In the years before the First World War, Grace travelled Europe with a wealthy Italian family. She visited the Count’s homes, stayed in some of the best hotels and regularly sent postcards to the man she would eventually marry. Those cards, and some that she received from the people she met in Europe, reveal the journeys Grace made – and the fascinating places she visited. From 1909 to 1914, Grace sent her postcards and then returned to England where she married Douglas, a railway clerk. This talk shares some of those postcards and the stories of those she met. It is based on the book, With Love from Grace… which is due for publication late-2023. All the book’s royalties are being donated to Parkinson’s UK and a donation will also be made from the fees received from this talk.
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Helen Baggott is an editor, speaker and writer from Dorset. Her most recent project is researching the stories behind postcards sent more than 100 years ago. So far, three collections of stories have been published as Posted in the Past, Posted in the Past – Second Delivery and Posted in the Past – Hands Across the Sea. Her most recent series, Memories from the Future, are genealogical novels – with all but a few characters traceable in vital documents and newspaper archives. The first book tells the story of Exmoor through the eyes of a visitor in 1911. The sequel will be set ten years later in Dorset.
She has written for regional magazines; national magazines include: This England, Discover Your Ancestors, Who Do You Think You Are?, Picture Postcard Monthly and The Card Scene, and has also contributed to Family Tree magazine’s blog. Her work has been recognised by national newspapers as both a Postcard and Heirloom Detective.
Through the power of Zoom, Helen speaks to groups on both sides of the Atlantic and Australia. She has been a speaker at a number of online genealogy shows and a guest speaker for the Society of Genealogists.
All talks are illustrated, mainly with postcards. In-person talks require either a screen or plain wall suitable for a projector’s images (a projector can be provided if the venue doesn’t have one). Fees begin at £55 (plus travelling expenses).
Short-notice enquiries are welcome, especially for Zoom. Email is the preferred method of contact.
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