Who am I? mm I alway want to identify myself who am I, where do I come from and the possibility does anyone in the family has got a disability or not in the family ancestry.
I do not recognise myself as a deaf person until I was in high school. Every day I put my hearing aids on and take off from early age and my communication were oral and sign language. I lead an ordinary life as everyone else in the community. The only thing I do notice that I can not hear any sounds days or nights without hearing aids except vibration sounds. I lip read a lot when I am talking to any family, my partner, staff and friends around.
As a genealogist myself, I have been tracing my parents’ families since 1982. My late grandmother (Mama) – ‘Biddy’ Masters nee Watkinson passed away in 1979. Shorty – Poppa as we called him, left me one book and a few photos of our Masters and Watkinson’s family in 1981. He said that he does not wish to do research genealogy but he knew that I will do it because Mama always took me to visit cousins, aunties, uncles during the school holidays.I put Mama’ stuff in the storage box because I was working full time at the BNZ in 1981. The following year Shorty died in December 1982 and it was just a couple days after Christmas. Our families were collecting and sorting all the stuff at the Masters’ home in Hamilton East. One of my uncles took a large box of photos with him until a few years ago he gave me a large box of photos because he decided to not to keep it. He knew and understand what I am doing as a genealogist. That was happened after Poppa’s brother passed away. I was amazed how many photos and negatives slides that Mama and Poppa took photos for many years… I was also given a large box of Mama’s diaries too.
One day I came down with the flu and I decided to look through all the stuff in the storage box. I came across many photos and a book which Mama wrote down all the names of the families in the book. I was baffled at all the names of the people where Mama took me around many places in New Zealand during the school holidays. I asked my mother – Joan about this even my uncles… It turned out all the names of the people were related to us through Masters, Watkinson and Yates. I came to understand that Mama was a bit of genealogist since she read one article from England in the Waikato Times during the World Wars 2. The article was about looking for Watkinson family who came out to New Zealand in or around 1840. Mama replied to the woman – Mrs Ellis of Nottingham, UK. They became friends for many years and one of our grand uncles went over to Nottingham for a holiday. It was Ernest Watkinson and he met a future wife who worked in Boots’ Chemist and a friend to the Ellis family.
From 1981, I start doing genealogy until now. My family ancestry goes back to England and Prussia from my first work in genealogy in 1981. Today in my DNA result showed that I have 50% from England, Wales and Scotland, 26% from Ireland, 16% from Scandinavia, 3% from Italy/Greece, 2% from Finland/North Russia, 2% from Europe East, <1% from Europe West and <1% from Iberian Peninsula.
Today I collect more than 5,000 names in my family ancestry from my mother and father’s side families. On my mother’s mother – Nana’s family as we called her, came from Prussia to New Zealand and left a bit of blank piece along with puzzle family connection for Nana (mum’s mother – Ruby).Her family – Rohde and Marsh and they grew up around Kings Country, Manawatu-Wanganui and other areas.I am still collecting the missing pieces of the Rohde family for my mother’s wish. My mother’s father – Gee’s family came from Somerset, England via Scotland and Wales including Ireland. My father’s father – Shorty/Poppa’s family came from London, Sussex, Kent and Midlands. My father’s mother – Mama’s family came from Nottinghamshire, Warwickshireshire, Yorkshires and upper Midlands.I keep in touch with the cousins and new found cousins each year. For many years until 2008, I visited my cousins and their families in England, Australia and USA. I am firmly planted in the ground of my home and settle down to pursuit on works and research now.
I have not been able to trace further back to Itlay/Greece even Spain prior to my discovery in my DNA result. So how, during my travelling, I alway drew back to Ireland, Italy, Europe, England, Wales and Scotland and it made me feel connections there. I am so delight to discover that I am a mix of Irish, English and European blood and my full interests in the histories and cultures were Irish and European. I love Italian cultures but how am I connect to this one?
Moving on, I decide to have a look at the occupations from my family ancestry and to my discovery while doing research through Ancestry website – Police officer, Music teacher, Goldmaker, Piano teacher, Solictior clerk, painter and the list of occupations so on. I alway knew that our family are labourer, farmers, politician, clerk, driver and bushman etc.
What about disability, health genetics and twin/triplet in the family??
Yes, we have disability and genetic health in our family ancestry during my research. It showed me a wide range of health genetics like heart disease, Paget’s Disease, diabetes, cancer and very little in disability area such as learning disabilites, deaf, physical disabilities and mental illness. Yes, we do have a set of twins and triplets in the family ancestry. Currently we are having a twin through my sister’s son and his new wife…
Definitely in my life is I am today….. I was born deaf by rubella that does not stop me from doing anything and anywhere I go and live around. I grew up in a family of four chlidren and a young solo mother with supportive family and friends. To me, I am a bit of spoilt rotten by Mama according to my family, not just of my deafness she cared about. I was often a bit of a “Tom girl” who did the crazy and wild things throughout my life in the past, full of surprises to everyone that I can do anythings. I am still doing some or little crazy activity today.My late grandparents and other families taught me an example of life meaning even simple life to do things around at home and in the garden. I return to live in the rural as a home living because it is in my connection. This is where I am belong becasue of my family upbringing in an old fashionway and to continue to work with my skill. I continue to use my skill to survivial and basic essentials expereince from my grandparents of my mother and father’s sides. I often miss my travelling days….. but the prices are stupid and gone up very expensive. I am grateful that I did my travelling days between 1981 to 2009 and the prices to travel, staying, etc were reasonable for me to afford it.
A home in the rural with plenty of fruit trees, lovely flowering and vegetable gardens, a water pump hut, flat section – 1 acre (connected to one of my family -Watkinson’s wife’s family who owned farming around here), a partner with two dogs.
What more could I ask for!
Life in Eureka 