Yesterday at my Dad's house we were talking family history research again for a while. We have found out so much information about my Dad's side of the family recently it has really given me a push to keep looking. My Dad's family, from Liverpool were a really interesting mix. His Dad, my Grandad, was one of 12 children, and a butcher like his own Dad (They must be turning in their graves at your vegetarian shenanigans youngest son likes to tell me!) My Grandad, like my Dad won a scholarship to a grammar school and was bright, funny and very political. After he was widowed he would come and stay with us for a week at a time and take himself off on the train and then the bus to explore London. He always had a funny tale to tell us when he returned and I really enjoyed his visits. My Dad tells us he was so ahead of his time believing in equality for all, women's rights and despite being a butcher hated any form of animal cruelty. Apparently he and his five brothers would have long political discussions for hours.
Rightly or wrongly I have built up a picture in my mind of what each brother must have been like from the conversations I have had with my Dad but in my family tree searching I have come across a few old newspaper reports that have given me so much more of an insight. The third eldest boy was called Francis and Dad told me he was the quietest of the brothers. When he was a child he had been involved in an accident being hit by a tram and nearly died, in adult life he was a French polisher, restoring furniture and Dad said when he came round and restored a table for them and he couldn't believe how beautiful his work was. He kept himself to himself and didn't really get heated in any of the political discussions. I built up a picture in my mind of this quiet, artistic type maybe his injuries from childhood still affecting him. Then I found the newspaper report of a court case.
When Francis was walking home in Liverpool late one evening in 1933 he came across a crowd gathered around two men fighting. One of the men had a knife and had stabbed the other man who was bleeding heavily, Francis went straight into the foray despite the crowd shouting "Look out he has a knife" and the attacker shouting at him "Do you want it too" He disarmed the man, despite being stabbed in the hand himself and wrestled him to the ground. Sadly the man who had been stabbed died later in hospital but Francis was hailed a hero and the attacker was arrested. Suddenly the quiet, artistic young man became a completely different person to me! When I showed my Dad he couldn't believe it he knew nothing of the tale but there it was, with Francis's full name and address in the paper. It has made me realise how important family research is for future generations. Although finding birth certificates and marriage certificates is so important, it is the little snippets that make up a personality that can be so much more helpful. I really must try and find more time to do more research.
Yesterday I bought another bag of food to be collected on my Too Good To Go app. I'm trying really hard to plan our meals around these £4 bags as it will save so much money, and Marks and Spencer food is really good quality. Tom took the salad and a pastry to work yesterday, and as he normally spends about £5 a day on his lunch in the work canteen that had already saved us money. I made sausage and mash with some steamed courgettes for Tom and youngest son and daughter so all I had to add was a veggie burger from the freezer for me. I froze the rolls for another day and the salad and hummus I will eat over the next couple of days. I bought another bag last night which I froze the sausages from straight away. There are lunches for Tom and youngest son and daughter today too. So far I'm finding this a really good money saving exercise. This was last nights bag for £4.
