tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post1880211161629251057..comments2024-01-19T09:55:09.354+00:00Comments on 'On a flesh and bone foundation': An Irish History: Stepping into the Looking Glass: Reflections of ourselves in our family treesÉire Historianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-65990388474753813302013-03-01T16:22:36.721+00:002013-03-01T16:22:36.721+00:00Hi Kathryn,
Thanks very much for your comments. S...Hi Kathryn,<br /><br />Thanks very much for your comments. Such an interesting group of 'Leaves with no descendants' you have there. Compelling histories and no doubt more of a challenge to find. Good on you for uncovering them!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JenniferÉire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-77366018667349764192013-03-01T15:42:42.227+00:002013-03-01T15:42:42.227+00:00Some very thought provoking questions! I've al...Some very thought provoking questions! I've always been told that I look like my father, but I can see a lot of my mother's side of the family in me too. Lately, I've been drawn to those leaves in my tree with no descendants. Who were they and what was their story? So far, I've discovered war heroes, a nun that became a nurse in the 1870s, a female farmer that smoked a corncob pipe, and a woman that was labled "feeble minded" and spent many years in a county infirmary. She turned out to the be the key that finally helped my trace my Irish ancestors. Great post! KathrynKathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13983843990930490265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-77367991119295347582013-02-28T11:21:06.777+00:002013-02-28T11:21:06.777+00:00Hi Pauleen,
Thank you for your comments. As alway...Hi Pauleen,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. As always, they are much appreciated. It is so true, as you say, that our ancestors were ordinary people with flaws, just like us. I find myself surprised when I speak with others who seem disappointed to find this is true. It seems as though many are searching for a great king or a famous pirate, instead of just a farmer or a carpenter. I find the stories of those ordinary people who strived and survived to be more compelling.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JenniferÉire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-12255109454793955582013-02-27T09:00:09.705+00:002013-02-27T09:00:09.705+00:00A very insightful post Jennifer. I guess we all &q...A very insightful post Jennifer. I guess we all "suffer" from the "you look like..." comments. These days I'm intrigued to hear my daughters comment on how much alike they look and refrain from saying "did you know how much like me, at your age, you look?"<br /><br />The most pertinent thing, though, is the need to be aware of potential blindness in the stories we research, and those we tell, about our ancestral families. Just like us they have flaws and weaknesses as well as strengths, even if they were (some of them) also heroes. How do we cope if we find someone whose ethics truly challenge our views of family? What of scandals we suspect or unearth? <br /><br />I know I have a bias towards expecting my ancestors to be ordinary people. We are who we are, because of all those who came before us, and because of our reflections, views and beliefs, and hard-won approach to life.<br /><br />Thanks for a great post.Cassmob (Pauleen)https://www.blogger.com/profile/18397134336319778519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-51606941181920122492013-02-26T00:20:20.643+00:002013-02-26T00:20:20.643+00:00I should have said 'I have been told', not...I should have said 'I have been told', not 'I was told'. I was making it sound as if I'm no longer here, but I am. :):)<br /><br />J.Éire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-75011303258109674322013-02-26T00:00:53.114+00:002013-02-26T00:00:53.114+00:00Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for your comments. As I ment...Hi Charlotte,<br /><br />Thanks for your comments. As I mentioned to Celia, I too feel a kinship with all of you in facing these sorts of questions. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />JenniferÉire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-66221903000493865462013-02-25T23:59:38.784+00:002013-02-25T23:59:38.784+00:00Hi Celia,
Thanks so much for your comments. I fee...Hi Celia,<br /><br />Thanks so much for your comments. I feel a kinship with you and what you have said. All of my life I was told I look 'exactly' like my mom, something which was difficult to take when I was trying to carve out my own individual identity. As you say, we struggle, and ultimately we endeavour to be the best individual person we can be. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />JenniferÉire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-13531830107437242292013-02-25T23:56:32.088+00:002013-02-25T23:56:32.088+00:00Hi Kathy,
Thanks so much for your comments. I am ...Hi Kathy,<br /><br />Thanks so much for your comments. I am glad this post meant something to you. I too have struggled with these questions and so wanted to share them with our community.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />JenniferÉire Historianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588116386284997687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-84522937769563462302013-02-25T17:42:51.145+00:002013-02-25T17:42:51.145+00:00I feel a kinship with Kathy and Celia on this. Loo...I feel a kinship with Kathy and Celia on this. Looking like, feeling like, acting like other relatives or ancestors, good or bad, touches all of us. Thanks for this food for thought.Charlotte Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10894689884941333468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-1000388230454588692013-02-25T17:06:55.058+00:002013-02-25T17:06:55.058+00:00I'm with Kathy - I have looked like my mother&...I'm with Kathy - I have looked like my mother's oldest sister (whom my mother detested) all my life... and got the brunt of my mother's rage because of that, and since my aunt was rather narcisstic and theatrical/dramatic, I never ever wanted to be like her. There is religious intolerance in some of our past ancestors, bigotry, affairs, and more. But I - as an individual - can continue to make conscious choices, to be the best "who" I can be. And reflect the largest and most honest "family" of ancestors who came before, all of them. We are unique, indeed. Celia Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04096301290962083820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-390677411039765188.post-40123952345166197442013-02-25T16:25:06.819+00:002013-02-25T16:25:06.819+00:00I truly enjoyed this post. It's an issue I str...I truly enjoyed this post. It's an issue I struggle with continuously. I know that I "look" most like an aunt. Although I love her and she is a wonderful person with whom I have a good relationship, we could not be more different in our religious and philosophical views. You wonder how that can happen.Kathy Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09417754385375586302noreply@blogger.com