Working on GedMatch

 First sibling completed and into the second sibling. I have changed the methodology that I was using and this will be a quicker study but I had to do the long form first just to make sure I was seeing everything that I wanted to see. I am looking for items that upset the apple cart primarily. Making sure that nothing exists that proves I am incorrect in my thinking. That of course is a mirage in many ways because the number of people who have tested their autosomal DNA remains small looking at a global existence. However, I just happen to be lucky to only have ancestry from the British Isles back into the 1400s as far as I can tell. But the Parish Registers certainly show my lines back into the 1500s some as early as the first registers in 1538 so I feel somewhat confident that I am capturing a true picture of my heritage since it includes the data for four other siblings and we all match in such a way that we are all descendant of our parents without a doubt. 

The interesting part in all of this is the desire and consistent updating of the ethnicity of these five siblings by the various testing companies. They keep drilling down deeper and deeper into areas of the British Isles where I have proven ancestry. The occasional sudden shift like from southern Dorset to Lancashire in the 1800s was already known to me by word of mouth. A huge 80 year old birthday party for Charles Butt in his native Dorset called home so many of those descendants and this being an endogamous group it was huge and remains very large around the world.  My grandfather was five years old at that time but he clearly remembered going to the party and seeing all those cousins. 

Why did my grandfather recount these stories to me? Why choose a child of five years of age or perhaps even less as I can always remember him telling me stories. He would repeat those stories ad infinitum throughout our time together. Being the child I was though, adoring him completely, I listened and never said you already told me. I just loved listening to him tell me his stories of his life in the country of his birth. But the cause was his discovery of a book in the local Library written about the Blake family of Galway, Ireland. He wanted us to know that we were descendant of the Blake family of Andover and Upper Clatford where he was born. That was very important to him. Coincidentally in the latter part of the 1800s people came from America (Blake descendants) trying to find out more about Nicholas Blake of Knight Enham nr Andover who had been given a different family line by Horatio Gates Somerby (a fraudulent American genealogist who wrote stories for people in the United States about the Blake family that were incorrect (and there were other families who received the same makeover)). 

So I continue my pursuit of data that could point to something contrary to what I have put together thus far. This recent email from a descendant of the Hinxman family of Upper Clatford is interesting as he is on site there and looking at documents that might well interest me since there was a marriage between a Blake female and a male Hinxman way back in 1610 at Andover.  Elenor Blake (daughter of Richard Blake and Jone (Blake) Blake) married Joseph Hinxman 10 Dec 1610 at St Mary Andover. A very distant relationship (I estimate that Eleanor is my 9th great grandaunt). So yes I will be looking keenly at anything he does send me as this is a difficult time in the records coming into the 1630s/1640s/1650s as Cromwell had taken over the government of England and suspended the Parish Registers. However, some brave souls recorded them anyway and that included William Blake of Andover (and Foxcott) who married Ann Hellier 5 Sep 1644 at St Mary Andover and recorded the baptisms of three children at Penton Mewsey near Andover and at St Mary Andover itself. It is the linchpin in my thoughts with regard to the descent of my Blake line that eventually moved from Andover to Upper Clatford with the marriage of Joseph Blake to Joanna King 8 Jun 1757 at Upper Clatford All Saints. 

Tea all drank and now the solitaire puzzles to do. It is a good way to really jumpstart my brain in the morning. Another working day ahead of me; cleaning all done for this week.  

Prayers continuing for our beautiful world. Special prayers for the souls of the two pilots who died in the accident at LaGuardia Airport. Continuing prayers for those in hospital recovering from the same accident.  

And Monday begins with no cleaning

 Interesting to have the cleaning accomplished on Monday with the basement finished up yesterday afternoon (an hour by the robot and then an hour by me and all was done). I still got to go to Church and an interesting sermon on Lazarus. I found Lazarus intriguing as a child and wondered about him. Loved by his two sisters Mary and Martha (I discovered that I am a Martha in some ways as the work that needs to be done I do first generally). Is it a good thing or a bad thing to put the work first? Not sure really but I have always been firmly convinced that God expects us to adore Him always but do the work that needs to be done. I think I could always still listen to what Jesus was saying but keep working to get it done. But I also see the goodness of Mary like Mother Teresa always obedient and listening to our Lord. And yet I am a listener primarily not a talker. The sermon gave me a lot to think about in that regard actually. Do I do enough in my tiny orbit and I think the answer remains I am 80 and should concentrate on what needs to be done in the time that remains to me. 

Prayers for the souls of the two pilots killed in the accident at La Guardia Airport. How sad for everyone and also prayers for the two crew members and the 72 passengers with nine still in hospital. 

A beautiful day today with the sun shining like a golden orb in the sky. The wind is quiet and the temperature minus 2 degrees celsius. The heavy snow did not come and gradually our snow is melting. A slow melt is so good because the earth needs the richness of all that water after the drought of last summer. It will be muddy out there soon and we will be in to Mud Season for a bit whilst it dries up. I think I will get the company that clears my laneway to cut my lawns this year. That way I can concentrate on the flower borders and perhaps grass in some of that old garden area. The land is becoming more fruitful once again letting us just grow whatever but sticking to flowers for a bit will help to enrich the earth even more. I would love to move though but the practicality of two moves is overwhelming and probably I will not move right away. The desire though is very much there to move and be closer to family. 

Perhaps today I will finish the first sibling's Gedmatch and move to the second. We will see how the day goes. Prayers for my eldest sister continuing. 

Prayers for the world and a better life for all of her people.  

Cleaning day two accomplished

 Just the basement left to do and the Robot is doing its chore very well as usual. Then I apply handwork by washing the basement floor and dusting everything that is down there. It is decreasing slowly but surely. It is also Sunday and I want to go to Church so that will come first. Church on YouTube has been the gift of COVID and I continue to enjoy it. There are services all over the world but I do continue mainly with the Church Congregation which I support by tithe. Some day I would like to go back to Church once again but it does need to be something I can do readily without impacting anyone else. 

No work yet but that is coming. I tried to book my appointment for my part in the provincial study (blood tests) but discovered they appear to be closed for March Break so had to look at the last week in March to do that. Will get that setup today though so that it is done. I have been in the Study for quite a while now and I think it is such a good idea to have these large studies particularly as a look-back when the next generations age into the future. Those of us over 70 years of age grew up in a different world in many ways. A world recovering from the Second World War and the Korean War. A world that did not have computers in everyone's hands. A world that had not contaminated the seas and oceans and the land with plastics. We provide an interesting collection of data for the future for sure. 

Prayers as always for a world in conflict. I wonder what God is thinking as I do believe that we have come right up to Armageddon with the Second World War and managed by human ingenuity and effort (and I will credit the United States with a great deal of that ability) to pass that point of no return and rebuild a good life for the people of the world.  The world rebuilt and we (my husband and I) traveled in Europe (myself eight times and Edward seven times). One would have difficulty seeing the devastation that I viewed on the News Reels as a child at the shows which I went to many many Saturdays for years and years. Europe was beautiful and rebuilt (including the British Isles). But it was perhaps the shrapnel damage on the memorial to Wolfe at Greenwich that did bring it home to me that it all really happened and the world stood still for a while as it managed to reclaim normalcy finally in 1945. 

Time to check on the Robot as it has been running its normal hour. Tea all drank and Solitaire Puzzles to do. I do read all the news but I am no longer a thinker in that regard; I simply observe. 

Being sort of off the grid

 I did spend the last 2.5 weeks more or less off the grid so to speak. I spoke to animals and fish locally only. I did speak to my daughters on the internet or phone every day pretty much. But it was freeing one might say. I have become too much involved in the world around me for an 80 year old. It is time to contemplate the next chapter of my books and then the next chapter and just let the brain soak in all that information and then put it down on paper for anyone who wants to read it. I am glad that I have reached that stage of thought. I am still part of the world but at 80 one should concentrate on the little things and that is what I will do from now on. 

I watched the news finally and as always asking God for prayers for the world. God was very much in my mind through all those days. I was surrounded by God's goodness - the fresh earth, the snow, the forests and it was just lovely. I could feel the love of God all around me; the dogs were constantly at my side wanting my attention at all times. We all slept in the same room together and everyone was at peace and relaxed. A beautiful retreat and I enjoyed it. It reminded me of retreating to the attic as a child where it was just me and my books and my writing. I did write as a child but none of it exists as I destroyed all of it before I married. I came with wedding presents as it turned out along with my clothing as I had never lived away from home before and that was nearly sixty years ago now. Hard to believe how my life has passed these sixty years (I was twenty when we married). 

Yesterday I cleaned the top floor and today it is the main floor and that will be soon enough. Already I have done one load of washing and there are perhaps another couple to go this afternoon. I will clean in the morning. I received two pieces of mail (both of them could have been virtual easily). The rest was flyers and they could all be virtual. I dream of a virtual mailbox for sure. What a wonderful way it would be to receive your mail. You could still buy original paper copies and that is a money maker for the Post Office as they will be hand delivered so to speak and the cost is borne by those who need a paper copy. 

No work done but I am thinking about it and eager to get back to it. The dogs occupied my time enormously; cats are very self sufficient but I can remember that from childhood and also the relentless hunger that dogs have to be with their people. Even the cats slept in the room with me when they were not prowling about the house (the door was open for them or the dogs but the dogs did not leave me). Only the fish were excluded because of their watery environment and they were in another room.

God's peace to all and may the blessings of God fall down upon His people in this fragile time of our world. We have been fragile for a while really since the beginning of COVID. But new strength is coming out of this fragility slowly but surely as we look at a world much injured by our occupation and here and there are bright spots where we have healed the earth. The healing of the earth will be the great news of the 2020s and 2030s I think. It is a slow process but the result wonderful for the children of today so that they too can enjoy this beautiful world as we did as children.  

Very happy pets and home again

 Pets certainly alter your life and I have enjoyed the last 2.5 weeks spent with two dogs, two cats and a tank full of fish. The time flew by and now I am home again and getting caught up on my cleaning. It will be late or early depending on how you look at the week. I will be finished on Sunday having left that day to the basement which is just a couple of hours probably in the early afternoon after Church. 

Little accomplishment on my books but I did spend more time than usual looking at GedMatch and contemplating why I did or did not choose to record some of the matches that I did. First sibling almost completed and this week coming I shall be back on schedule.

 My sudden decision to quit blogging was perhaps premature as I do enjoy the ease of using blogger instead of strictly a word document that I then have to produce a systematic system for storing. Blogger offers all of that and so I think I have returned but my aspect is a little different. 

I have not watched any TV for 2.5 weeks not even for the weather. I have read the occasional news item and I can sense Canada starting to take its place once again in the world as an effective speaker on her own feet. Thank you to Prime Minister Carney and his very capable team but also I note that the Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre has found his world voice and no more whining on a provincial level from him.  This remake of Canada will take all hands on deck. For the Provincial Premiers you are Premiers of the entire province not just the big city that provides you with so many needs that they are going to have to pay more taxes to have instead of draining the provincial funds to keep the people who are in your face all the time complaining quiet. We have a lot of growing to do in Canada. 

Exercises all done, breakfast done and time to start cleaning very shortly. My hatred for daylight savings conversion continues apace as I would like to stay on Standard Time so that it isn't black first thing in the morning. I love the early mornings with the bright sun. 

Must make some tea and soon time to clean; solitaire puzzles are next. And I did renew my Microsoft Solitaire Collection (they are smart to bill you in Canadian dollars and they willingly collect the GST for that to submit to the Government of Canada). If you are going to sell something in Canada then there are taxes to pay. After all we did the right thing when we bought land that extended down into the agreed upon border between the United States and Canada and gave you that land freely. What is spent in Canada gets taxed in Canada but we have no claim on lands that we paid for but gave to a foreign government since it lay in their jurisdiction already agreed upon by land treaties (namely the purchase of Rupert's Land).