Do you remember those early days at your first school. Behaviour next to godliness was the minimum standard the school was prepared to accept. The class room was the work room, and in that room the teacher expected, without exception, absolute diligence and dedication, to the lesson being taught.
The school staff, being aware that this was the first time that pupils had been exposed to a programme of structured learning, arranged, at the end of each teaching period, that the students could make their way to the area, outside the school building, known as the 'play ground', to relax and recover . It seemed that there was no objection to the pupil taking his work, or discussing his work with other students in the playground, but nothing from the playground was allowed to be brought into class, that might distract the student in any way.
When friends and relatives knew that I was about to start school, almost everyone wanted to be the first to crack a joke ,that THEY had just thought up, at school you learn the 'Three R's', Reading. Riting and Rithmatic, plus a few other things. I don't think the comedians realised the problems they were setting for the novice student. If the word looks right and sounds right, why have you got to find place for 'W' & 'A' to a tick in your exercise book.
Two of the other subjects, in addition to the 3R's, that we were expected to take on board were History and Geography. Looking back 75 years it is difficult to be precise as to what subjects we covered, but I do recall that being able to write ones own name was important, and even more so, being able to write and read, ones name and address. This importance of who you were and where you lived seemed excessive but, and unknown to us students, World War II was only two years away.
As my education continued I was always looking for ways to impress the family with my new found ability, and in due course the subject of a Family Tree came to the fore.
The person most interested in what I was doing was my Grandmother, Rose Elizabeth Orme, I called her Nan. When I came home from school each day, she wanted to know what I had been doing, these conversations, were to lead on to my interest in family history, and eventually to the Family Tree.
One day I said to Nan that she was my Grandmother, but unlike my friends, I didn't have a Grandfather. She said that I did have a Grandfather, her husband Frederick, I said I had never seen him. She explained that he had been ill for many years, and lived in a hospital. The reason I had never visited him was that hospitals did not encourage children to visit sick people in hospital. So my question had been answered, I did have a Grandfather like all my friends, so I could get on with other things.
It is a fact of life, if you answer a question posed by a child, the answer is never satisfactory and often leads to further questions. I had my additional questions ready. Nan was married to Frederick Orme, so her name was also Orme, my Mother , Violet was Nan's Daughter her name was Chapman, next door lived Auntie Lou, she was also Nan's Daughter but she was named Davis and round the corner lived Auntie Rose, she was also Nan's Daughter but her name was Savage.
We closed with my Nan trying to explain the structure of the family, and how marriage could change the name of parts of the family, but a Family Tree could show that there was a place for everyone and everyone fitted in. I think that my final question, was the last that Nan was prepared to accept that day. I live with my Mom & Dad, and Nan lives with us in our house, why did'nt she live with her own Mom & Dad in their house?
If I used the example outlined by Nan, the family tree would not be a tree, simply a branch of the tree, therefore I need to put my schooling to one side for a moment and look for the trunk of the tree and its roots, and to look for additional branches, grafted to the trunk, usually by marriage.
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