Touching the past

I have posted this before,but I come back to it because it fascinates me… the fact that I’ve indirectly had contact with someone born almost two hundred years ago. I suppose it registered because the story I have been writing is about a family in search of their roots… but in order to make their journey more tricky, and I hope more interesting, they were a pretty dysfunctional family who have few actual records such as photos, memorabilia or other effects from their parents and grandparents. I’m lucky because I remember my grandparents, and I have things which belonged to them… not valuable things, just everyday ordinary items.

 

My mother’s paternal family name was Matthews; she was the youngest of four children, William Alan, Audrey, Rene Beryl Lois and Phyllis Monica.

William Alan, always known as Alan was the eldest son of my grandfather William Reginald, always known as Reg, who in turn was the eldest son of William Henry Matthews. William Henry was always known as Billy and he was the son of yet another William Matthews, who was the son of the original William, son of Solomon Matthews.

William Alan Matthews, 1918-2001

William Reginald Matthews, 1887-1962

William Henry Matthews, 1861-1933

William Matthews, 1838-1920

William Reginald aged about five, William Henry aged about thirty-one and William aged about fifty-four.

William Matthews, 1813-1896

When the oldest William  was born in 1813 to Solomon Matthews and Mary Davies, Napoleon still ruled France, Prince George was regent in Britain for his father, King George III, the Tsar of Russia was Alexander I and James Madison was President of the United States. Germany and Italy had yet to be unified, slavery to be abolished and steam engines to be invented.

William Reginald sat on old William’s knee, and I sat on Reginald’s knee when I was a child – I feel as if I have touched the past.