I do however have images of her only sisters. Her younger sister Elizabeth is on the left and her older sister Margaret (my great grandmother) is on the right. Looking at these photos helps me create an image of Helen Ann in my mind.
Her birthplace was recorded differently on her birth record and her marriage certificate.
On her birth record, the birthplace was listed as the East field Cottage in the civil parish of Holmside, in the district of Lanchester in County Durham, England. On her marriage certificate her birthplace was recorded as Craghead in England.
At the time of her birth, Craghead was part of the Holmside Civil Parish, and was a mining village near the Craghead and Holmside Collieries. It's likely that the East field Cottage was in or near the village of Craghead, and therefore both birthplaces could be considered as the same location.
The surname on the birth record was incorrectly spelt as "Farrall", instead of "Farrell". The christian name recorded on Helen Ann's birth certificate is "Ann", though records such as her marriage certificate and death certificate had her name listed as "Helen Ann". She was known to friends and family as either Ann or Annie throughout her lifetime.
Helen Ann's childhood was spent in the Durham coalfield region of north-east England where her father worked primarily as a 'coke drawer'. The family moved around the region a fair bit, from Lanchester to Tanfield to Stanley, looking for lodging and living in mining village housing. These colliery houses were usually overcrowded, lacking adequate sanitation and basic amenities like running water. The family would have experienced impoverished living conditions, starvation at times and likely poor health.
In June of 1873, when Helen Ann was 1 year old, her older brother Michael died. He was only 2 at the time and likely died as a result of the impoverished conditions he was born into.
The 1881 census shows Helen Ann living with her family at 140 Havanna Street, in the Civil Parish of Tanfield in County Durham, north-east England.
Helen Ann was aged 9 at the time. Her father Michael was working as a 'coke drawer'. Her older brother Thomas, aged 13, was working at the colliery as a 'screener'. Her older sister Margaret (my great grandmother), aged 15, was not living with the family as she was employed as a servant for the Robinson family in a house at 10 Havanna Street. Helen Ann's younger siblings included Elizabeth aged 7, Michael (named after the Michael who had died in 1873) aged 5, Patrick aged 3 and her 8 month old brother James.
Helen Ann was too young to go into service as her older sister had done, but as the oldest female child in the house no doubt she spent all of her time helping her mother with looking after the home, cooking and cleaning and looking after the four youngest children.
1885 was a momentous year in Helen Ann's life. In December of that year Helen Ann and her older sister Margaret boarded the ship 'Cloncurry' which then departed from the port of London for the long life-altering journey to Australia. The sisters travelled on their own, without any other family members! It's hard to imagine what would lead two young girls to make the decision to leave their family and home so they could travel for months aboard a ship that would be taking them to a country on the other side of the world. Of course, dire poverty and the desperate hope for a brighter future forced this decision for so many at this point in history.
Both Helen Ann and her older sister Margaret travelled under 'free passage'. This was granted from time to time by the Colonial Government in Queensland, Australia, to particular categories of immigrants required in the state at that point in its history. One of those categories was 'domestic servants' who were needed during times of growth and prosperity. To be eligible, passengers had to be unable to pay for their own passage, they could not have previously resided in any other Australian colony, and they had to intend to reside in Queensland permanently.
Whichever possibility may have been true, it must have seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime for these two young girls.
Margaret was definitely aged 19 as recorded on the passenger list, but Helen Ann, listed as Annie, was most definitely not aged 16. The age stated was obviously concocted to make Helen Ann seem older than she was. When she left London in December of 1885 she was actually 14 years and 4 months old! Imagine the blind faith and trust she must have had that her older sister would take care of her and keep her safe as they left their home and headed towards the unknown!
Interestingly, both sisters were listed as belonging to the Presbyterian religion at this time, although both Helen Ann and my great grandmother were active, dedicated members of the Catholic religion in their later lives.
Helen Ann and her sister Margaret disembarked the ship in Townsville, Queensland, in late January of 1886, after almost two months aboard the 'Cloncurry'.
"Captain Lawson, of the S.S. Cloncurry, reportes having left the Royal Albert Docks, London, on the 1st December, on her third voyage to Queensland;
anchored off the Nere at 10 p.m., at 6 a.m. of the 3rd got under weigh, and landed pilot off Dover at 3 p.m., and proceeded down the Channel, having strong S.W. to W. winds, with very heavy sea ...
"passed Ushant at midnight of the 5th, blowing strong N.W. gale, causing the ship to roll very heavily and to ship large quantities of water, a boat being washed out of the davits and lost. From Ushant to Cape St. Vincent, which was passed at midnight of the 9th, had strong S.W. to N.W. winds, with heavy westerly sea, causing ship to roll very heavily."
Thankfully it seems the remainder of the trip saw calmer seas!
The highlighted section shows that the ship arrived in Townsville, Queensland at 4 p.m. on January 27th and "after discharging cargo and immigrants, consisting of 42 single men, 19 single women, 6 married couples, and 10 children, got under weigh at midnight on the 28th."
Helen Ann and Margaret were two of the "19 single women" who disembarked in Townsville on January 27th, 1886. They had experienced a nightmarish journey during the first half of the voyage and must have wondered whether they .would survive the trip to this new world they were headed towards!
After disembarking in Townsville, it's likely they would have paid to travel on the train to Charters Towers as the Great Northern Railway had a line that ran from Townsville to Charters Towers at this time, and walking 89 miles overland to the interior of Queensland was not really an alternative for these two young single women.
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| Charters Towers in the late 1880s |
Upon arrival in Charters Towers, both Helen Ann and Margaret began working as domestic servants at one or more of the 65 hotels registered hotels that existed in Charters Towers at the time.
Hotels back then provided accommodation and meals, as well as alcohol at the bar, for the many thousands of miners who had arrived as the mining industry grew and flourished.
Just over a year and a half after Helen Ann and her sister Margaret had arrived in Australia, the remainder of their family also emigrated, disembarking from the ship 'Cheybassa' in September of 1887. Father Michael, mother Susan, sister Elizabeth, brothers Thomas, Michael, Patrick and James, along with their newly born brother Matthew (only 6 months old) all made their home in Charters Towers, and the entire family was together once more. That must have been a wonderfully joyous day for everyone! I can imagine there would have been lots of hugging, laughing, crying and chatting.
Three years later, in 1890, at the age of 19, Helen married David Davies.
They married at the Roman Catholic Presbytery in Charters Towers, Queensland. Helen Ann's age was recorded accurately on this record. She was indeed 19 years old. Her occupation was listed as 'servant', while her husband's occupation was listed as 'iron moulder'.
Seven months later, Helen Ann gave birth to the first of her nine children.
Susan Catherine Gertrude (known as Gertrude) was born in March of 1891.
David was born in March of 1893.
Helen Ann (named after her mother) and
her twin sister Margaret Lillian (known as Madge) were born in February of 1896.
Elizabeth Ivy (known as Ivy) came along in August of 1898.
Mary Bernice was born in April of 1901.
Eileen Monica was born in June of 1903. Sadly, she passed away about a week later.
Thomas Stanley was born in March of 1904.
Then finally, Rita Irene came along in June of 1909.
By this time Helen Ann was 37 years old.
As mentioned, Helen Ann's husband worked as an iron moulder, a job that involved making moulds in sand from which metal castings could be made. It was a highly skilled job, and a craft that David had learned from his father. While the mining industry was booming and flourishing in Charters Towers, it seems David was able to work consistently and earn a decent wage.
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| Distance from Charters Towers to Cairns: 300 miles |
By 1910 however, things must have changed, as the family had left Charters Towers and moved to Cairns, which was a long way to the north and on the coast of northern Queensland.
I'm not entirely sure why the family moved so far away from Helen Ann's parents and other siblings, but perhaps the reason was lack of work for Helen Ann's husband David, and perceived opportunities elsewhere. Whatever the reason, by 1911, the family were living on Lumley Street in Cairns, paying rent on a small cottage that was not intended to house a family of ten. The conditions would have been very cramped and it appears that they were still struggling financially.
Helen Ann's husband David was apparently quite frequently away from home for many months at a time. He had gone a long way south, to Brisbane, looking for work, leaving his family behind in Cairns, which was situated over 1,000 miles away. No doubt Helen Ann must have also taken on work of some kind to supplement the money being sent by her husband. Life would have been hard for her, having her husband away for such long periods of time and being left to care for eight children.
Things were about to change quite significantly for Helen Ann. By the end of March 1911, she was facing a very different future!
In mid-March of 1911, Helen Ann's husband David had read newspaper reports about the devastation and widespread damage caused by a cyclone that had hit the coast around Cairns. These reports stated that around 100 people had been left homeless and listed the 'Davies' family home among the houses that had been completely destroyed.
In a tragic twist of fate, the family surname had been misspelt ... the Davis (without the 'e') family also had a home in Lumley Street, Cairns and that was the house that had been destroyed by the cyclone. David however, thinking that his family were homeless, purchased a ticket to travel home by sea, which was the fastest way of reaching Cairns from Brisbane at that time. Usually it was his pay cheque that travelled home by sea, but David felt compelled to go home himself to find out what had happened to his family. He had wired his wife to let her know he was on his way home, along with his pay cheque.
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| Image in public domain |
David boarded a ship named the 'S.S. Yongala' a few days later, but sadly never made it home and never saw his family again.
The ship left the port at Mackay on the afternoon of March the 23rd and disappeared without trace. It had sailed off into the path of another cyclone that had been brewing between Mackay and Townsville.
There has not yet been any definitive proof to say what fate the ship met on the evening of March the 23rd, but it is assumed that the cyclonic weather conditions would have been the cause of the sinking.
Helen Ann, at home in Cairns, was expecting her husband home on Sunday and had prepared a meal for his return. When he did not arrive, she would likely have enquired at the port and been told that the Yongala had taken shelter, as so many other ships had done, when they were warned about the weather conditions between Mackay and Townsville.
Unfortunately the S. S. Yongala never received that news and had continued on its journey north. It wasn't until March the 26th that the ship was listed as "missing" and a search began. No trace was ever found of any passengers or crew. (I have written a previous post about the sinking of the S.S. Yongala and the connection of that tragic event to my family for more of the story: Spotlight on ... Shipwreck! Townsville's Titanic!)
Imagine the anguish experienced by Helen Ann after she had prepared for her husband's unexpected return, then when he hadn't arrived on time thinking he had just been delayed by bad weather, only to find out that the ship had travelled on into terrible conditions and had disappeared without a trace, along with all passengers and crew. How does one deal with such tragedy? Not only have you lost your husband so unexpectedly not long after celebrating your 20th wedding anniversary, but you never got the chance to say goodbye and you're not able to bury your loved one.
Helen Ann was now widowed at the age of 39, with children ranging in age from 19 years to a 1 year old. Her eldest daughter Susan Catherine Gertrude (known as Gertrude), aged 19, and her eldest son David aged 17, were both employed at the time and would have been contributing to the household.
Other Farrell descendants have told me that Helen Ann hung tightly to her faith throughout her lifetime and at this tragic time no doubt her faith would have provided much needed solace.
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| Newspaper Article - Cairns Post, Mon Apr 10 1911 |
Interestingly, mention was made of Helen Ann and her children in a newspaper article in the Cairns Post, related to the Yongala distress fund, dated April 10th, 1911.
Ironically, the family name Davies was once again misspelt in this article!
Transcript of that article:
Cairns Post (Qld.: 1909 - 1954), Monday 10 April 1911, page 4
THE POST
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 1910.
FOR the Widow and Orphans
Cairns Yongala Fund.
It is an old saying that charity should begin at home, and it will be admitted that the community should consider it a paramount duty to relieve, primarily, the distress existing in its midst, without in any way interfering with wider or more general movements of a similar nature. This is the opinion of several residents of Cairns, business men and others, who have been considering the case of Mrs. David Davis (surname misspelt!), whose husband was lost on the Yongala, and who has been made a widow and her children orphans by that terrible tragedy of the sea. The matter was mentioned to the "Post" last week, and this Paper has made full inquiries into the circumstances, with the result that it today, with the approbation of the residents above mentioned and the consent of Mrs. Davis and her children; opens a special subscription list in order to provide a sum which will in some measure help to compensate the bereaved ones for the loss of their -------(print was unreadable)------- relieve them, and ensure them against suffering and destitution in the future.
Personal inquiries made by the editor of this paper revealed the following facts - Mrs. Davis resides with her family in a small cottage, which she rents, in Lumley Street. She has eight children, two of whom, a boy and a girl, are apprenticed, earning between them £2 per week. The boy is not in robust health, and the sudden shock following the loss of his father, to whom he was devotedly attached, has not tended to mend matters. The remaining six children are of tender years, the youngest being a little toddler. The husband and father who by trade an iron-moulder. Not being able to get constant work here, he left some little time ago for Brisbane, and his family were delighted to know that he was at last earning good money. He told them he was forwarding a remittance by the mail that would have come probably by the Yongala, but to their surprise he wired them that he was returning to Cairns by that steamer. It is surmised that he read the account of the Cairns cyclone in the Brisbane papers, and as it was mentioned that the house of a Mr. Davis had been blown down in Lumley Street, be naturally thought it was the house in which his family resided, whereas it was the house of another person of the same name.
So that poor David Davis was hurrying back to the relief of his family when he met his death. His arrival was expected on the Sunday and the family dinner was prepared with extra care, the mother and children looking forward to the return of the husband and father with affectionate and pleasurable anticipations. Then came the news that the Yongala was missing, and later the list of the second-class passengers, which included the name of Mr. David Davis.
The sad circumstances surrounding the loss sustained by Mrs. Davis and her family have appealed to many; and after consulting with some of those who sympathise with the widow and orphans, the "Post" today makes an appeal for contributions and opens a subscription list, apart altogether from, and entirely independent of, any movement that may be decided upon in regard to a general relief fund—which will be drawn from the whole of Australia. After personal investigation of the circumstances, the "Post," to whom Mrs. Davis and her family, previously were strangers, assures the public that the object for which this fund is opened is, in the truest sense, deserving. It may be mentioned that already a number of subscriptions are promised but in order that the response may be truly spontaneous and voluntary; these amounts are not mentioned today, the "Post" simply opening the list formally.
Subscriptions will be received at this office and the full list will be published daily until it is finally closed, when it is hoped a sufficient sum will be obtained to provide a permanent and comfortable home for Mrs. Davis and her children, the total amount being vested in trustees to be used to the best advantage on behalf of the widow and orphans.
Lists of subscribers and the amounts they donated were published every week throughout the end of April and all through May.
When the fund closed, the fund had raised the amount of £187 / 16 / 2.
It seems that Helen Ann did indeed receive the benefit of this relief fund and the family was provided with a permanent home. So while Helen Ann took refuge in her faith, the wonderful community of Cairns took her and the children under their wing and provided support. This must have bolstered Helen Ann immensely! Her faith in her God and her faith in humanity helped her move forward.
Two short newspaper items appeared in the April 26th edition of the 1911 Cairns Post which shows that Helen Ann also received the much needed emotional support of her close family - her mother and her sisters.
Mrs. M. Farrell was Helen Ann's mother, Susan Farrell nee Muldowney (Downey), who was in her late 60s and still lived in Charters Towers. It would have taken a couple of days to travel by train from Charters Towers to Cairns and would have been an exhausting trip for an elderly woman. Obviously though Susan was determined to be with her daughter after such a devastating loss.
Helen Ann's sisters also travelled to Cairns to be there after this tragedy. Mrs. Owen McCane was Helen Ann's sister Margaret, who had travelled from Charters Towers with their mother, and Mrs. F. E. Shaw was Helen Ann's sister Elizabeth, who had joined her mother and sister along the train journey in Innisfail. It's heartwarming to know that nothing in Helen Ann's mother's and sisters' lives was more important to them at this time than being with Helen Ann. That's a sign of an immensely strong family bond.
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| 1912 Australian Electoral Roll |
From 1912 to 1915 the family lived on Abbott Street in Cairns, which no doubt would have been the home paid for by the fund. Helen Ann's occupation was listed as "home duties."
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| 1916 Australian Electoral Roll |
By the time the 1916 census rolled around however, the family had moved again. Helen Ann and all her children were now living on the Esplanade in Cairns and were living at the "posh" end of town, on the beach front in Cairns, facing Trinity Bay.
A view from one end of the Esplanade in the early 1900s.
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| Newspaper item |
Looking at newspaper articles relating to the property prices along the Esplanade at the time, it seems the family were able to afford a much more expensive home than they had
ever lived in before.
In this article, dated August 1916, properties were valued between £500 and £900.
That would have been quite a lot of money for a family in those days.
Given that Helen Ann had owned the house in Abbott Street, then perhaps the sale of that house went very well and they benefited from a sizeable profit after the sale.
By the time Helen Ann had moved to The Esplanade with her family, she was 45 years old. Her occupation on the 1916 census was again listed as "home duties", but a bit of further research (which I'll mention further on) led me to uncover that was not her actual occupation.
The 1916 census also shows that her eldest daughter Susan (known as Gertrude), aged 25, was working as a tailoress. Helen's eldest son David, aged 23, was working as a draper.
Helen Ann's other children were all living with her as well. Her twin daughters Margaret (known as Madge) and Helen Ann were both 20 years old, daughter Elizabeth (known as Ivy) would have been 18, daughter Mary would have been 15, son Thomas would have been 12 and youngest daughter Rita would have been 7 years old.
During the years from mid 1914 to the end of 1918, the Great War had embroiled most of the world, including Australia, in international conflict.
Helen Ann's three youngest brothers, James, Matthew (bottom left) and Patrick (bottom right) had all enlisted and served overseas during the war.
Tragically, Helen Ann's brother Patrick was killed in action in 1917 while serving in France, and never returned home.
Matthew was wounded and did return home in 1918, being medically discharged later that year. Sadly, he passed away a mere four years later of heart failure.
James returned home safely in 1919.
Helen Ann's father, Michael Farrell, had died a month after Patrick had been killed in action in 1917. Helen Ann's brother, also named Michael, who was slighter older than the three brothers who served and did not go off to fight, died unexpectedly and tragically in mid 1918.
Two small notices appeared in newspapers at the time of her brother Patrick's death and the death of her brother Michael. These notices provided an extra piece of information about Helen Ann relating to her actual occupation.
The 'Roll of Honour' notice (published in the Cairns Post) for her brother Patrick, who had been killed in action in late 1917, lists his two sisters - Mrs. F. E. Shaw. That's Helen Ann's younger sister Elizabeth who had married Frank Edwin Shaw,
- and Nurse Davis who resided at the Esplanade in Cairns.
Clearly the newspaper has spelt Helen Ann's surname incorrectly (yet again!), but it has to be her.
The death notice for her younger brother Michael (published in the Cairns Post) who unexpectedly died in 1918, also lists two sisters
- Nurse Davies (spelt correctly this time) of the Esplanade in Cairns
- and Mrs. F. E. Shaw of Innisfail.
Finding this new little nugget of information about Helen Ann led me to further research, and I headed to the newspapers of the time to see if there was mention of a Nurse Davies living on the Esplanade in Cairns. I was intrigued as to why the occupation of 'nurse' was not listed on the census entries of either 1912 or 1916, or the census for the following years - 1917 / 1919 / 1921 / 1922.
This is what I found:
1913
1916
1918
1923
Clearly, Helen Ann had been working as a midwife for many, many years. The first birth notice I found that mentions Nurse Davies was dated 1913, when Helen Ann was aged 42, so I think I can say with some certainty that she had probably been working as a midwife since her early 20s.
To use the term 'Nurse', Helen Ann must have had some sort of training and had registered / became certified as a nurse or midwife. I have not yet found evidence of this, but will continue the search.
Helen Ann most likely began assisting women with childbirth in her early 20s when almost all babies were born at home, with the assistance of other female family members and friends, or sometimes with the support of known volunteers from the community. Doctors were only ever called when serious complications or life-threatening situations arose.
It appears that it was common practice in the late 1800s-early 1900s for midwives to provide midwifery care in their own homes, rather then attending births in the mothers' homes. Helen Ann was able to earn a living by providing a place where a woman could go to give birth and receive the midwifery care that was needed. She continued earning a living this way into the 1920s and 1930s, when she would have been in her 50s and early 60s.
By 1930 Helen Ann had moved interstate and was living in New South Wales. I have not yet uncovered the reason for this move, although I have a feeling it might be tied to some family event.
The 1930 Census shows Helen Ann, now aged 59, living on Cardigan Street in Auburn with her son David (draper), her daughter Gertrude (tailoress), her daughter Ivy (shop assistant), her daughter Margaret (home duties, although likely working as a midwife alongside her mother) and son Thomas (electrical fitter). Helen Ann's youngest daughter Rita would have also been living with her mother, but not recorded on the census as she had not yet turned 21. This tight family unit lived in New South Wales for the remainder of their lives.
Helen Ann's other two daughters had become Sisters of Mercy with the Catholic Church by this time, but both were still living and working in northern Queensland. Daughter Helen Ann was known as Sister Mary Francis, and daughter Mary Bernice was known as Sister Mary Angela. Both remained in north Queensland until their deaths, and were buried in Cairns.
In 1937, at the age of 66, Helen Ann passed away.
In this death notice, mention is made of Helen Ann's occupation as a 'nurse'.
This death notice mentions all of Helen Ann's adult children and, aside from the obvious mention of the vocations of two daughters (the Catholic Sisters of Mercy), there is only one other mention of an occupation. Margaret, known as Madge, is listed as a 'nurse'. I am certain that this refers to Margaret's work as a midwife, following in the footsteps of her mother.
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| Headstone of Helen Ann's gravesite - her age was incorrectly listed as 63 years. |
Helen Ann was buried at the Rookwood Catholic Cemetery in Sydney, New South Wales. She had lived a life touched by tragedy and adversity, but had shown remarkable strength and resilience, remaining a devoted mother, creating a nurturing supportive environment for all her children, whilst working tirelessly to support mothers in childbirth. A remarkable life!
Footnote:
It appears that only one of Helen Ann's children married and went on to have a family of her own. Rita Irene, the youngest of Helen Ann's children, married in 1935. Helen Ann is mentioned in a newspaper article about the wedding, and there is also mention of a very special wedding veil.
"A very pretty wedding was solemnised at St. John's Church, Auburn ... The contracting parties were Miss Rita Irene Davies, daughter of Mrs. H. A. Davies and the late David Davies, of Auburn (formerly of Cairns, North Queensland) and Mr, Harold Bugg.
The bride entered the church on the arm of her brother, Mr. David Davies. She wore a beautiful veil of hand-worked Brussels net, mounted on tuile, which was made by the Sisters of Mercy, Hobart, and loaned by her cousin, Miss Hilda Shaw, of Innisfail, North Queensland."
I find it incredible to note that no mention of the wedding dress was made, only the wedding veil. Seems rather unusual! Was the veil perhaps so stunning that the wedding dress paled into insignificance?
It's also interesting to note that mention is made of the makers of this wedding veil - the Sisters of Mercy in Hobart. Given that two of Rita's older sisters had previously joined the religious order of the Sisters of Mercy, perhaps it was a veil that had been made for both of them to wear during their ceremony where they were received into the novitiate.
It was a custom at the time that young women wore a white wedding dress and veil on the day they were received into the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy. They would dress as 'brides of Christ' and receive their black habit and white veil which they would wear afterwards to indicate they were novices within the religious order.
I think it's highly likely that this veil, made by Sisters of Mercy, was worn by both of Irene's sisters when they joined the religious order, and the veil had then been passed on to a favourite cousin.
As previously noted, mention is made of Helen Ann. She was "attired in a gown of rose beige flat crepe, with brown accessories and carrying an old-world posy".
It was likely the last large family event where Helen Ann would have been surrounded by all her children, other relatives and friends.
Special Note to any family members: If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so. Please use the comments box below or email me. It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.
I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023 Challenge with this post.
This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 38 - ''Adversity".
You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.
