This time we headed to the church in Ellastone where many family occasions such as christenings, weddings and funerals took place. The church in Stanton was only built in 1847 so the villagers worshipped in nearby Ellastone.
The church in Ellastone is much bigger than the one in Stanton and I was hoping that we may find some graves belonging to my family but the churchyard was very overgrown and some of the gravestones so old that even when you could wade through the long grass, the writing on them had long since disappeared, which was quite disappointing.
Ellastone is a rural village on the Staffordshire side of the River Dove. It's set in beautiful countryside.
We also went back to Stanton where we found my mum's Auntie Betty. She was married to Harry, who we found last time we visited.
I managed to find a few leads but nothing concrete at the moment so more research is needed. It's all good fun though and wouldn't be half as satisfying if it were all straight forward.
It's nice to know where we come from when families move about so much these days. Years ago people were born, lived and died in the same village/town. Good luck with your search. Best, Jane x
ReplyDeleteThat's true. My ancestors lived in Stanton for years and years, my nana was the first one in my immediate tree who left there. It's fascinating looking round and thinking about those who are no longer here.
DeleteI love to visit places like very old graveyards, it makes you think, lovely pics☺
ReplyDeleteI do too, I love reading all the old headstones, I find them fascinating.
DeleteDid you know that you can ask the church for the graveyard plan? It will list names and tell you where the graves are. Our local vicar charges for the list, (they shouldn't but he must have been asked for it so many times that he started to ask for money!)
ReplyDeleteI love looking around churchyards and looking at the old gravestones of the people from so long ago, I find it very interesting, which might or might not say a lot about me, lol
I didn't know that, I wish I'd known before our visit but it will give me a reason to go again if I can get hold of a plan. Thank you for telling me. I'm just the same, I enjoy looking round churchyards even if I have no connection to them.
DeleteI always love to walk around our grave yard, its very large and has been turned into a kind of wild life place.
ReplyDeleteThere are benches all over the place and although it sounds funny, there's nothing like taking a few sandwiches and a flask and sitting peacefully there, lol
Briony
x
That sounds lovely. We often visit the crematorium as we have a memorial there for my sister, and since my mum died in March, we've had a memorial added for her too. It's such a peaceful place so I know exactly what you mean about your local graveyard.
DeleteGreat progress, it must be really satisfying to find out so much about your family.
ReplyDeleteI found out a lot quite a few years ago now and it's been sitting on the back burner ever since but I've got a new enthusiasm for it all again now. It would be great if I could find out more.
DeleteBest of luck with this wonderful project!
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet, it wouldn't be half as nice, if it was all straight forward. :-) Part of the satisfaction, is the "Quest"!
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I agree. Finding out about our ancestors is such a great hobby and it throws up more than a few surprises along the way.
DeleteNice post and pictures. Shame about the state of the churchyard at Ellastone. xx
ReplyDeleteIt was a real shame that we couldn't have a proper look round. There were some workmen on the church roof so perhaps they're trying to put things in order, it'll be worth going for a look round again at a later date.
DeleteA nice outing for you and Archie with interesting results too. Family history can be so rewarding and it can also take up a lot of time ... have fun researching both on the computer and in person. xxx
ReplyDeleteIt definitely takes up a lot of time, I get so engrossed that I forget all about everything going on around me. It's a great hobby though.
DeleteI love a family history day out, poking around churchyards and looking for old houses. Unfortunately, my roots are too far away for a day trip but there was a memorable holiday in Devon when I had the husband and children hunting for gravestones in the rain by 9.30am! Well done on finding Betty and Harry. Happy hunting. x
ReplyDeleteI'm really lucky, my mum's side of the family is from Derbyshire which isn't too far from here and my dad's family is from here in Leeds. It makes it much easier when you want to visit the records office or look around churchyards.
DeleteAll the best with your search, some graveyards are quite pretty to walk around. There is one in Tewkesbury that we used to cut through, I was a child at the time but vaguely remember how pretty and peaceful it was. My cousins lived close by and we stayed a week or so with them. Cathy x
ReplyDeleteThere's some lovely graveyards, and some really interesting ones too. I love reading all the old inscriptions, you can really build up a picture of the people who once lived in an area.
DeleteLovely third photograph here Jo, it does look a very nice area.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your continued research.
All the best Jan
It's a beautiful area, so quiet and peaceful and surrounded by countryside.
DeleteI do hope you find out more, I just love old graveyards, they are incredibly moving.xxx
ReplyDeleteI hope I find out more too, I've got the bug again now. I've got some interesting leads about various people in the family but they've all come to dead ends so far, I need to dig further.
DeleteWell done, another piece of the family history puzzle solved. I think there's a website called Find A Grave where you can search. You still get the atmosphere even if you can't find them in the churchyard.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about that website, I shall take a look on there, thank you for mentioning this.
DeleteGood luck with your research & enjoy the process. It's quite exciting to come across snippets of information, whether something tiny or more significant. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I get excited over finding the smallest thing. It all adds up to the bigger picture.
DeleteI love getting out and about with my family history research, so this has been a joy to read :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting visiting the places where our ancestors lived.
DeleteA bit of detective work will make it all the more rewarding :)
ReplyDeletexx
Definitely, that's half the fun.
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