On the 23rd. August 1776 a boy was born to a farming family in Somerset. They named him James. On the other side of the Atlantic thirteen American colonies of Great Britain had just announced their unanimous Declaration of Independence from the Mother Country.
With their ups and downs the thirteen States united and over the years became fifty. Back on the British side of the ocean young James Steeds too, proliferated his genes, coursing through the generations until the 1930's when I could look back and know of him as my great-great-grandpa… and wait until my eight grands could know of him as their great-great-great-great-grandpa.
James was thirteen when news got to England of the Storming of the Bastille. His 20th year until he was 39 saw the rise and fall of Napoleon. But he had married his Elizabeth and had two sons Thomas and William before 1811 when their third son Mark was born. They had Elijah in 1815 the year Napoleon met his Waterloo. Then, or sometime later Elizabeth died.
It was William whose fourth son Edwin sailed with his Mary (of Selkirk) to Australia. They raised seven children there before they left for New Zealand. The seventh, as a parting shot, they named Sydney. Edwin and Mary had two more boys in New Zealand. This family was the only Steeds in N.Z. when Gordon, Con, Paul and Martin arrived in 1947.
But, back to Gt. Gt. Grandpa James and his twentieth year, 1796. Napoleon had dispersed the Paris Mob the year before. Now, flexing his muscles he led his first campaign into Italy… Also flexing her muscles a Mrs. Candy in Doulting Somerset gave birth to a girl on the 7th February. They called her Nancy. Of her growing up nothing is revealed, but, on the 2nd February 1832 just before her 36th birthday she married my Gt. Gt. Grandpa James at Holcombe just 5 miles to the north of Shepton Mallet and Doulting. It would be nice to imagine their courtship. At 36 was it Nancy's first marriage? Was she the sister of Elizabeth? James was 56. Had he been a widower for many years?
But the drama soon unfolds. In April Nancy became pregnant. Hopefully it was a happy summer that wore on, and no doubt the 56 year-old James suffered some ribbing from his friends. But was he ailing? In November 1832 he died. The twins, James and Jane were born on Christmas Day. This James was to be my Great Grandpa…
