The Paper

Yes, it has begun. I actually have words on paper - several pages of them as I try to sort through 19th century English history, religion and literature. It will be interesting to see how this all works but I am enjoying the challenge of writing about the life and times of Thomas Sowter. So far I am loving my research and I could probably read a lot more but I have to stop for a few days as the library at Mansfield college is closed for the weekend. I will return on Monday afternoon with specific questions to answer from the documents they have available. Then on Thursday I get to go to Cambridge and read in their library. I am wondering about my ability to shape everything and keep it to 30 pages, a number of pages that seemed daunting at the beginning. I feel really smart being the only person in the Library - hey wait a miniute does that make me smart or stupid to be spending beautiful summer days inside? I have to take advantage of the resources that are not available at home so.... I have already figured out how to use part of my research for another paper on moral theology.

I discovered a funny family thing in doing my research. I was checking out Charles Sowter's life in 1804 when he got married. What I confirmed was that he was a smith (blacksmith mostlikely) and that in 1841 Thomas was a journeyman, I imagine under the tutulage of his father. By 1848 Thomas was a minister and long gone from home. It was in 1849 however that Charles received a great honor - or that is how Eustace (his grandson) perceived the receipt of a silver tankard with the following inscription: "Presented to Mr. Charles Sowter, Master of the George and Dragon Friendly Society, by the members, for his valuable and gratuitous services (26 years), May 29, 1949." Eustace stated "He must therfore have been a worthy man and esteemed in the town in which he lived, and his descendants may be proud of him." Well, the power of the internet revealed the truth of the matter. The George and Dragon is a local pub in Ashborne which opened in 1710 and has been in continuous service to the community. And so our travel route north has been altered so that we can go to the George and Dragon and toast our most esteemed forfather - of whom we are indeed quite proud.