Who Do you Think You Are?

Mary Jane Fawcett (nee Hodgson)

 “In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.” - Alex Haley.

“To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.” -Chinese Proverb.

I had the good fortune today to meet, for the first time, Rachael, my third cousin. Our great grandmothers were sisters. Mine, Mary Jane, or Polly as she was known, (pictured above) was the fifth of eight daughters. Rachael's great grandmother Dorothy, was the youngest, born 12 years after Polly. They had one brother!

This good fortune was thanks to our shared interest in family history. By coincidence, my third cousin lives only a couple of miles down the road from me. She is far more au fait than me with the geneology website, and was able to give me a lot more interesting information about my family. 

Polly married William and they had four children, my grandmother, Margaret, being the eldest. Sadly, when Polly was 44 years old, she was admitted to the then West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Menston where she died just over a year later. Hers is sad story, but one that intrigues me, as do many of the tales of my ancestors. It is in knowing about them that I come to know more about myself.  

Writing prompts:

• What do you know about your family history? Set a timer for six minutes and write down all you can. 
• Is there one person in your family whose story intrigues you? If you have the information write about their life.
• Do you think it is important to know your family's history? Write in response to this question.
• Click here for 20 reasons why you should write your family history. Make a list of all the things you would like to pass on about your life to the family members who will come after you. What do you want them to know?