consider that we represent just one species in this world and at the moment we are not particularly beneficial to the world or its many inhabitants both flora and fauna. It has taken us decades to realize that we are destroying the fish life and take steps to improve on that and yet we have one country which lobs bombs into the ocean destroying ecosystems around that area. I can hardly believe that China permits North Korea to do that; after all it is also their fishery. Why does North Korea feel threatened anyway; they only say that to keep their people in fear and make them easier to manipulate. It is a farce and if the reality wasn't so apparent it would be amusing to idle television watchers - sort of a comic act throwing bombs into an ocean but the reality of destruction of fish ecosystems is all too real. 

Continuing on with Siderfin today as I reorganize the text that James Sanders collected. The stories do add a certain zest to the life of the Siderfin family although one might not want to reflect on the bankruptcies which parts of this family endured through the years although in the long run the lines that suffered bankruptcy daughtered out and the daughters were successful in their marriages and produced other lines. So in the long run not that important but rather just add to the story of this rather interesting family. When I first found the Siderfin family it was because George DeKay wanted me to write a profile on my Pincombe family for the Westminster Township History Book. In searching back I could not initially find a mother's maiden surname for Elizabeth (Rew) Pincombe my 2x great grandmother. It was my first experience with serendipity in genealogy. I just thought about where Elizabeth could be as she was missing from the 1841 census with her eldest son. Then by a major stroke of luck I found the will of Elizabeth's father and that took me back to Selworthy where he wanted to be buried beside his wife in the Churchyard there (he was living with his son Thomas at Sheepwash near Bishops Nympton). It was quite a bit of sleuthing to put the Rew family together but I have gained quite a few correspondents through the years as we rediscovered our links to the Siderfin family. Quite amazing really and then the cream of the crop was finding James Sanders book "History of the Siderfin Family of West Somerset." Although there were errors in his genealogy chart; his collection of family material is quite excellent and I have now added in quite a few other records which I think is great and I hope that one hundred years from now some one will do the same to my revision. If there is one thing that keeps people alive in one's mind it is the writing of a book putting down all those names that then stretch far into the future. 

Knowledge is both a curse and a gift. The curse is the damage done to our environment by such knowledge or lack of paying attention to it since the First Nations were already into preserving the environment long before our time in the Western Hemisphere. We must look to the First Nations for their ideas on how to preserve and improve the environment to battle Climate Change. 

 Another beautiful day in God's world and I am blessed to be able to enjoy the wind in the trees this morning and the fresh early morning air at just 16 degrees celsius. August is approaching and with it the first whispers of Fall as the mornings will be cooler likely and the nights grow longer. The squirrels are busy collecting the walnuts off the Black Walnut tree but there are so many that we are also busy picking them up although I am tempted to make a pile at the back with them so that the squirrels will carry them away. The squirrels wait patiently for the Sunflower plants to produce their flowers and then the seeds which they love so much. It is a treat watching them climb the plants and cut off the flower head with their teeth to carry it away to their winter nest. The song birds continue to collect every morning just after dawn to get their share of the feed on the bird feeder. We have had a goodly number this year. The cardinal family have come back year after year as do the morning doves and so many others. I have not seen the raccoons since I clapped them away a week or so ago. They probably found a place where no one bothers them. I do not begrudge them the food but they are too big to live in my yard for sure. 

It does look like the Volleyball Tournament will be successful at Petrie Island. So will avoid that this weekend as the parking will be difficult for sure. Our parking pass has been really great. It means that we can just drive in, park and go kayaking or walking both of which I do enjoy. The weekdays are pretty quiet there and I/we have had quite a few good walks around the beach walkway. 

The morning passes, jumping jacks done, tea drunk, solitaire games played and the news read on the CBC website. I do not generally look at Facebook so am not troubled by the news missing from there. I mostly correspond with my children or my siblings on Facebook and it is a great site. I have less than 20 friends and they are pretty much all related to me! Every once in a while I hear of the passing of another of the students from my school days and I missed the big Reunion due to my finally having a colonoscopy twenty five years after asking. Mind you I only asked once twenty five years ago; I am a bit like that. I suppose I should be more desperate but life flows as it flows. Seventy eight is approaching this fall and I am amazed to still be alive actually. At thirty I was so very very ill. 

On to the day, hungry for my breakfast as always. My favourite meal of the day.

 

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