A Conversation with John Taylor - My 2x Great Grandfather
Day 12/50 Day Family History Blogging Challenge
An Imagined Conversation with My Great-Great-Grandfather
If I could sit down for a chat with my2x great grandfather, John Taylor, I would have so many questions. John Taylor was born in Wales in early 1814, to parents John Taylor and Mary Davies. I often wonder what my 2x great grandfather might say if I could ask him about his life, the choices he made, the hardships he faced, and the family he created with his wife Martha Lloyd.
I turned to ChatGPT to ask how the conversation might go. AI has me calling my 2x great grandfather, John. I’m not so sure that I would be calling him by his christian name, but I’m not sure what I would call him, so I’m leaving it at that. Following is the conversation exactly as AI proposed it.
Conversation with my 2x Great Grandfather
Me: John, thank you for sitting down with me. Let’s begin at the beginning. What was your childhood like in Haverfordwest?
John: Haverfordwest was a busy little town, always something happening. We weren’t wealthy, but we got by. I don’t remember luxury, but I do remember the stone streets, the chapel bells, and my mother’s voice singing in the kitchen.
Me: Your parents were John Taylor and Mary Davies. What do you remember about them?
John: My father, also John, died when I was still young. I don’t recall much about him, except that he worked hard. My mother, Mary, she was strong. Life wasn’t easy for her as a widow, but she held the family together. She passed away in October 1841, not long after I left for Australia.
Me: That must have been hard - leaving her behind.
John: It was one of the hardest things I ever did. But I believed a better life was waiting for us on the other side of the world. Still, not saying goodbye properly to my mother, is something that’s stayed with me.
Me: At the time of your marriage in 1839, you were a servant at Sealyham’s in St. Dogwells. What was that like?
John: Long days, lots of discipline. I worked under the estate's steward and kept my head down. Sealyham was well known, even then. I’d hear whispers about dogs being bred for hunting, the beginnings of what you now call the Sealyham Terrier, I believe.
Me: And Martha? She was also in service, at Hermon’s Hill?
John: Yes, that’s where we met. We were both in service, and we’d see each other at the market or walking on errands. She had a quiet confidence about her. Marrying her at St. Thomas’ in Haverfordwest was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Me: You had your first two sons, James and John, while still in Wales. Then, in 1841, you made the decision to emigrate to Australia. What led to that?
John: Opportunity, or at least the hope of it. Work was scarce, mouths to feed were growing. There were agents in town talking about land in Victoria, promising a fresh start. We took a leap of faith.
Me: What was the voyage like?
John: Long. Cramped. The boys were small, and we were anxious the whole way. But we landed with hope in our hearts and made our way to Diamond Hill.
Me: That’s where you and Martha began building your new life, and your large family. Twelve children in all?
John: Yes. It was noisy, it was full and there was always something going on. We didn’t have much, but we made it work. Martha was the backbone of it all. I worked where I could, labouring, carting, farming. We moved to Whittlesea later on, but no matter where we were, family was the centre of our lives.
Me: Did you miss Wales?
John: Every now and then. The green hills, the stone cottages. But Australia became our home. Our children thrived here. When they moved on to places like Bundalong and Yarrawonga, I was proud. We had started something.
Me: What do you hope your descendants remember about you?
John: That I worked hard. That I loved my family. That I tried to make the best life I could. We were ordinary people doing the best we could in extraordinary times.
Me: Do you know anything about your family beyond your parents?
John: I wish I did. Things weren’t written down the way they are now. All I had were names, maybe a story or two told by candlelight. I’d like to think someone will piece it together one day.
Me: I’m trying to do just that, John. One piece at a time.
John (smiling): Then I suppose my story is still being told.
Postscript:
John Taylor died at Whittlesea, Victoria on 19 February 1881. He is buried at Yan Yean Cemetery. His wife, Martha, lived another decade and passed away in Bundalong in 1891. Their son William was my great-grandfather, and his daughter Emily, my beloved grandmother.
John and Martha’s legacy lives on, in the towns they helped build, the children they raised, and the generations that followed.
Day 12/50 Day Family History Blogging Challenge
