On the Write Path in Great Gransden by Shelley Brooks Sample “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” -Dr. Seuss Like many Americans, my ancestors immigrated to the United States from Great Britain and Europe. Through the course of my travels I have visited the churches, libraries and cemeteries in the cities and villages they once called home. On November 6th, 2008 my long-time friend Terry Lawrence and I were traveling in England on our way to Cambridge when we decided to take a quick detour to Great Gransden. This lovely village is known as the home of England’s oldest post mill among other things, but I hadn’t come for the sights. I was searching for information about my boyfriend’s ancestors. We made our way to the parish church, St. Bartholomew. I signed the church guest book stating that I was looking for information on a Sarah Ann Beeken, my boyfriend’s great grandmother. I rested a moment to take in the charm of the lovely church, knowing I would probably never see it again. We walked briskly through the graveyard looking for any clues or
traces of Sarah’s family, but none were to be found. Before we left, I snapped a photo of a single lonely headstone lying on its side, covered in weeds and vines and with that we were off to Cambridge. The trip was lovely, as England always is, but I was disappointed that I hadn’t been able to find any clues about my boyfriend’s family, the family of Sarah Ann Beeken. On the flight back to the U.S., I looked through my genealogy notes and discovered that I had made a grave mistake. Sarah Liles is who I should have been looking for. She came to America in 1852 as a housekeeper to Hector Beeken whom she married in 1858, taking his name. I got the feeling there was more to the story than I had initially thought. Once home I viewed the photos of my trip and stumbled upon a great discovery; the lonely headstone, covered in vines, was engraved with the name Liles! I almost fell off my chair. What were the odds that the one stone I took a photo of was a Liles even when I thought I had been looking for a Beeken? Other than the name, all I could read was the year 1890, and in loving memory of -. The first name looked like it ended in the letters “mas”, a Thomas perhaps? I sent an email to
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