Who do I think I am?

Spent today at the Devonport library as the research staff had laid on a special 'Research your Naval Ancestry' session. As that is something I've always wanted to do, I went along and added lots of details to my family tree. My research was inspired by my great-great-grandfather, who was an officer in the Royal Navy. He rose through the ranks, received medals, including those related to campaigns in the Crimean War, was mentioned in dispatches and was granted the Freedom of the City of London. I have also discovered that I have more Devonian ancestry than I realised. I suspect if we were to follow all the threads, Mr PP (Devon through-and-through) and I might discover we are blood relatives - which, Mr PP opines, could explain a lot!

Of course, the more you find out, the more doors there are to open and discover more. I can see how family tree research could take over your life. On the other hand, as we spin round, tiny dots on our small planet in a vast universe, finding out about your ancestors does help you to feel somehow anchored.

I now have to unpick the ribbons from two of my illustrious forebear's medals that, at some point, have been wrongly attached, and swap them over correctly. The poor old chap must be turning in his grave! Talking of which ... I now want to find out where he's buried. He died in the Devonport district of Plymouth, but of course it's changed a lot since 1865 ... even the library we were in was the bottom half of a - still extant - church. Upstairs is the tiny remaining chapel that now constitutes St Aubyn's. When the congregation was reduced to around half-a-dozen that is how they managed the expense of the building's upkeep. What a good idea! See my Extras!