As is probably quite obvious, this is a new blog; but it is one that is in keeping with a series of posts created on the original blog found here. If you happen to be reading this for the first time, then you might want to catch up with our “story” by reading the following entries (in this order): the back story, an addition to the back story, update 2, update 3, update 4, and the “new life” entry. For those of you who have kept up with the original source of these updates and did not want to hassle with all of my academic stuff, then this particular blog will better suit you.
One of the reason for this particular blog is to replace the newsletter idea we began late last year. The thinking was that posting here is easier on all of us–it’s faster to generate, and supplying a link in e-mails is astronomically smaller than sending a several-megabyte file. And, at the request one of our dear friends, Jenn will be contributing to the contents of this blog from time to time–I recently taught her how to use it, so it might become Pandora’s box for her. We’ll see what happens.
WEEKEND RECAP: last weekend, as mentioned in the last update post on the other blog, Jenn and I spent a wonderful weekend in Coventry, England. Coventry is a medium-sized city about an hour (or so) north by northeast of where we live in Cheltenham. (If you haven’t already seen them, here is a link for the pictures we took while we were there–the first four albums). The reason for the trip is a fairly detailed story, but I will try to keep it simple.
About two years ago, I (Carl) began research on my family history. This endeavor was originally for the sake of curiosity; but the more I got into it, the more of a fascination it became. I followed several different lines of history, and I was at a complete loss on others. The farthest I could reach was 1754 in Charleston, SC; beyond that, I had nothing. I began doing random searches on the internet to find possible leads that would restart the research. Within five minutes of searching, I came across this site and immediately contacted the creator of the site, Tony Sweatman. He was more than excited to hear from me–even though he had no real clue who I was–and he was more than willing to help me in my research.
Our initial conversations (via e-mail) were primarily about family history stuff; but it did not take long for us to dialogue about more general things. Within no time at all, Tony and I became friends. Shortly thereafter, I informed Tony that Jenn and I were planning on moving to England so that I could do PhD studies in Cheltenham. He insisted that we stay with him and his wife once we have an available weekend after arrival. To remain true to our word, within two days of settling into our new home, we contacted Tony and his wife, Maureen and arranged a time to meet. This past weekend was that arrangement, and it proved to be absolutely amazing in so many ways.
Friday: Tony and Maureen picked us up in Cheltenham and drove us back to Coventry–with a few of planned stops on the way. The first major stop was to a small village known as Cropredy (pronounced: Crop-er-dee). Jenn and I knew that we were stopping for lunch; but what we didn’t know was the historical and familial connections to be had with our place of feasting. After sitting down, Tony slipped us a white legal-sized envelope and told us to open it. Inside was a brief history of the pub, known as The Red Lion, and the history involved a familiar name: Robert Sweatman. The pub was run under his astute supervision from 1685 until 1741–he began at the age of 19. Also included in this envelope was a copy of the legal document signed by Robert in 1741, which was essentially a transferring of ownership. This was the beginning of an exciting historical lesson that lasted throughout the weekend.
On our way to our next stop, Tony informed us about the general history of the Sweatman’s in England. According to his research, the Sweatman clan has its first recorded history in a smaller village known as Shenington in Oxfordshire, England. The best guess is that the Sweatman’s slightly post-date the establishment of Oxford University and that they worked the farmland associated with the University. (Tony, if I am mistaken on any of this information, please free to let me know–I’m doing this from memory).
The next major stop was to the village where Maureen was born and where she lived the first 12 years of her life. The village is called, Priors Hardwick, and it sits quietly tucked away about 20 miles west of Warwick and about 20 miles south of Coventry. The reason for the stop was to pay respects to Maureen’s mother who recently passed away after living a long, wonderful life. While we walked around the area, Maureen gave us a captivating summary of her life as a child living in Priors Hardwick and her first experiences going to a full-blown fair. So also told us how she moved from Priors Hardwick to Coventry at the age of 12, which is where and when she met Tony. Their lives where never the same–for the better, of course.
We finally arrived in Coventry that evening, and we sat down to a relaxing dinner at one of the local pubs. After dinner, we enjoyed further conversation back at Tony and Maureen’s house–most of which dealt with our take on the current political and economic situation in the States. It truly was good to hear things from the British perspective.
Saturday: Jenn and I woke and got ourselves ready for a day about which we knew next to nothing. (Tony and Maureen insisted on keeping us in suspense about various plans during the weekend). After a brief lunch, we loaded into the car and began our journey to our next destination: Kenilworth Castle. Tony knew that on my first trip to England (in July of ’07), we visited Warwick Castle. While Warwick is certainly a beautiful place to see, it is definitely a bit commercialized and “showy”. Kenilworth is completely the opposite–it is still in ruins and there are very fews plans to change things.
As we walked through the Castle grounds, Tony gave us a wonderful history of the Castle and why certain portions were built. Essentially, if memory serves me, various parts were built by Robert Dudley in an effort to entice Queen Elizabeth I. Much of what he constructed came to naught as the “Virgin Queen” refused his advances. Originally, there were plans to create a glorious and serene garden specifically for the Queen. The plans were never fulfilled; that is until they were recently discovered. Since their recent discovery, various key historical societies have been funding and fulfilling the plans of this garden with utmost tenacity. Details are being explicitly followed and nothing is being overlooked. The plan, for now, is to have the garden completed within the next year.
After leaving the Castle grounds, we walked to the town of Kenilworth to visit some of the local shops. During our pleasant stroll, Tony continued to be a wealth of information–not just about the town, but about various historical tid-bits. We briefly discussed some of my genealogical research and I could tell that something profound was going to be mentioned later. We wandered back to the car, which was still parked on the Castle grounds, and made our way back to their house. That evening, we filled ourselves with Maureen’s wonderful cooking, and then capped off the night with tea and more discussions about American life.
Sunday: Jenn and I once again awoke to another day of mystery and travel; although, the traveling bit was slightly less than the previous two days. Our primary destination was a small village known as, Berkswell. This village is important for various reasons. One is that it is the location of one of the oldest Norman-style churches in England, which was built around the early 12th century. We were able to walk through the church and see and feel its history. It had gone through various stages of development for about four centuries; yet, all the additions were in keeping with the tradition of the church. (The most recent addition is a wonderful blend of historic and modern).
After touring the church, and after a slight detour of a walk, Tony led us to a quaint little house near the church, which is now the Berkswell Museum. On the way, Tony informed us that his genealogical research began in Berkswell; so the close association with the village became rather apparent. However, he surprised us with one additional and deeply meaningful detail: the top floor, on the left side, of the (now) Berkswell Museum was the place of his birth. We were standing in the room when he told us this, and the room suddenly came to life with beautiful memories. It was no longer just a room.
We had to cut our time in Berkswell short simply because Tony and Maureen’s son was stopping over for supper and we did not want to miss him. We enjoyed yet another splendid meal with the Sweatman’s. Afterward, the profundity that I was expecting from Tony regarding my research finally came. While we were chatting in the living room, Tony quietly got up, left the room, and later returned with a small(ish) storage box full of papers. He set the box down in front of me and began going through its contents. It was all of the files he has accumulated in the near 30 years of his genealogical research. One of the most incredible finds was an extremely rare coin. The coin was minted (by hand) during the time of William I–aka: William the Conquerer–and on the border of the coin was the name of person who made it: “Swetman”. We were absolutely amazed by this find, and we were utterly excited about the (potential) connections.
Monday: we sadly had end our wonderful weekend with Tony and Maureen early Monday morning–I had meetings at the school that I had to attend. Jenn and I hated to leave, but we also knew that this would not be the last time we would be able to see Tony and Maureen. This knowledge made the close of the weekend a bit more manageable. Our lives have been changed because of our time with the Sweatman’s of England. If, by some odd chance, there is no connection between his research and mine, Tony and Maureen have certainly become “family” to us and we will forever see them as such.
