Joseph Williams

On this day, 3 March 1851, Joseph Williams passed away. He was my spouse’s 4th great-grandfather.

Joseph Williams was born on 17 September 1767, in Wales. Although his birth was noted in family records, no conclusive sources containing his parentage, hometown, or childhood events have been found to date.

Same Name

As children, my sisters and I really, really loved riddles. The sillier and/or more annoying they were, the better. One of our favorites was this old standby:

Pete and Repeat sat on a wall. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat.

Pete and Repeat sat on a wall. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat.

Pete and Repeat sat on a wall. Pete fell off. Who was left?

Repeat…

After a while, this riddle would start to grate on my mom’s last nerve:

“Girls, if you know what’s good for you, I highly suggest that both Pete and Repeat get off that $!#@ wall… NOW!”

Book Review: The Cowkeeper’s Wish

What would you give up and how far would you go to make a better life for yourself? Would you pack up what little you had and leave your loved ones and your rural homeland to seek your fortune in the big city? Would you walk 250 miles over mountains and moors while driving a herd of cattle to forge a new destiny? Just what would you do?

Book Review: The Welsh Fasting Girl

In the mid- to late-1800s, a phenomenon known as “fasting girls” were documented in the Americas and Europe. These young girls, usually preteens, claimed that they could survive for long periods of time without eating.

During the Middle Ages, some saints were said to have been able to survive without nourishment. Because of this precedence, many of the Victorian-age faithful regarded these fasting girls as miraculous and saw this self-starvation as a sign of sanctity. As a result, these young girls became spectacles, put on display, often for a price and always at a cost.

Thankfully, the fascination with fasting girls faded. Doctors eventually determined that these girls had suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder where food intake is restricted as a way to cope with negative emotions.