When I got up this morning, my hair looked just like a film star's - unfortunately, the film star was Stan Laurel.
Late to bed last night, tired from working hard for the last 3 days on a half-finished project - writing up the family history research. The first draft is completed (I think that's the proper writer-speak), but it'll need altering in several places.
The idea was to turn all the fact and dates into something a little more readable, and I think it has only partially succeeded. When all you know about someone is their date of birth, a few things from marriage certificates and census entries, it's difficult to imagine what they were like as people, or what life was like for them. You can end up inventing all sorts of nonsense.
Photos of people and places have been included, as well as some old, and up-to-date, maps of areas where they lived, but photos are few, often of poor quality, and sometimes of unidentifiable subjects.
There's masses more to find out, as well. I'd like to know more about the stage careers of my grandparents' generation - at least 7 were performers and one or two went on to be producers and theatre managers. And I'd love to find out if Great-uncle Tom ever published his book. It was provisionally titled "Ventriloquism in Theory and Practice: Its Acquirement and Adaptation", or, as we like to think of it, "Ventriloquism for Dummies".
4 comments:
Perhaps Stan was a relative. He was born in your part of the world - Ulverston.
I'm sure Stan and Ollie would love the title of that book.
Ventriloquim is back in fashion - so you should get it reprinted.
The singing wing of the family were based in Barrow in Furness, though I have an Accrington address for one great-uncle; they were all Scots, however, having been born in Paisley and Aberdeen, where Great-grandfather managed draper's shops.
The ventriloquist side of the family were born in Birmingham, but moved to Brixton in the early 20th century - it was very theatrical then, lovies.
I rather fancy doing a ventriloquism act, but it would have to be on the radio, or with a veil, as I'm complete pants.
My ex husband's lot were from Barrow and my grandma's cousins lived in Accrington.
Perhaps I could be your dummy - I'm very small!
Good heavens - we could be related!
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