Week 70 and Oh so Busy!!!

Monday we visited sights of the Stagg family ancestors.  We visited Ramsbury parish church where the wife of David Stagg was christened.  Her parents are buried there according to a cemetery index that we found in the Wiltshire Record Office.   It rained all morning and we got wet and cold looking for graves, but we could not locate the headstones even though we had found the index. 

Ramsbury Parish Chapel and cemetery

Ramsbury Chapel inside

Burbage was next on our tour.  We found the Parish church with much effort.   Usually the Parish church is very easy to locate in a small town. but we had a real challenge finding it. Thanks to Elder Smart"s navigating ability for finding Parish churches , we found it.

Burbage Parish Church

We then set out for Westcott.  This is the part of Burbage that Mary and John Stagg actually lived.  In our research we discovered that Westcott was known by various spellings, but more recently was actually Westcourt.  We followed the signs to Westcourt -- or what there was of it.  It is now just a few fields and a couple of buildings.

Christening and marriage records records reveal that the John and Mary Brown Stagg family first lived at Culley's Farm.  Their first son came a little early at Culley's Farm.

Sign "Culley Farm" at top of road
leading to old farm house 

Old Culley Farm House

When they finally got married they gave their residence as Park Farm, with their next child being born at Tarrent's/Terrance Farm.  For their next child they are back at Park Farm.  We set out to try to find these locations.  With the help of locals, we found Park farm first and found that Culley farm was just a short distance from Park Farm.

Stagg Home is Sign-posted

Old & Remodeled Park Farm House

The roads did not cut through the field to connect these two farms. We had to go around a hill and then up and over the hill to find it.  The people living in the old farm house were very gracious and invited us in and shared history of the house with us.  They pointed out where Terrant's Farm had been, but there is nothing left of it now.   This  is all part the Savernake Forest area.  The christenings for this area took place in Preshute. We found the Preshute old parish church and we once again were able to go inside.

Preshute Parish Chapel outside

Preshute Parish Chapel inside

What fun to walk where ancestors had walked and find their homes and christening places.  After a long and exciting day we drove home to London arriving at about 7:00 p.m.

See if You Can Find -- Culley, Tarrant, and Park Farm

This week we have spent many hours at the LFHC.  The center has 5000 new films that  need to be  labeled and organized.  We worked all week with the patrons in the center to allow one of the missionary couples to work on these films. Friday we stayed for the FHC staff meeting and then joined the other Senior Couples at one of their flats for waffles.  Mmmmm a taste from home!

Waffles!!!!!!!

Saturday we were free and ended up back at the LFHC to work with the mission office senior missionaries and help them with their family history.  They left happy and encouraged.  We located what we think is an ancestor the family they had been searching for, for many years.

helping to research

Today we attended our Staines Ward for the first time in a month.  It was good to see everyone again. Many of the Ward members thought we had already gone home since they had not seen us for some time. We will be gone again next week, since we are heading north for another week long event.  We have a Family History Conference in Billingham on Saturday and then we speak at a fireside on Sunday.  While there we will look into ancestral sights in Yorkshire and hopefully cross over the border for a short visit to Scotland.

We are busy preparing power points and talks and getting genealogy together for this event,  We only vaguely remember when we had free time.  Life is good!

Happy Birthday this week to our twins, Emma and Addy.

Always remember that we have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We love the Lord and we love all of you.

Grandma and Grandpa, "Mum" and Dad, Paul and Annie, Elder and Sister Smart

And the cycle of life starts over again at
The National Archives