Zara's Cornish Ancestry 'St Austell Visit' Part I-An Audio-Pod with Photos created by Sheila in 200
Channel: semw52
Date: 01/03/2024

The photos added to the audio are random photos some taken by myself while visiting St Austell in Cornwall and some by others with creative commons use.The audio created was during the time before I possessed a video camera.I used a hand held cassette tape recorder and used an  instamatic camera for the photos and then linked the 2  together .This was the early days of the family tree footwork where I traveled in my VW Campervan all over the UK on the trail of the ancestors..In Cornwall I am researching the paternal ancestors of my daughter Zara who has strong links with Cornwall and Devon on her father's side of the tree.It is widely thought that the surname Barbery and Barbary is derived from the era of the Barbary pirates---who arrived on the shores of Cornwall in the 16thc. and raided many coastal villages and captured  Cornish people and taking them  as captives back to the Barbary coast to  places like Morocco...Its is thought that this is more than a myth because such  raids did happen.........some pirates  would have remained and settled in Cornwall and may be were also held captive ......Tales for the grandchildren but with DNA analysis  more will eventually be discovered about  these genetic links...Many of Zara's Cornish ancestors were mariners, fisherman, miners and may even have been  pirates---piracy on the high seas was common in the 15th,16th centuries and also at times legitimized as income for the treasury e.g Sir Francis Drake  is said to have participated....Also closer to shore many coves and bays were used to wreck ships  to capture their treasure and hide the stolen cargoes---smuggling was common and privately acceptable in Cornwall and Devon...
Anyway back to the audio--a great visit to St Austell where a visit to the library was also very useful with various records and photos obtained as well--all found on my family tree database for Zara.I wandered around the town finding the graveyards and just imagining life here in the past--a town linked to the clay and brewery businesses and nearby for fishing and mining.Part II follows soon summing up the visit as I sit in my van planning the next part of the Family Tree Trip Journey