Category Archives: Family History

January 30, 2025 · 11:02 am

What’s in a Title : Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth

Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth by Patricia and Arthur Jackson, was released last week.

MY PARENT’S RESEARCH INTO OUR FAMILY HISTORY

My parents began to write their novella at the same time as I was writing my debut novel Riduna. Having done a great deal of research into our family tree, they chose two main characters, who intrigued them. Harriet is Dad’s grandmother:

  1. Harriet’s step-grandfather John Taylor is their main character, because they wanted to find out why a Scotsman ended up living on the island of Alderney in the guest house where my Dad’s grandmother was brought up.
  2. Harry, Harriet’s father was born in London and so what journey brought him to the island too?
Victorian Alderney

Thus, this story is part truth, part fiction, as my parents unravelled our family history, visiting London, Liverpool, Alderney, Guernsey and Southampton in their quest.

While my parents gathered their lengthy research I was researching my great grandmother Harrriet’s story. I was fascinated by all I discovered about the island of Alderney back in the Victorian era, at the time when the many forts were built around the island.

Great Grandmother Harriet

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May 23, 2024 · 2:19 pm

Part 2: Why have I decided to publish my parents’ novella?

Here is the second part of the forward of JANUS ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth

written by me, to explain why and how I have prepared the story for publication:

Enjoying a family holiday on Alderney

“On holiday, especially when the sun is shining, with a balmy breeze and blue skies, ambling around the island, or taking frequent dips in the ocean, it is easy to imagine that Alderney is ‘Heaven on Earth,’ my parents’ original title. I have added the Roman God Janus to be consistent with my Riduna Series which follow chronologically. Janus is said to be the Gateway to Heaven on Earth. The Celts have the phrase A Thin Place, between this world and the next. Alderney feels like that.

Dad was frustrated that they had not added conversation to bring the characters to life and so, on picking up their story years later, when both were suffering from dementia, I thought it would be something we could work on together to aid their memory. Dad found it quite hard and then events, especially the pandemic, took over. However, now that my parents have passed away, I wanted to publish it as a tribute to them, but also to the island we love so much. My amendments have been with a light touch, in respect to my late Mum and Dad. I did carry out some extra research where I felt necessary, but otherwise it is in my parents’ words, with a few edits here and there, as if a gentle sea breeze has blown through it, rather than the hurricane of a major re-write. One major change was the focus on Harriet’s cousin Hannah, rather than Harriet herself, whose ‘story’ is told in Riduna.“

viewbook.at/Riduna

Part 3 Cover reveal: Janus Gateway to Heaven on Earth by Patricia and Arthur Jackson COMING NEXT WEEK.

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May 16, 2024 · 7:48 pm

Part 1: Forward to Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth

This summer I am releasing my parents’ novella, originally called ‘Heaven on Earth’ Since it is the prequel to my first novel Riduna, I have returned to the romantic mythological title, calling it Janus, who was the Roman gateway to heaven on Earth.

Here is my parents’ Forward, which explains the original inspiration for their story:

“THE ISLAND OF Alderney, the third largest in the Channel Island group, was our family’s favourite holiday destination.

This is a story of life in Alderney, during the latter part of the 19th Century. It is about the members of our family who lived there. Our grandmother Harriet Hopkins was born on the island in 1871 and we now believe her family had lived there since 1600.

During our research we found a fairly extensive maritime record of Harriet’s father, Captain John Hopkins and that Harriet’s step-grandfather John Taylor, was a Scotsman who had been in the army. We decided to focus our tale on these two characters, although we changed the captain’s name to Harry to save confusion.

During the period covered in this story the island seems to have been a very happy place. Travel to the outside world was not easy and few of the Islanders ventured beyond the island shores. In contrast between that of the poor in London for example.

As for our grandmother’s life on Alderney we had very few facts. We discovered that Harriet’s grandparents were publicans from various census records and that they lived in ‘The Reading Rooms’ in Braye Road. Also, that John Taylor eventually married our great grandmother and farmed four acres.

With so little to go on this story is essentially fiction, constructed around available genealogical information. We have also adapted island customs, practices and folklore contained in island literature.“

Part 2: Why have I decided to publish my parents’ novella? to follow next week.

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