Hey Mirelly and All You Other Brits Around Here: Ever hear of a town called Ely, Cambrigeshire, England? What's it like? Ever been there? Know any Smiths there? Been tracing my family tree, and found out that my line of Smiths immigrated from there in the late 1600's to Virginia. Guy Smith, son of Lawrence Smith, attended Cambridge, then became an Angelician Minister and signed on to be a "Missonary of Queen Anne and the Church of England to the New Colony of Virginia". So that's how our Smiths got here. (My maiden name is Smith.) What's funny is that they were a wonderful, wealthy, civilized bunch until one married into the Hatfield Clan in West Virginia. LMAO So, anyway, any info on Ely? Is it still a town?
Hey, Kristal, I'm not a Brit but I do Google ... here you are, some sites about Ely: http://www.ely.org.uk/ http://www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/Ely.htm http://www.touruk.co.uk/camb/camb.htm Happy hunting!
Kristal, my hubby has Hatfield's in his family tree. His cousin is Rodney Hatfield. He played Hollis in Patrick Swayze's movie "Next of Kin". Any chance you are related to my husband? (And I'm positive you have one relative that will know this. Someone will know if Rodney is a 3rd cousin twice removed on your mama's side. I have never understood how one determines this but I always have people introduce themselves this way! I don't know if everyone does this or if it's a mountain clan thing.)
I grew up not far from the city of Ely, but it wasn't a place I have visited more than once or twice. Ely is a very old city (usually defined by having a cathedral - though Ely is a very small town in Cambs fens. It's a fabulously rich source of English history (my own fave hero being the Saxon's 'bin Laden' -- and the Norman conquerors' bane -- Hereward the Wake).
I LOVE those old English names. My favorite King of England was Aethelred the Unready. That just cracks me up. Teach him to sleep without his sword ...
Poor Ethelred. The unready bit is derived from unrede meaning he had no-one to help him make decisions. He was first to discover that appeasement is a short term solution (he didn't want to go to the bother of fighting the Danes so he paid 'em off ... bad idea )
Well, yes, unfortunately politics have been ruthless since men lived in separate caves ... survival of the fittest and all that. Personally I think all leaders should have epithets like that. You know, Lincoln the Just, Reagan the Forgetful, Ghandi the Wise ... I had one for Clinton (whom I liked, by the way) but it's not suitable for minors. And I don't even want to touch Dubya's. How about, Blair the American Toady? Or is that too harsh ...
EEK!!! I love that movie!! Patrick Swayze=hottie. Hillbillies=my kinfolk! Which one was Hollis in the movie? That wasn't the snake-guy, was it? Okay, my Hatfield was Susannah Hatfield. She was a 2nd Cousin of Devil Anse Hatfield. "Devil Anse" was the Patriarch of the Feudin' Hatfields of Logan and Mingo Counties WV. My father's family was there. Family Legend also says that my Grandfather and his brothers were exchanging shots with the Coal Company's hired goons in and around Matewan during the 30's. They were all Miners. Bet y'all look at me a little diffrently, now don'tcha? You used to picture Scarlett O'Hara, and now you're picturing Ellie-Mae Clampett? LMAO! Thank goodness for my Mom's gene pool! LOL LOL
Oh I think Tony (the kid from the priviledged middle class home who turned around the unelectable quasi-communist British Labour Party by forcing it to adopt all of the least unpopular policies of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan) Blair fits the bill but it is a bit of a mouthful ....
Wow, Kristal you have a colorful family tree. Have you read the Tori O'Shea mysteries by Rett MacPherson? I don't know why but the main character reminds me of you, even if she does live in Missouri not NC. At least her family tree does LOL. She's got three kids too, and works in a museum, so there are definitely parallels. Devil Anse HAS to be the name of a sim. It just does. It's way too cool of a name to just throw out there and then not use.
Hummm, yep, Devil Anse and the rest of the Hatfields could go in my trailer court, couldn't they? Not sure I should add anyone else, since JMP says I've screwed up my neighborhood. But, yep, I think I need the Hatfields.
