The
trouble with genealogy is...
Some time ago, when I was involved with the Cleveland Family History Society (in England), a call went out for volunteers to copy the gravestone inscriptions in the chruchyards surrounding Hartlepool, Durham, England.
I chose to record Hart parish church which I had an interest in because Mary Grieveson, wife of William Walker, was born there. It's easier to record in winter when the grass has died down and the day I selected was very cold, with about 4 inches of snow on the ground. Since it's not easy to write with gloves on, I chose to dictate the inscriptions into a tape recorder. To keep the batteries warm, I put the tape recorder under my coat and fastened the microphone to my lapel. I took with me a small brush to clear snow and moss off the stones. Transcribing went smoothly until, I got to an area of the graveyard near the wall where the snow had drifted. I tripped over a root and fell flat on my face into the snow. After muttering a few choice words, I heard, "Tut, tut, tut!" and looked up into the eyes of two policeman. Apparently they had received a phone call about a strange man, shambling round the graveyard, scrabbling at the stones and muttering to himself! I had to play back the recording to avoid being arrested.
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