www.upworthy.com
A man picks random graves to research and uncovers remarkable forgotten lives
Simon Howard, a man from Norfolk, England, loves researching family trees. It began with his own ancestry and morphed into a curiosity about people he has never met. The individuals are often chosen at random, making it that much more fascinating when he explores their lives.
Everyone, of course, has a rich tapestry of history. It doesn’t matter if someone was world famous or never left their small town; each story is equally important. But as time marches on, it can sometimes be tough to remember the tiny details that make up a person’s life. Howard is setting out to remedy this, at least in part.
View this post on Instagram
George and Reginald Bailey
In a clip recently posted to his Instagram account, Howard explains he’s going to pick a “random grave and research their life.” The camera follows him around a large graveyard, which he then describes: “The cemetery is huge. And after a while, we noticed an overgrown section over in the back.”
He stands in front of a headstone and says, “I’ve chosen the grave of George and Reginald Bailey, who passed away in 1934. I’m now going to go home and research their lives.”
And that he does. He shares George’s story in particular:
“George Samuel Bailey was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England, in 1904 and his brother, Reginald, in 1911. They also had a brother, James, and a sister, Cissy. His parents, George Bailey and Rosanna Medlock, married at St. Nicholas Chapel in 1902.”
Howard stands outside of what looks like a parking lot in front of an apartment building. He explains, “Where I’m standing now was once Colby Court, where the family lived in 1911.” He shows the homes in their heyday and adds, “The houses have long been demolished but once looked like this.”
View this post on Instagram
Father had been a sailor
He adds a little context about their family:
“His father was a sailor and the Baileys came from a long line of fishermen. George joined the Royal Navy on the sixth of July in 1922. By now the family had moved to Hillington Square, which was just around the corner from their previous address. George’s naval records show that he was 5’6, dark hair, grey eyes, and a fresh complexion. It also showed his conduct was very good.”
But, as sometimes happens in life, the family was struck by illness:
“By 1934, the family was still living at Hillington Square. Over the next five years, tragedy would strike the family. George’s naval record showed that he was struck down with pulmonary tuberculosis and sent home on the 4th of October in 1933. Sadly, he died on May 12, 1934. His obituary said he was 29 years old of age and had been in the Navy for about 12 years. He had been stationed in Chinese waters, he had taken ill, and was sent home.”
Family tragedy
Howard then reveals a truly tragic addition to the story:
“His obituary revealed even more devastating news. ‘Just as the Lynn family were about to leave their house on Wednesday to attend the funeral of one of their sons, they received a telegram stating that another son had died. This is the tragedy that has fallen upon Mr. and Mrs. G. Bailey of One Hillington Square, Lynn.'”
Howard goes on to share that both sons had been recuperating from illnesses at Holt Hospital, and on the Wednesday of George’s funeral, his brother Reginald died of laryngitis.
Howard relays that their sister Cissy died just three years later, leaving behind a husband and two children. And two years after that, their father died as well. Rosanna died ten years later, having lived a life of loss, but hopefully a bit of love too.
A thoughtful gesture
In an absolutely lovely gesture, Howard then begins to tidy up the headstone area. “We thought we would pay our respects by cleaning up the grave the best we could, as it was completely overgrown,” he says. He clears out some of the weeds and sticks and puts two small white flowers in little holders on the tombstone. “So rest in peace, Reginald and George. We will remember you,” he adds.
The comments, just on this clip alone, were full of people who felt moved by Howard’s interest in preserving humanity. One writes, “That was lovely. You forget when you see a grave the life they had. George will be smiling down on you.”
On Facebook, a person shares that they were about to swipe on by the video when they realized how important it was: “It hit me: that’s exactly who I’ll be in a century. Just some random guy with his own ego, desires and goals, completely forgotten. That realization brought me right back to watch the video.”
View this post on Instagram
Passion for family history
Upworthy spoke with Howard, who runs a small business helping people find out more about their ancestral pasts.
“I started researching with my own family tree and soon realized it was something I loved to do and also something I felt I was good at,” he said. “I wanted to do it for other people to earn a little extra money, and I started my page on Facebook. I started to write stories of my own family and got good feedback, and it started to grow, so I started researching and collecting old photos. It all started from a hobby, and my passion for family history.”
As for why he began choosing random graves, he shared that it was important to him to keep the through-lines of personal stories going. “When my children were young, I wanted to encourage them to learn family history, so we chose a random grave and researched it together,” he said.
The post A man picks random graves to research and uncovers remarkable forgotten lives appeared first on Upworthy.