Meeting My Great Grandparents

A Memory of Kingston St Mary.

My name is Margret Russell. My maiden name was Margret Lewis. I live in Australia.
My father Wilfred Charles Lewis was born in Taunton Somerset. His maternal grandparents were Martha (nee Harris) and Samuel Critchard who were from Kingston St Mary where they raised a family of eight daughters and one son.
Martha and Samuel operated the Norton Fitzwarren Post Office for many years. When the death of Samuel occurred, Martha with the help of some of her daughters continued running the Post Office for a few years. Samuel also operated a shoe making business in a room of their home above the Post Office. Last year I was very fortunate to be able to come to the UK to meet my father's family of whom there are many still alive and many more of my 2nd cousins. It was such a surreal time for me as my father passed away when I was very young and I never had the oppourtunity to inquire of his family in the UK. I spent 7 weeks in the UK most of which were in and around Taunton. I walked from Taunton in the rain to Norton Fitzwarren to visit the gravesite of Samuel and Martha Critchard, my great-randparents, where I introduced myself to them. It is a feeling I will never forget and it made me feel very sad that I had never known about them. It was beautiful to visit the site of my great-grandparents' resting site which is in the village church graveyard situated near a beautiful flowering tree, it is such a lovely peaceful resting site. I came back to Australia very blessed and also wishing that I lived in Somerset. Thank you. Margret

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