Being directed to the Blake Pedigree Chart was an interesting quest and I purchased the eight copies of pictures of this rather large 12 feet by 4 feet manuscript from the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office. It was prepared by the College of Arms and I wrote to them to ask about the "proofs" mentioned at the bottom of the Chart and they told me they did not have any preparation material and that it was in the hands of the family still. They suggested writing to them and I did consider that idea but spent perhaps another few years looking at the chart and in 2013 we went to a Conference " Who Do You Think You Are?" in London, UK. Fantastic experience for sure; I had never been at a Conference where I could visit with people from everyone of my six areas in England and have a chat. I am not a particularly chatty person but I think I resemble my English forebearers in many ways and they appeared to enjoy talking to me from far off Canada especially as I was basically first generation on my father's side; he was born at Eastleigh and lived in England until he was nine years of age (1913) so lots of memories and knew his families quite well. His family appeared to be a close family as they continued to correspond pretty much up until the middle of the 1980s when the last cousin passed away. My mother wanted to do a family book for their 50th Wedding Anniversary and asked my husband to do that. I think he was pleased to be asked and came back from a Conference in London when he stayed with them for a couple of days with a big box of stuff. As a child my grandfather went through that stuff probably daily and I knew everyone in the box pretty much with a couple of exceptions. I remember that now although when my husband gave me the box in 2004 after my cousin asked me to write a profile for the Pincombe book I had forgotten it or perhaps I thought he gave it back as I really didn't want to have all of those original pictures and items. So I scanned everything first and then I started to really look at what was there; read the letters once again and my husband had said (in 1987) if the book was written it was going to be me doing the research. So off to the Family History Library to collect the data - I am like that; like to have the actual facts at hand if possible. At the same time I discovered a mailing address for one of the children of my father's first cousin. I wrote and received a reply back from my second cousin Ivan - a correspondence that would last for another twenty plus years until he passed away in 2010. Initially on paper by mail but over to email in the late 1990s. In 2008 we finally met and spent a few days together traveling about the areas that we shared our families in common.
It was at that Conference in London, UK in 2013 that I was chatting to somebody about heraldry (that has slipped away as to who actually said to me "did you verify everything on the chart?". Well I suppose I thought that the College of Arms had done so. But the chart was prepared long ago in 1690 and the person asking was a person of note but not excessively but perhaps enough that he controlled what went on it without query perhaps. The person I spoke with didn't say that but I took that from what he said. Plus this was something that you paid to have done and there you are.
We were off to Kew for a couple of days of research as well and I had photographed the items mentioned on the Pedigree Chart (I had my computer and the images with me) and for the one actually had a bit of help with the Latin. I discovered it was "using poetic license" and the wording was "abstract" and had absolutely nothing to do with the individual to whom it was credited. I did look at the Pedigree Chart from that point onwards as something that had to prove its way from top to bottom. But I was a newbie in 2003 when I started into my course work. Newbie in the sense I never had an interest at all ever in genealogy although surname research was more of an interest but perhaps put into my head by my grandfather now that I contemplate that. He had a few things he particularly noted that we were not directly related to Robert Blake, Lord High Admiral (it was popular to be related I guess; no ideas on that at that time although realize it now) in particular. I think perhaps a royalist family!
So yesterday I reviewed once again the Pedigree Chart. I wanted to prepare that section for the Chapter on Le Blak. I would like to prove that this line is from the Richard le Blak line in Rouen, Normandy that received license to set up a market in England in 1274. I think that would be fascinating to take from it looks convincing to actual fact.
I also accomplished my cleaning and another rest of the week in research is ahead of me and I shall keep on track. Perhaps I just won't watch the news for a couple of days. Of course, I grew up hearing the stories of the children coming from England during the war years to protect them here in Canada. Mind you that was six years long but still with airplanes wonderful things can happen! Enough on that; I am just an old woman at her computer lamenting the fate of these little ones with a remedy seemingly at hand. The Canadian government has agreed to take in people from Gaza and who deserves more than those little ones from 2 to 8 (and there are likely two hundred thousand of them) who did nothing to cause the war and are suffering the most because of the war and all we need is their DNA (and people willing to support them through this time) so that they can be returned to their families in Gaza when the rebuilding is accomplished. There are thousands of Muslim families in Canada who would be able to speak to the children which is another asset for sure. But as I write this I realize that my Church of England Anglicanism is showing - I tend to think of charity as being a world-wide thing and my Church expanded around the globe as it went with the explorers and the colonials who followed them (the briefs that have survived tell of a Church supporting causes all around the globe even in the 1600s!). I guess I think that the Muslim faith is the same. The poor little ones and they are dying of malnutrition and starvation apparently. Children need regular food far more than adults, Since 10 and up can not be overly trusted not to threaten our Jewish peoples we have to be very selective in terms of age. Really hate needs to be gone from our world and Hamas represents that hate that is Satanic. But I must abstain from my worldly look and get back to research. But as I lifted my weights I discovered that the government was re-instituting its support for UNRWA. Personally I think that organization has to go. We need an organization that supports the Gazan people taking responsibility for their own care and food. The very idea that for more than three generations they have been supplied with all this food is ridiculous. It is a waste of human ability and that human ability appears to have been directed towards hating the Israeli people. So no, I do not think support for that organization should happen. There has to be a change - the Israelis have a right to protection from such evil as entered Israel on the 7th of October last (part of that sexual and murderous attack was to frighten the non-Jewish who live and work happily in Israel). The Jewish peoples have a right to their lands as they are the ancient peoples on that land. Colonials and squatters do not have land rights; they are granted to them by the ancient Jewish peoples. The United Nations has upheld that principle throughout its existence. Was it upheld simply because of what I call Whiteaphobia/Caucausiaphobia? One would hope not because the ancient peoples should have a right to their lands and be part of how the land is cared for and governed. Now I really must get back to my research.
Teatime and Latin all accomplished and on to the Pencombe family which is today's assigned work..
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