I’m back from England.  What an amazing trip!  What was my most memorable moment??  I would have to say standing next to the grave of my third great grandparents, Robert Hunsdon and his wife, Mary Ann Palmer.  Mary Ann died in 1858 at age 31, and Robert died in 1862.  They were married in the Parish Church of Dagenham, St Peter & Paul, and it was the churchyard of this church where I found them buried.
This is their tomb, with the Church in the background.  They keep the church locked during the week, but I let them know ahead of time that I was coming, and they were kind enough to be there, let me in, and show me around.  It is a a small church, and of course, many changes have been made, but the baptismal font remained the same.  It was made of marble, and really, quite simple and beautiful.  To think that my ancestors were baptized using that same font in that very church!  It is believed the church was built in the 1200’s, but some of the church was re-built in the 1800 when the tower collapsed.  Years ago, farmers would store the wool from their sheep in the church towels to keep it dry.

I also drove around Dagenham, but the places where my ancestors lived are long gone.  They were farmers, and their farm land has been developed.  I had checked the area on Google Earth before I left, so i knew I wouldn’t find anything.  But, seeing the church and churchyard was really something.  After we left Dagenham, we took a taxi to Barking, which was only a few miles away.  We visited the Parish Church of Barking, St. Margaret’s.  I’ll write about that another day.

Until later,
Dianne
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