Being a little behind the times (yes, as usual 🙄), we were already midway through January before I stumbled across the #AncestorChallenge2018 hashtag while meandering the Twitterverse.
Each year after an ancestor is gone their story fades further from us. In 2018 bring an ancestor back & share their story on @Twitter and join me in sharing your family each week #AncestorChallenge2018 #genealogy RT pic.twitter.com/moxmmhDzPS
— David Allen Lambert (@DLGenealogist) December 31, 2017
The challenge resonated on many levels. Firstly, it’s true that memories and stories quickly begin to fade, unless they’re recorded. Secondly, a tweet is a whole lot more manageable than an entire blog post, right? That’s not to say that the challenge excludes blog posts – quite the contrary – but it doesn’t dictate the format or medium or length for the content of the tweet (or what it links to), and there’s a freedom in that. Thirdly, the challenge could just help move my research (and organisation of it) forward, baby steps at a time. And, by the end of it all, I’d have 52 ancestral tidbits “published”, in a manner of speaking – more than I would have otherwise. So I decided to take up the challenge.
To stick to it, though, I needed a plan and so I chose to pick an event from an ancestor’s life that fell during the week scheduled for each of my tweets (not that I’ve managed to tweet on the scheduled day every time, or even in the appropriate week, but, as “they” say, better late than never!)
However, it occurred to me that many friends and family members aren’t Tweeple and, furthermore, my #AncestorChallenge2018 tweets could end up sandwiched in a mini-melee of other, unrelated tweets, so I figured a quarterly roundup of them in a blog post was the way to go and, voilà, a new blog post (or four) was born 🙂
Week 1
A machine maker/machinist, journeyman, carpenter, and joiner, my 3x great-grandfather, William Andrew #Pinny, died from senile decay at the age of 75, on 4 Jan 1900, at 23 James Street, #Northampton, Northamptonshire, #England. Anyone stay there, or nearby? #AncestorChallenge2018
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) January 16, 2018
Week 2
So, according to this certificate, Grand Uncle Donald Cameron #MacDonald married Dorothy Helen #Smith on 07 Jan 1943 in #Charlottetown, #PrinceEdwardIsland. However, an extract from the GRO for Scotland says they were married on 09 Jan 1943. #ConfusionIs… #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/4HnfK3voO0
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) January 17, 2018
Week 3
Grand Uncle William Charlie #Nelson was baptised (christened) in the Church of the Holy Trinity, #KingWilliamsTown, Cape Province (now #EasternCape), #SouthAfrica, #OTD in 1897. He became known in the family as "Charlie the Hermit". https://t.co/p0LwdjjHjU #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/uC0IMhxNPh
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) January 18, 2018
Week 4
As with her older brother featured last week, my grand aunt, Linda Wilhelmina Nelson, was baptised (christened) in the Church of the Holy Trinity, #KingWilliamsTown, Cape Province (now #EasternCape), #SouthAfrica, #OTD in 1911. https://t.co/aH5dr78vQr #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/rpr8cCuORH
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) January 26, 2018
Week 5
https://twitter.com/RowenaGNelson/status/959377129048854528
Week 6
https://twitter.com/RowenaGNelson/status/962029668605005824
Week 7
My paternal grandfather, Arthur Archibald Julius #Nelson, was born in #KingWilliamsTown, Cape Province (now #EasternCape), #SouthAfrica, on 13 Feb 1904: https://t.co/Ek4Uh1eLuw. #AncestorChallenge2018
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 5, 2018
Week 8
Great-granduncle Duncan Maclennan #Macdonald was born at around 4am on 21 Feb 1887 in #Greshornish, #Duirinish, #IsleOfSkye, #Scotland. He was the 11th of 12 children (that I know of!) born to John, a farm manager at the time, and his wife, Marion. #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/XIIxIwUqbi
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 9, 2018
Week 9
Great-grandfather William Still #Spence married Mary Sinclair #Gibson, 8 years his senior, on 26 Feb 1904, at Hullion (the Gibson family home), #Rousay, #Orkney, #Scotland. At the time, he was a Lance Sergeant (Army Pay Corps), and she a hospital nurse. #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/GTnMkFOMiW
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 9, 2018
Week 10
On Thursday, 07 Mar 1878, at around 5am, Great-Granduncle Alexander #Macdonald entered the world. As with 8 of his 11 siblings, he was born in #Greshornish, #Duirinish, #IsleOfSkye, #Scotland, to John (a farm grieve at the time) and Marion. #AncestorChallenge2018
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 9, 2018
Week 11
We're not blood relatives but I have such special memories of Granduncle[-in-law] Alexander Inglis Hastings #Stewart. He was born on 16 Mar 1915 at 34 Balcarres Street, #Morningside, #Edinburgh, #Scotland, to James Stewart, a storekeeper, and his wife Jane. #AncestorChallenge2018 pic.twitter.com/RKEC31a9cv
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 21, 2018
Week 12
https://twitter.com/RowenaGNelson/status/976936926149259264
Week 13
The Beaton/Bethune name is associated with physicians but my 3x great-grandfather, John #Beaton, died a crofter, aged 60, in Dunhal[l]in, #Waternish, #Duirinish, #IsleOfSkye, #Scotland, around 3am #OTD in 1872, after suffering from rheumatism for 7 years. #AncestorChallenge2018
— Rowena Nelson (@RowenaGNelson) March 30, 2018
And, so, there you have it: my #AncestorChallenge2018 tweets for January to March 2018. Until next quarter…
