Monday 6 August 2012

Family History Through The Alphabet Challenge : M is for...

Oh my goodness, tell me it isn't true. Are we really halfway through the History Through the Alphabet blog challenge? Is there really only thirteen more blogs to go? The letter M means three very important things to me, the more obvious one being my mother. The other two things are Music and Medicine, so let's get started.


When I was growing up, music was all around me. My mother contstantly played her 45s and my father used to play guitar in a local group. When I was around seven or eight years of age I started to take notice of music that I liked. Being fed healthy doses of Elvis Presley, The Shadows, The Hollies, and 70s Glam Rock I became quite a fan of popular music. I had no idea then that music was a vital part of my ancestry.

I will never forget the first time I saw my 3xgreat-grandfather's occupation in the census - the woman who was helping me to read it proudly proclaimed across the room that he was a Professor of Music. I still remember how both of us gushed with enthusiasm. Music ran in my family! As time (and more research) went on, I discovered that my ancestors played and sold musical instruments, gave garden party concerts, accompanied silent films (see my blog about Fred Bowes), and also taught music to school age children.

A group of school boys from Holt
Image courtesy of Keith Entwistle
Medicine was another vital part of my ancestry, and I am proud to say that I inherited the love of nursing, pharmacology and first aid from them. When I was a child I was a St John Ambulance Cadet and with my school friends, we attended the Beccles First Aid Training Centre every week. After drifting aimlessly from one job to another in my teenage years, I decided to go back to school and train to become an Enrolled Nurse. When my passion for genealogy took over my life, I discovered that my maternal grandfather was in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War Two, and two of my great-grand Uncles were in the RAMC during The Great War. Again, with Fred Bowes I found out that, as well as serving in the RAMC, he also worked in a Chemist.

My great-grandmother worked as a Domestic Servant for a London physician during the 1890s through to her marriage in 1909. Dr Thomas Grigor Brodie was an emminent physiologist at Kings College and St Thomas Hospital, London and published many articles relating to his experiemental findings. He died in 1916, having served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps as Captain and had enjoyed a professional life both as lecturer and physiologist, in his homeland and overseas. I have just found this memorial on the Kings College website:

Royal Army Medical Corps during The Great War
Image courtesy of http://www.ramc-ww1.com/

I am extremely proud of my musical and medical ancestors and I thank them wholeheartedly for giving me such strong humanitarian values and an appreciation (and good ear) for music of all varieties and genres.

11 comments:

  1. How wonderful to find a link between your love of music and your ancestor's occupation as a professor of music - and also your career in nursing and your ancestors' role in the RAMC. A great posting.

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    1. Thank you very much Susan, I appreciate your kind comments. I had a lot of fun writing about this. x

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  2. It feels so right finding ancestors that were doing or interested in the same things we are, doesn't it? I enjoyed this post and it made me think about how certain veins continue through my family, past and present.

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    1. Thank you for your comment Kristin, I agree wholeheartedly. When I started this whole genealogy journey I had no idea I would discover so many "Yes!" moments. x

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  3. Congratulations on reaching the halfway mark, Deb. I have enjoyed your posts and look forward to reading the remainder as you continue your run towards the finish line.

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    1. Thank you so much Jill, that is really nice of you to say. Hope I can keep the momentum going! ;-) x

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  4. Another wonderful read, thanks Deb. And I can feel your excitement at finding those occupations in your history come through your writing.

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    1. Thank you very much, I really appreciate your support and comments. I'm so pleased to hear that my excitement is being conveyed. x

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  5. Can relate so much to this post Deb. I still shake my head, in absolute amazement, when watching various family members displaying skills/ interests/ obsessions etc that seem "to come out of fresh air" until my research showed a clear family link. Thanks for the reminding. Great post. Cheers, Catherine.

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comments Catherine, I really appreciate your feedback. I totally agree with you, it still boggles my mind as well. x

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  6. Isn't it interesting that you inherited the healing "gene". I rather envy people who are musical. This is another great story.

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