Dear Sarah,
Thank you for all you did for John and me to make our trip so rewarding.
My head is still spinning from all the information and from the
generosity of the people of Kent. I have now had time to reflect on it and to read the pile of papers given to me in Tenterden. It seems everyone we met handed us something for free. I have acquired records and knowledge, but best of all was the thrill of walking where my ancestors walked 400 years ago. Maybe that's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I would love to return with the family in tow someday.
We enjoyed meeting you on that Tuesday evening in October at the White Rabbit Inn
in Maidstone, where John and I stayed. We went over my objectives and planned the next few days. Honestly, I didn't think we could cover Tenterden and all three " B villages" in just? one day, but it worked out very well.
We spent the entire day Wednesday visiting small towns where my ancestors lived in the early 1600s. Many buildings from that time still stand, especially churches. John thinks it was better than being on Who Do You Think You Are because we had four historians and genealogists showing us around Tenterden, not just one.
The Tenterden & District? Museum had closed for the season, but you had arranged for it to be opened especially for us.
The the personal tour gave us insight into the area and my direct ancestors and even some of their descendants in England and America.
From the museum, we walked to the town hall, where the young town clerk showed us a large plaque listing all the mayors of Tenterden, starting in the 1400s. My 10th great grandfather Nathaniel Tilden was among them (1622). Others may well have been my relatives, as well. The clerk took us into his office and read from a handwritten book of biographies of the mayors. ?Then we were off to the beautiful towering church of St. Mildred. It was lovely, the highlight being the font where my 9th great grandmother, Sarah Tilden Sutton was baptized in 1613. We saw a store down High Street, once a school, which the educated Nathaniel Tilden may have attended. We ate at Woolpack Pub, which my ancestors probably frequented.
If that wasn't enough, we drove on to the small town of Biddenden, where you and genealogist Diane Thomas showed us the cloth hall and told us about it. As my family was in the cloth business, this was very interesting. We took photos of the 3-story building, which is now a personal residence. We went on to the church, where we were met by a gentleman snapping photos of the visitors from America for the church newsletter. You had planned ahead for the church doors to be opened for us. There I stood at the baptismal font of my 9th great grandfather, George Sutton (1607). This was a church built of Bethersden Marble from nearby, a very interesting-looking building.
Then we drove to Benenden and Bethersden. The church in Bethersden where my 10th great grandparents, Nathaniel Tilden and Lydia Huckstep, were married was beautiful but deteriorating. Luckily, the door stood open, with a worker inside. After looking around in there, it was time to call it a day and return to Maidstone.
The tour of Sandwich on Thursday was a wonderful addition to our trip, and it was very kind of you to drive close enough to Canterbury Cathedral for us to take pictures.
Sandwich looks much the same as it did when my ancestors left there on the Hercules
in March of 1634/35, except for one thing - the water. The town is now 8 miles inland. The major port started silting over, shortly after they left for America. This was an interesting day in a Medieval city (if you took away the cars). The small museum at the Guildhall had displays relating to my ancestors and their experience. Many of the other buildings were ones they saw, and, maybe, even stayed in. Amazing to be there.
We had traffic congestion on Thursday and sprinkles of rain, but Friday brought a downpour. John and I donned our rain gear and headed to the bank and local museum that morning. In the afternoon, you escorted us across the street from the Inn to the Kent History and Library Centre. We found parish records there on microfilm back into the 1500s. Such treasures!
I could never have read the old handwriting without your help! You investigated original documents. What an assortment! The first was a tiny, brittle scrap of moth-eaten paper. Another was a huge deed, beautifully handwritten, and suitable for framing. I wish we could have taken photos there.
I certainly enjoyed our time together. Due to your excellent planning, and despite the traffic, I gained sooo much in a whirlwind few days. Wow. What an adventure!
Sincerely,
Patricia Sutton Hahn
P.S. John can't stop talking about it! He's finally become interested in genealogy too.
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