It's Raining!

After a week of sunshine and temperatures in the low 30's (°C) , one of our FHC patrons said, "Well summer's over now, we can get back to normal." That would be cool, wind, sprinkles and showers. Here are a few pictures of London and E&S Watts, now seasoned Londoners -- see for yourself.

Presidents Passing

Tomorrow we will have a new Mission President. President Renn Patch and his wife Deanne will replace President Clayton Foulger and his wife Marla. We have developed a great love and respect for President Foulger and his wife. They will be sorely missed.

We ('we' meaning the Family History Centre staff) were discussing over dinner two weeks ago what we might give to President and Sister Foulger as a going-away present. After much discussion, Sister Watts said, "Why don't we do their family history." It was an 'epiphany' (see the spot on definition below) moment and particularly celebratory coming from Sister Watts, who is occasionally less than enthusiastic about family history. We all took a piece of the pie to create a set of records for each of President and Sister Foulger's family line. We searched and gathered copies of censuses, overland trail records, immigration records and stories of ancestors, until we had a 'volume' (picture at left) to present to each of them along with electronic copies of all the documents on a USB memory stick.

President and Sister Foulger were thrilled, bothered somewhat by something wet in their eyes.

epiphany -a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

Oh.... by the way - the research revealed that Sister Watts is related to President Foulger!

How's that for ironic.

I Shook Hands with a Prophet Today!

June 6th, 2009 is a day that we will always remember. We were blessed to attend a meeting with 280 elders and sisters that serve with us in the England London and England London South Missions. Our speakers were President Uchtdorf, and Elder Neil Andersen, our newest apostle. We were seated well before the meeting started and when they arrived, we all stood as they and their wives walked down the aisle. President Uchtdorf went to the pulpit and said they would like to shake our hands, so he and Elder Andersen stood down on the floor and we went row by row and all of us were able to shake their hands. Two great men that we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. It was powerful and the meeting had not yet started. Sister Watts

We Have A New Granddaughter!!

Our dear friends here in London rejoiced with us at the news of the birth of our granddaughter. They thought the pink flowered plant would be a good announcement to our patrons and soothe our separation pains.

Grace Emery Freeman was born June 4th. to Matt and Julie. She weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and is beautiful. She will be welcomed home by an excited brother and two sweet sisters.

"What have you learned on your mission?"

One of the blessings of serving in the England London mission is our association with the other senior couples. Every other Monday we enjoy a special family home evening with them. We take turns being the host and provide the main course of the meal and the activity or lesson after dinner. We have eaten many delicious meals, laughed as we've played fun games, or been spiritually fed with great gospel discussions. Last Monday evening, Elder and Sister Neu were the hosts and after dinner Elder Neu started our discussion with the question, "What have you learned on your mission?" The Neu's will be going home in one month. Everyone at the table will be going home before us. Each took a turn to respond to this thought provoking question and the answers were varied and inspiring. I've thought about them many times in the past two days and reflected over and over what my response was and is to this question. Jim and I were seated to respond near the end with only Sister Hintze to conclude the discussion.

The lessons I am learning are too many to mention. I do not have adequate words to describe the experience we are having.

Milestones...

About a year ago my Joyfer reached an incredible milestone - 545 miles on a bike. Her picture is one of triumph over mind and body to do such a thing.

This feat folllowed another of endurance and will as three years ago my Sophie completed the Ogden Marathon in record time.

These two events far outdistance and overshadow the Elder & Sister Watts milestone of 1,000 miles in walking around England. Nevertheless, this is a 'feet' of endurance as well.

Hooray... we're still in one piece.

Best wishes to all!

Love E & S Watts

Hever Castle

After working two Saturdays in a row, we had a free Saturday (P-day) to go exploring. We took a train ride with Elder and Sister Scott to Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry the VIII and was the key figure in the political and religious upheaval leading to the split with Rome, the Pope, the Catholic Church and the Church of England under the King's control. Anne, the mother of Elizabeth I, was subsequently beheaded by Henry's decree for charges of adultery and incest, which historians generally view as unconvincing.

History aside, the trip to the castle, walk through the castle and around the grounds was spectacular. The mile and a third walk from the train station along narrow country roads went past farms and fields that were.... well... idyllic and breathtaking come to mind (see the slide show in links at the right).

We decided to follow a less-travelled path back from the castle and found ourselves looking for Robin Hood and his merry men in a labrynth of trees and bushes. What a restful moment from the busyness of London!

Click on these pictures for a larger view.

Best wishes to all,

Elder & Sister Watts

OOooopps.... The Slide i..n..to '70'

This has been a great week! Most weeks have been very busy at the Family History Centre, and when we're supposed to have some 'Back Office' time [time to work on our own family history or do some online indexing], we've had projects to do for the center. But.... I've had some success of late in finding ancestors in old parish registers -- interesting stories, but probably only to me and too long to tell here. Anyway... we had a P-day and went to the temple on Tuesday and I took some names to get temple ordinance cards to send home to family for temple work. The London Temple is about an hour away by train. It was built in 1958 and just barely had Moroni added to the spire.


We had the late shift in the center on Thursday (work to 9pm), and we had time to do some extra-curricular things earlier in the day -- that usually means shopping. We went to Portobello Road where antique markets abound. We came home with two treasures - an 'Art Nouveau' silver-plated toast holder (1890-1905) and a 'Victorian' sugar shaker (1837-1901). Click on pictures for a larger view.




Then, because my nine-year-old pocket PC (antique status) is beginning to struggle, I bought an iPod Touch, which is pretty amazing. Mom has the toast holder and the sugar shaker; I have everything but the kitchen sink on my iPod Touch. Oh.. did I mention the unmentionable... I had a birthday on Friday, so what else, the iPod is from me to me.


Then on Friday we went to dinner with the Scotts (fellow missionaries at the FHC) and the Foulgers (Mission President and his wife) to a place called 'Sticky Fingers.' Pretty much a ribs place with American food, Rolling Stones memorabilia and the food's very good. Notice the new tie - two birthday ties from Barbara along with a sack of treats.

Then the surprise of the day - an album with lots of great photos and letters from all of my family. It is a TREASURE. It was a seven-kleenex effort to read it. My family is simply the greatest!


Life is good. We miss home, but we are having the time of our lives.

Love to all, Elder Watts

London Spring

There are songs about Paris in the Springtime, but I think London would maybe be hard to beat. Gardens, trees, shrubs, flower boxes..... and blooms everywhere.

For such a densely populated large city, there are lots of parks and all are well kept. Click on the collage to see a full screen view of some of the prettiest.

The Talbot

At the Family History Centre we have a great view, through some large picture windows, into a cobble-stone street called the 'Mews'.

The used-to-be carriage barns are all now houses that are valued at upwards of £2m. One day last week I looked out and saw a remarkable car. With camera in hand I went for a look.

The car turned out to be a 1930 Talbot, and not just any old Talbot, but the one that competed in the 1930 Le Mans 24-hour race and took 3rd place. It looked totally in original condition without any restoration. Here are a few pictures and the race results.

Top Deck

When we arrived in London seven months ago, we were greeted at the door of our flat by Don and Claudia Innskeep. They had stocked our cupboards with food, filled a vase with fresh flowers and hung cute towels in our kitchen. Don took us to pay our council taxes, obtain our freedom passes and showed us how to get around on the London double decker buses. We have enjoyed many fun times with them at work and at play. One simple pleasure he taught us was to climb the steps of a bus to the top deck and ride around the city and see the sites. We have done this many times. Sunday night, the Innskeeps traveled home from church on the top deck. When they neared their stop, Don started down the steps when the bus jerked sending Don flying head first, down the steps. When Claudia reached him, she saw that his ear was nearly severed and he was bleeding profusely. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital. Claudia called Jim and and asked that he and another elder give him a Priesthood blessing before a plastic surgeon sewed him back together.
He is home today - recovering. We will all hold on a little tighter when we ride the bus - and forget the top deck.

Finding My Past

The Family History Center was closed for Good Friday and we had a scheduled P-Day on Saturday. So, with the approval of our Mission President we took an overnight trip to explore HADSPEN, the birth place of my great grandmother, Ellen (Eleanor) Hill. Hadspen is a Hamlet, which is considered a small village of 5-6 buildings and families. Hadspen is very much the same as it was in the mid-ninteenth century when Ellen and her family lived there.

Here are some pictures of Haspen with homes that were built in the 1700's. I have not been able to find which one might have been my ancestors, but for sure it was one of them. We talked to some of the residents, who were very friendly and hospitable. We also went to the Parish church that was there in the same era (above left). Some of the family died in Hadspen, so we looked through the graveyard for any 'Hill' names but couldn't find any.

We stayed at the Greystones House, which is a Bed&Breakfast just outside of Castle Cary. This home was built in the early 1800's with subsequent additions. It is beautiful, our room was a delight and we were treated to a 'full English' breakfast, which means, sausage, eggs, bacon (ham to most), a rather large mushroom, stewed tomatoes, toast and local honey or preserves, juice and museli (cereal).

Check the link at the right [Hadspen] for more pictures.

More later..... Elder Watts

Being a Missionary

I've been invited to accompany the AP's on three occasions -- once this week -- to help with a new investigator discussion. These have all been very enjoyable. The discussion this week was with 'Audrey', a lady that the AP's met on the street. She says that she has been actively looking for a church and has gone to many. When she met the Elders, she was excited to hear their message. She seems very interested and excited for another teaching moment.

Friday, I helped a man, who had been in the FHC a few times, with some scans of microfiche records. We chatted a bit as we did the scans, he paid for them and left. I grabbed my lunch and went to the lunch room and found him there organizing his papers. As I ate, I began a conversation with him and he started asking me questions and commenting about the church. He noted that he had observed some missionaries and wondered if we had a training program to teach 'courtesy', 'manners' and 'good behavior.' He has a high regard for 'Mormons' and asked me if there were any Mormon 'convicts' and seemed surprised when I told him yes, there probably are. He was astonished when I told him we were here at our own expense. He knew that families are important and seemed to want to know 'more'. So, I told him about the restoration and modern day prophets. He was very receptive. I told him about conference and invited him to come see our prophet next week. He said he just might do that. I know that he will be back in the FHC if not to conference.

Great spirit as always in the Lea Valley ward today -- fast day. A new convert was confirmed and the testimonies were sweet as usual. One of our YM, a teacher, bore his testimony.

Best wishes to all,

Elder Watts

Another Week....

Lots of activity in the FHC this week. It seems that almost every day there are those who go away smiling because they've found an ancestor for whom they've been looking for many years. It's fun to see the successes.

Yesterday, being our P-day, we went with the other three senior couples to Rochester to see the Rochester Castle (left) and the Rochester Cathedral. Rochester was the home of Charles Dickens for 14 years and there's lots of connections in Rochester to his writings. We went there for the annual Christmas Dickens Festival in December, but it was so crowded (and cold) that we didn't get to see the castle and cathedral. It was well worth a second visit. Check the links at right for pictures if you are interested - beautiful cathedral, amazing castle and interesting old buildings the most notable of which is Richard Watts' Six Poor Travelers Inn (several pictures of it). Watts, who died in 1579, is buried in the cathedral. Dickens story, Seven Poor Travelers (he is the other traveler along with the six) is a very good short story and can be found at The Seven Poor Travelers.

Great day at Lea Valley today. Today is England's "Mothering Sunday," -- British Mother's Day. Lot's of tributes to mothers. Great sacrament meeting, good lessons, great spirit. Sister Watts led a really good Gospel Doctrine class discussion about missionary work. She is a good teacher. Had a good time teaching the YM in priesthood meeting as well.

Best wishes to all for a good week!

Love, Elder & Sister Watts

London Life - Winter Style

Aside from all the antiquities and architectural wonders of London, the people are facinating. The few pictures in the collage here don't even begin to scratch the surface of style and dress displayed. Clearly, the most common color is BLACK (coats, jackets, sweaters, dresses, socks, shoes) and the most common footwear (for younger women) is black boots with 3-4" heels. Everyone wears a scarf and, on rainy days, carries an umbrella (I guess that goes without saying). I feel a little like a paparazzi when taking uninvited pictures, but occasionally can't resist a discreet photo or two. Must make a comment about two of them. The red pom-pom in the upper left is really a coat. The man, center-bottom, lives as you see him on the street in front of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Now then -- babies! Babies in London, I think begin life as a caterpillar and live in a cocoon. They are wheeled around in buggies that have large rubber tires and plastic vinyl hoods to encapsulate their contents. The babies/children that ride in them are bundled to the point of no-movement-allowed coats and snow suits. Here are two examples.

Lastly here's an indispensible item that we could not live without, given the circumstance of not having a car and walking and/or riding busses to and from the grocery store. A TROLLEY! It folds flat for easy carrying to .... unfolds and holds lots of groceries for pulling from.

Love to all,

E & S Watts

Stories of Lea Valley Ward

The experience we are enjoying in our ward is unique. I feel that each person has a story to be told. It is too bad that we don't always have time to visit and hear those stories. Today I decided to talk to at least one person. Her name is Ismarelda from Albania, and she was raised a Muslim. She left her home town 7 years ago to study at a University. She saw the LDS missionaries and was curious about them so she talked to them and then studied the gospel for 5 years before getting baptized 2 years ago. Her family has not spoken to her since that day and she had to leave her country. She told me she will never be able to return.

A young man spoke in Church today and told of his conversion story. I was touched by his strong spirit and testimony. He was born in Turkey and their family was not religious. He felt something was missing in his life. In 2004 he prayed to know what was missing. He met a girl who belonged to the Church and she invited him to listen to the missionaries. After the first lesson he knew it was right. He was so happy that he literally skipped home. The ward he first attended met in a small room in a book shop. He enjoyed it so much that he didn't want to leave. He read the Book of Mormon and he said it took him 3 months to get the courage to pray about it. His answer came sure and strong and he was baptized. He recently returned from serving a mission in the England, Manchester mission.

These people strengthen me and help me to be more fully aware of the great blessing the gospel has been to me all of my life. It is a privilege to be among them.
Sister Watts

Sabbath Somnolence

Again... we felt a great spirit and warm friendship in the Lea Valley Ward. Neither of us were teaching today, and it was simply a day to soak in the words of others. I had assigned one of the Priests, Aaron Quashie, to lead the lesson discussion on the Holy Ghost. Having had experience with this sort of thing in the past, I prepared in case he 'forgot.' Aaron is the 1st Assitant in the Priest Quorum and came prepared and gave a great lesson. All 'six' (today) of the Aaronic Priesthood holders meet together. Here are the six -- with Elder Anderston from Cardston, Canada.

Aaron is the one in the back to the left of Elder Anderson.

It was a beautiful day with mostly sunshine and a high of 13 (that would be Celsius). The daffodils are everywhere and many trees and bushes are blooming.

We have been wanting to take a walk in a nearby very old cemetery, so today..... we did.

Quoth the raven "Nevermore"

The Cemetery was originally known as the West of London and Westminster Cemetery. Now it is known as the Brompton Cemetery. It is full of crypts and monuments. The link at the right leads to a few pictures. Among the dead are the living as well..... ravens, squirrels, pigeons and foxes (didn't see any of those) as well as ......Daffodils.

The chapel, modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was used in GoldenEye (1995), Pierce Brosnan's first Bond movie. Below is a picture of the chapel as well as the colonnades above the catacombs. That's not a Bond girl; it's Sister Watts peering out.

Love to all...... Elder Watts

P-Days in London

Lunch with Woon Choa

This sweet sister from our ward wanted to "feed the missionaries," but her flat is so small that she invited us to join her for lunch at a restaurant. Along with three young elders, we went to a Chinese Buffet in Walthamstow and had a nice visit with Sister Woon Choa. She is from Hong Kong and has been a member of the Church for several years. She and her sister are the only members of the church from a family of 10. She is the ward organist and plays the piano and the organ for Sacrament meeting and Relief Society. -- 7 March 2009

Touring the Limehouse Cut

A week ago we went for a walk along the "Limehouse Cut", which is a waterway canal that is the gateway to over 2,000 miles of navigable canals. The picture at the left at the beginning of the canal is the Limehouse Basin, which is now a marina for yachts and is overlooked by banks of beautiful modern 'flat' buildings. We walked along the canal through rows of old factory buildings and warehouses that once used the canal to transport materials and finished product. A towpath, where we walked, lines the canal where horses used to pull the barges along the canal. The Limehouse Cut is the first navigable canal constructed in 1766. The name 'Limehouse' came from lime kilns built in the 14th century for lime used in plaster for building 'wattle and daub' walls in early London buildings.

We walked up the canal for about two miles past the "Bow Locks" where Bow Creek joins the Limehouse cut and runs past Three Mills Island. Here is a picture of the Three Mills.

The House Mill, at the far left, is the largest tidal mill in Britain. Next to it is the Millers House with the Clock Mill on the right. The house mill was built in 1776. If you want to see how it worked, click here http://www.housemill.org.uk/mymodel.htm These buildings are now home to Three Mills Films Studios, London's largest film studio.

If you want to see a few pictures of the canal -- a canal boat that people live in -- etc. click on the Limehouse link at the right.

It was a beautiful spring day with 'daffys' beginning to poke out everywhere. Lastly, here's a picture from a 'budding' bush near our flat, a sure sign of spring.

Love you all,

E & S Watts

London Driving & More

Downtown London's roads are the 2009 version of the original cart and wagon paths of midieval London. The street names, like the towns, counties and parishes are classics like Cheapside, Regent, Oxford, Old Brompton and High Street Kensington. But dirt wagon paths do not a modern city street make, and the city fathers, determined to limit the number of modern automobiles on said paths, have a 'Congestion Zone' that requires a daily payment of £8 to drive therein. This, from all outward appearances, seems to be a small deterrent, because there is a lot of traffic. Cars, big and small, all have large licensce plates that are 'watched' by strategic cameras to make sure no one escapes this charge. It appears to be very effective. Those who miss payment by midnight the following day are subject to a penalty of £120!

How can they monitor such a vast armada of cars you say? Well here's just one bank of cameras with 'big brother' watching.

Here are a couple of other related London driving photos. First a picture of a Taxi driver coffee shop that is in the middle of the road and is for taxi drivers only.

Next is a bollard (a post to keep cars out), a fancy one from our neighborhood in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, RBKC for short. Then here's a picture of an RBKC garbage can, also rather fancy. There are street sweepers working seemingly around the clock with a broom and a push cart. RBKC keeps the street very clean.

And lastly a Bobby from the London Metropolitan Police Force.
Elder Watts....

PS.. On Thursday we went to see Hampton Court Palace.... see the pictures from link at right.

The Week That Was

Here are some of the (mostly regular) patrons who are in the FHC quite regularly and some everyday (click for a bigger view). Starting with the center, that's Mr. Williams, who comes almost every day and does lots of work on Irish ancestors. Then around the circle from top left, there is Mary and Janet, English to the core with cockney accents and all, who are professional genealogists. Next is Ms. Harley, who spends her time researching her ancestors from the Caribbean. At the top right is Carole Baines who lives in the Lea Valley Ward and came in for the first time on Wednesday and worked on her line in New FamilySearch. We were saddened to hear today that she had a falling accident and broke both ankles! Bottom right is Ken. He spends a lot of time in the Centre..... not sure what he finds. Bottom middle is Lynette, who is here from Australia and has spent almost every day doing family research. She has found 'many' ancestors, is here in London for several more weeks and has ordered some films to view while she's here.

Then in the last two pictures (bottom left and middle left) we have three FHC workers, who make the work pleasant for the rest of us, Sister Inskeep and Sister Watts followed in the middle left picture by Matthew Pridham. Matthew is the Assistant Director of the Centre and is very knowledgeable about Family History.

Every week there are successes with ancestors found ..... and failures with blind alleys and ancestors who are hiding. One lady came in with one name looking for more, and in fairly short order Sister Watts found four more generations for her on the IGI. She was thrilled!!

I helped a man find some Antigua (Caribbean) records, that he said were nowhere else to be found. We printed out 23 scans of documents for him. He was delighted!

Finally, here is a picture of a rather beautiful English lady with whom I work. I am most grateful for her. At least I think she's become English. As you can see she dresses English, rides busses and says thing like "pop in" and "straight away." To see her better, click on her picture.

Elder Watts