Ancestors are fascinating. Here we are running through our day to day lives, working, caring for our families, and for the vast majority of this time we don’t take a thought to how we got here; how we ended up with the people who surround us. The people who have shared our memories over the years and who inspire us to continue moving forward. It’s nice to believe that we hold a degree of power in determining how we shape our lives, but when we are born, all of us start from somewhere. Perhaps some were born with a queue of family members waiting for their turn to hold the new arrival. Others may have started with as little as a note from a pleading mother asking for their baby to be looked after by the local orphanage.
These vastly different origin stories all stem from the results of our ancestors decisions and circumstances, and in the world we live in today, those beginnings can have a profound outcome in how our own life turns out to be.
In the case of my Great Grandfather, Wilhelm Ludwig, no more is this idea made clearer than looking into the choices he made over the course of his life. Being born in a small town named Vilters-Wangs in Switzerland near the Austrian border, Wilhelm or William as he was more commonly known, found his life journeys end amongst the family he’d built, the family whose continued story would be made in Manchester, UK.
Now, if anyone is from Manchester, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a significant downgrade from the beautiful mountains of Switzerland. My family and I are currently taking a trip exploring various beauty spots there, including the Matterhorn by train (the infamous Toblerone Mountain). It’s stunning, and a thought that’s been frequenting my mind is why my Great-Grandfather would leave such a place for the wet, grey streets of Manchester. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Although, that’s easy for me to say. Switzerland today is a prosperous and safe country. We’re not sure exactly why he left, but various events over the war years during the early 20th century may have affected that decision somewhat. Had I been facing the same circumstances, perhaps I would have left too, even just for a better opportunity. Besides, his intention wasn’t to move to Manchester. He moved to London to work as head waiter for The Savoy. Only after meeting my Great Grandma there did he move up to Manchester.
Despite my gloomy initial portrayal of Manchester, I really should be grateful, and I am. Overall, despite it’s flaws, it’s a good place to live. It’s full of opportunities and there’s something for everyone to enjoy. However, more importantly than this is the thought shared by my uncle some time ago. I remember it because it was expressed with the type of conviction you only see in someone who truly believes something. I couldn’t quote his words, but the idea was of how fortunate we are to exist today. If it wasn’t for William moving to Manchester, our family as it is today would not exist. My mum wouldn’t be here and my dad may have met someone else. My uncle wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t have been able to share the wonderful childhood memories with my cousins. I wouldn’t have been able to experience these with anyone for that matter, as I wouldn’t be here either.
Although the memories made and the stories about William have been blurred over the years, what we see with clear evidence is the outcome of his legacy. My family as it stands is the result of the actions of William and those around him. No doubt it’s made an impression on ourselves. Not just through our genes, but through the passing of shared experiences and memories from our grandparents and parents supercededing them. We simply wouldn’t be here without them, so let’s make them proud.
JW Blog 