[1] 4th March 1943
As I have never attempted to write a book, or indeed anything for publication, there seems to be a need for a reason why, or an apology for now beginning or attempting anything resembling an autobiography. And here it is.
When I consider how many millions of my fellow-beings are born, live their lives and die, without leaving any written record of who they were, where born, how they lived, what they thought, felt or experienced, and died; their only record was by the official registrar of births and deaths, many thousands with no tombstone with its meagre information; many could not have written much, had they been willing, and some who could have done it were either unwilling or indifferent. Some deeming their lives of no import to anyone, and nobody’s business but their own, left a void.
[2] Then again, when I mentioned the matter of my endeavour to my dear grandson David (footnote 1), he quite fell in with the idea and wished me to proceed.
There is just one other factor to be taken into consideration at the present time and date, and that is the weather; we are plunged again for the third time into Winter. Had it been Spring-like, I should doubtless be out enjoying my walks, and visiting my friends, both of which help to make life not only agreeable but pleasurable. And then I owe it to my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to let them know as much as I am able of their relations and who they belong to, who their antecedents were, and what. I may not succeed very well, but I’ll make a start and show willing.
[3] As my birth certificate shows, I was born on 9th Dec 1856 at 85 Albany Road, Camberwell, my mother having gone to her girlhood home for her accouchement; and for the very good reason that there was no doctor at that time in the place where my parents had gone to reside. I had one sister older than myself; she too was born in London before my parents removed to the country.
In this home where I was born were my grandparents, Samuel and Maria Swan (footnote 2); their daughter Mary Ann and son John; one other son Samuel was away learning engineering (mechanical) and who afterwards joined the Navy and spent most of his life at sea. These three and my mother made up the Swan family – except for my Grandpa’s sister, whom we called great-aunt, and Grandma’s sister whom we called large-aunt, but they both lived in another part of London.
Transcriber’s
footnotes:
1. Presumably David Moores (b.1927, so about 16 at the time of writing)
2. The Swan family is, we believe,
related to Joseph Swan, who partnered Thomas Edison
to form Edison-Swan (their trademark was “Ediswan”, and their kettles and light bulbs
were well-known in England into the 1960’s)
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