What another lovely day it is (so far).
Has anyone else (or someone in your family) done a family tree?
I was sat on my bed yesterday looking through mine. Dad did 'us kids' two books - one with photos and one with family tree and biographies on himself, his mum and dad and their mum and dad. My mum refused to take part. I think things upset her (parents were alkies).
Dad's side were very poor and always had low paying jobs and in the case of my Grandfather often dangerous jobs. I cannot remember what sort of jobs but involved scarey type machinery (no health and safety in those days!). He also at one time did some fighting - I cannot remember the term but I guess a bit like boxing/street fighting??? Around two of the family were killed by machinery.
HIs mum was born in the Gorbals (Glasgow) and when her father was at war missing in action, they no longer paid his salary so they had to get out of their slum dwelling. Luckily an Irish woman took them in until it got sorted out (when he was found). They were so poor that in an art class at school, my grandmother was asked to bring an apple in, to paint, well by the time it got to school, she had eaten it down to the core. In those days there was the cane for naughty boys and the tawse (a leather strap?) for naughty girls!
Whenever we visited by grandmother and grandfather there was an awful tense atmosphere thanks to my grandmother who always took offence and felt slighted. She did not get on with her mother who would appear meal time and was glared at all through the meal. We never got to know much about our grandfather. If we tried to speak to him, grandmother would but it. My dad did not know much about his family as that was not to be talked about so instead we heard the same things all the time from my grandmother. Basically who had slighted her, done her wrong etc. She kept talking about the "old woman" and that apparently was her own grandmother.
Although they were poor, there were plenty of hangers on who took advantage and were often there at Christmas etc. They never brought anything themselves which angered my dad. He also got really cross when my grandmother was into seances in the hope of talking to her dead cousin.