Family stories remembered Ann Parker as a ‘difficult’ alcoholic who never smiled and or laughed. The records tell a harder story: three brothers and sisters dead before she was born, her mother lost to consumption when Ann was four, a family in and out of the Huntingdon workhouse, and a baby daughter of her own who died of tubercular meningitis.

This talk follows three generations of one family. Ann was born in 1856. Her son Walter grew up in the Duke of Bedford village of Thorney, spent decades homesteading on the Canadian prairies, and later made his life in Sheffield. His daughter Doreen was born there in 1938.

Helen shows how to read ordinary records, such as census returns, causes of death, workhouse stays and a single surviving funeral card, alongside what psychology knows about how people are shaped by what happens to them, and what they hand on. Audiences are invited to keep their own ancestors in mind throughout.

A free handout is available to everyone who attends.

For in-person events, signed copies of Helen's books, 'Yet' and 'A Victorian's Inheritance', are available on request.

Suitable for family history societies, U3As, and WIs. Approximately 45 minutes plus 15 minutes for questions.