Friday, September 11, 2009

new to blog page

from my email:-

Hello,
You are my first blog read for England. Last week I met a lady from Birmingham and told her I had visited the library there, better than any I had seen in New Jersey! In 1985 after graduation from Rutgers U. library school I visited England to meet 4th cousins of both parents. Prosser family of Coleshill, and Thorne of Sherbourne in Dorset. Benjamin Thorne went to Ontario ca 1820.
My grandfather came from Coleshill, William Prosser. My mother often talked about him and I wanted to visit and bring back memories and pictures for her. I imagined a little country church in Coleshill and was overwhelmed by the size and history of the Anglican church in Coleshill, Eleventh century and beautiful. Ran out of Prossers before 1725, the name being very popular in Wales, just got 2 books on the subject.

I visited the Birmingham library and was very impressed, and delighted to see the archives on the top floor, up the spiral staircase. Was directed to LDS films and a printer, fed it silver for records which, had I done my work at home first, could have brought with me..... Saw my ancestors wedding record, church no longer in Birmingham.

Your librarians were so kind I wanted to stay for a lifetime. One odd thing, whenever I entered the library the guard would check my book bag, but never on leaving, so I asked him why on my last day of the week there, he replied, "Bombs, madam." Now that we have had our 9/11, I am more nervous about large crowds in public places, and did not visit NYC for a few years.

Met Don Steel in 1978 on his Canadian genealogy lecture tour and he helped arrange my England visit in 1985. I was using one of his books - teaching family history in school - as my own model, and was amazed to meet him at the conference dinner. His daughter came over one summer to help with my children. He and his wife came to spend a week with me in Paris about 12 years ago. Sorry he is no longer with us.

What a difference the Internet has brought to family searching! Now to find some Prosser cousins, ideas welcome,

Ellen Prosser Thorne Morris

the best way to find more cousins is to publicise and share your data using rootsweb lists and boards http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
and especially WorldConnect http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

and after privatizing your gedcom Genesreunited http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/home/

good hunting

Hugh W

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