Book Review: The Great Rebellion 1642-1660

The Great Rebellion 1642-1660 by Ivan Roots

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Good information on that chaotic time period. I'm trying to figure out how my ancestors were influenced by the politics and government switching that took place. Ivan Roots over uses the thesaurus. He must be trying to impress the reader with his great but tedious vocabulary. Not to be too niggling, but many of the words were off, slightly malapropism like. I wonder what his writing would have been like if he had wrote in English.



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Ubuntu OS

I have been using Ubuntu Operating System for about 2 and half years now. If you are using Windows 98 or older, you should consider a newer OS. Ubuntu is a Linux based OS and is the most popular, at least for now. Even if you are using XP, you should think about a new OS. Most Linux distributions have more up to date drivers, features and software programs. Also it is great on-line, worrying about malware and viruses is minimal. Using Firefox on a Linux OS is no different than on Windows.

The biggest draw-back is what to do for Windows programs. There is a decent windows emulator called Wine, in which many programs will run. My favorite Windows program is Ancestral Quest, a genealogy program. Unfortunately, I can only view the people and families on AQ. If I make any changes or click on any web links it crashes when I exit the program.

I haven't quite given up my XP machine. I use two machines with a KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switch. It allows me to jump back and forth between computers. Its especially good for surfing genealogy sites on my Ubuntu computer and jumping to my XP to compare family info. Listening to music on one and downloading on the other. I can do true multitasking without lagging down a single processor.

My Sweet 16 Great Great Grandparents

My Sweet 16 Great Great Grandparents

1. Ake Larsson, who was the son of Lars Olsson and Hanna Akesson, was christened 5 Oct 1820, in Ostra Grevie, Kristianstad, Sweden. He died 29 Nov 1893, in Ostra Grevie, Kristianstad, Sweden.

He was married 23 Apr 1847, in Hastor, Malmohus, Sweden to:

2. Else Nilsson, who was the daughter of Nils Olsson and Johanna Andersson, was christened 31 Dec 1823, in V. Vemmerslov, Malmohus, Sweden. She died 18 Oct 1882, in Ostra Grevie, Kristianstad, Sweden.

3. Jons Andersson Sandgren, who was the illegitimate son of Maja Jonsson, was born 16 Sep 1811, in Hallaryd, Frosta, Kronoberg, Sweden. He died 8 Mar 1887, in Djurros, Kristianstad, Sweden.

He was married to:

4. Kierstin Nilsson, who was the daughter of Nils Torstensson and Hanna Joensson, was born 18 Oct 1821, in Tjarehuset Ve, Kristianstad, Sweden. She died 16 May 1896, in Djurros, Kristianstad, Sweden.

5. Pehr Andersson, who was the son of Anders Pafvelsson and Lisa Pettersdotter, was born 3 Jul 1820, in Stora Sventorp, Holmestad, Skaraborg, Sweden. He died 15 Jul 1887 in Grantsville, Tooele, Utah.

He was married 6 Feb 1848, in Vattlosa, Skarborg, Sweden to:

6. Maria Katharine Larsdotter, who was the daughter of Lars Andersson and Maria Andersdotter, was born 17 Feb 1819, in Taglan Sannerborg, Skara Landsforsa, Skaraborg, Sweden. She died 7 Sep 1888, in Grantsville, Tooele, Utah.

7. Carl Johan Jonsson Fihn, who was the son of Johannes Jonsson Fihn and Estrid Jonsdotter, was born 5 Dec 1823, in Ulunda, Varhem, Skaraborg, Sweden. He died 21 Oct 1890, in Stenhuggarestorp, Holmestad, Skaraborg, Sweden.

He was married 19 Jan 1856, in Skark, Vettlof, Skaraborg, Sweden to:

8. Britta Johansdotter, who was the daughter of Johannes Eriksson and Katarina Larsdotter, was born 8 Jan 1832, in Kjellsbacken, Vattlosa, Skaraborg, Sweden. She died 18 Dec 1915, in Goteborg, Goteborgso’bohus, Sweden.

9. Washington McKean, who was the son of David McKean and Elizabeth Van Scyver, was born 17 Oct 1803, in Allentown, Monm, New Jersey. He died 25 Oct 1877, in Allentown, Monm, New Jersey.

He was married 11 Nov 1828, in Allentown, Monm, New Jersey to:

10. Margaret Wallin Ivins, who was the daughter of Anthony Ivins and Sarah Reeves Wallin, was born 6 Sep 1806, in Toms River, Ocean, New Jersey. She died 11 Apr 1886, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.

11. Henry Emery, who was the son of George Emery and Frances Rhodes, was born 5 Aug 1825, in Doncaster, York, Eng. He died 4 Jun 1881, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake , Utah.

He was married 18 May 1851, in Kanesville, Pottaw, Iowa to:

12. Elizabeth Brewerton, who was the daughter of George Brewerton and Ann Pilley, was born 13 May 1828, in Harworth, Notts, Eng. She died 1 Dec 1906, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake , Utah.

13. Stephen Sylvester Sargent, who was the son of Christopher Sargent and Jenny Patten, was born 19 May 1809, in Amesbury, Essex, Mass. He died 4 Sep 1875, in Payson, Utah, Utah.

He was married 3 Jun 1832, in Amesbury, Essex, Mass. to:

14. Martha Louisa Elmer, who was the daughter of Squire Elmer and Lucy Chase, was born 4 Jul 1813, in Hartford, Windsor, Vermont. She died 17 Sep 1897, in Payson, Utah, Utah.

15. George Pickering, who was the son of William Tripp Pickering and Muriel Pitts, was born 22 Feb 1821, in Newark, Notts, Eng. He Died 9 May 1892, in Payson, Utah, Utah.

He was married 16 May 1848, in Sheffield, York, Eng. to:

16. Ann Craig Wainer, who was the daughter of Thomas Wainer and Ann Cragg, was born 26 Jan 1827, in Newark, Notts, Eng. She died 7 Sep 1902, in Payson, Utah, Utah.

Nationalities

8 Swedish (50%), 7 English (44%), 1 Scottish (6%).

Fishing with my Father

My father, my uncle and my cousin, about 1943.

From my earliest memories, I remember camping by a river or stream, my father would leave the family picnicking by the old pickup truck, converted for camping, while he and my older brother would go off fishing. When I was a little older, my father dragged me along too and let me fish in the best fishing holes. Where I would usually catch a fish or two and then my fishing line would turn into a massive tangle. He would return later and patiently untangle or replace the line. Then off we would go fishing again, till the mosquitoes were biting more than the fish. Once, while it was late my father cast his line and he caught something before it hit the water. A bat had snatch his fly and his line was circling up in the air. It wasn’t till he reeled it in that he found out it was a bat.
























On opening day in the fifties and sixties, my father would wake us up at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning where we (sometimes my sisters were invited) would crawl in the car or truck and fall fast asleep, soon to wake up at an eating establishment somewhere near a lake or stream, usually Rockport, Strawberry or Schofield. We would eat an early breakfast where other fishermen gathered on opening day shoulder to shoulder eating a hearty meal. We would then go to a lake, stumbling in the dark over rock-covered shorelines and then shiver as my father would build a small fire. By the time it was light, we would be once again shoulder to shoulder with fishermen and you could walk across the lake stepping from one boat to another.
Sometimes my father would take a shortcut to a fishing place. Once we traveled on the roughest and dustiest road ever (a lumber truck road, with 10" of dust), only to find pavement at the other end.
Whether its fly fishing a river or drowning a worm in a big pond, he taught me to be a good fisherman.
















The week before he died, he tried fishing but was in too much pain. It has been almost 20 years since my father left for a better fishing place. The fish around here are pretty much safe.

Strange Brew

Being a stickler for words when transcribing wills, I came across a group of words my ancestor Elizabeth Cooke ( Transcribed here), had given to her daughter (also my ancestor) in her registered will proved in 1618.






I first read this as ‘a stove of stax and agylefatt’.
It didn’t make much sense, then I thought ‘fove of fax’, ‘fove of flax’ and even ‘stone of flax’ (14 pounds of flax) which seemed to make more sense, but what was an agylefatt? Two months later while reading other wills (which I do quite often) I found an inventory ‘In the brew house a mashefatt and gilefatt’, (well duh, I thought the ‘a’ was connected to gylefatt) now I could determine what the meaning of the words were. It was ‘a gylefatt’: a tub for fermentation of ale. And the ‘stove of stax’ most likely was used to roast grains to make malt or boiling water for pouring in a mashefatt. The mashefatt being the tub or vat where the crushed barley or other grain was soaked. Even if the only malt that you consume is in your ice-cream. It doesn’t hurt to learn a little about medieval practices.

Word of the Week:
Gylefatt, Gilefatt = A fermentation tub for ale.

DNA Proves Illegitimacy-A Family Portrait

I Always Eat Peas With Honey

A little saying my mother used to say:

I always eat peas with honey.
They may taste funny.
But they stay on my knife better.

The Letter P with the Crossed Tail

In old hand writing the letter ‘p’ sometimes had a cross on its tail this was the abbreviation for pre, per, par and pro.




Above is a sentence from a parish register in 1620, ‘Frances the daughter of Robert Coop(er) was baptised the 21 of August’. Notice the looping cross on the tail of the ‘p’.




Here we have p(er)formed from 1579, p(er)fect from 1683, and p(ar)te and p(ar)cell, 1683.
Notice the loops are all clockwise in direction. Next is a ‘p’ with a counterclockwise loop:





The word is p(ro)vided from 1683.

The pro abbreviation can sometimes be distinguished from the pre, per and par abbreviations. However, like in all old handwriting rules, sometimes there is no difference, in which case the content of the words around and the sentence is useful to solving the mystery of the crossed ‘p’.

Word of the Week:
Bed presser = A lazy and slothful person (something that I have been too much lately).