Ian Dodson Snr : The Dodson Family Tree

It all started in the kitchen of my mother’s house in Shannon on a Sunday afternoon in the Spring of 1998. I was visiting with my wife Theresa, son Ian and some of my brothers and sisters were there. My mother was recounting stories of the war years, the nightly London blitz, meeting my father, falling in love and the deep sorrow when he was killed in Sicily. Tales of the blackout, bomb shelters, ration books, the struggle to survive, the funny moments and the sad moments.

They were all there – the Dodsons, the Robinsons, the Smiths and the Jones, the family intrigues, the births and the marriages, and the dates recalled with the precision of Big Ben striking the hour! Suddenly someone said “All of this will be lost if we don’t write it down”. I got a sheet of my mother’s notepaper and I recorded the first few names and dates. The Dodson Family Tree was born!

For several years it was left aside, a page added here, a name added there. However trips to Yaxley England, Canada and Southern Italy, where I knelt beside my father’s grave for the first time, have started me on an exhilarating journey into the past. What started as a collection of names and dates has come alive, for these are real people, my people, who experienced the same emotions, dreams, joys and sorrows as you and me. I hope that my children’s children will make this voyage of discovery with me. To contact me, please e-mail iansnr at iandodson dot com.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Visit Yaxley and meet Margaret Long

Theresa and I were delighted that we included Yaxley on our itinerary. We met Margaret Long, a wonderful lady, in her home and she made us very welcome. We discussed the Dodson family over tea and she was able to provide a copy of the photograph, taken c1900, of the Blue Bell Inn (Landlord George Dodson c1860-1895). Also a map of Yaxley c1904 showing the various pubs and a copy of the liquour licences issued in 1878. Also an extract from George Dodson's grand- father's will (also George Dodson) made on 16th Oct 1826. We discovered that Margaret and Eric Day had co-authored a beautiful pictorial history of Yaxley entitled 'Portrait of Yaxley' which was now out of print but she had a copy which she showed me.

Margaret brought us to St Peter's Church where we met Church Warden Stephen who gave us an expert insight into the history of this fine building. We viewed the baptismal font where so many Dodson children were baptised over a period of a hundred years. When we left Margaret it was with regret and with an invitation to come and visit us in Ireland. We will meet again.
We then had an opportunity to see the present house formerly the Blue Bell Inn situated on The Hill beside The Green. I walked around the area and took some photographs and thought that I must be walking the same paths as George Dodson's family including Florence my great grand- mother over a century ago. I will visit Yaxley again next year.

FOOTNOTE: I received a phone call from Margaret when we were back in Ireland to say that she had sourced a copy of the book 'Portrait of Yaxley' for me and that made the whole trip worthwhile.

posted by Ian Dodson Snr. | 10:47 PM