The Big Trip

On September 12th 2004, 25 people met in a conference room at the Thistle Hotel at Euston. Twenty four descendants, or their spouses of Nathaniel or Obadiah Seeley and one tour director. Some in attendance knew each other, but for some it was a chance to meet cousins that they had never seen before.

Kathie Olsen introduced our tour director John S. Hood. John was the perfect tour director for us and by Friday night we had told him that from now on to us he would be “John Seeley Hood”. Kathie then had members introduce themselves, and give any input about the tour. The first thing we learned about from a cousin was the customs officers prejudices about American beef jerky. The itinerary was laid out for the tour and there was discussion about DNA and recent test results. Plans were made for the following morning and the adventure had officially begun.

Monday morning began as all mornings on the tour would with breakfast in the hotel, then on to the bus. As we left London for Huntingdon it was raining. John told us he felt we would escape the rain at our destination, fortunately he was right. Our first stop was at the Oliver Cromwell museum. Cromwell lived from 1599-1658 and was the first commoner to rule England from 1653 till his death.

We then traveled on to Houghton Mill to experience a working wheat mill. This area brought our first exposure to thatched roofs. From there it was on to St Mary’s parish and then Bluntisham Cum Earith. Bluntisham was the parish church that Robert Seeley attended as well as William his father.

Tuesday found us at Stratford-upon-Avon becoming more acquainted with William Shakespeare (1564-1616). We were extremely fortunate to have two people that made this trip fantastic. The first was John Hood who spent time as we were traveling from one site to another teaching us about England. None of us will forget his explanations of nursery rhymes and their origins it was a great history lesson. The second was Kathie Olsen. The previous year Kathie journeyed through Britain planing our adventure. She chose the Cromwell Museum, and Shakespeare’s birthplace, as those were notable people who were alive when Robert Seeley was. By selecting them we were able to better experience what Robert would have through artifacts and museums. The organization of the tour was well thought out and flowed smoothly from begging to end. In the afternoon we visited Kenilworth Castle, built in the 11th century. That evening was spent in Coventry home of Lady Godiva, and Peeping Tom.

Wednesday morning we started with a walk through Oxford, and a chance to explore on our own. We then made our way to the historic dockyard at Portsmouth. At Portsmouth we visited the Mary Rose, a ship launched by Henry VIII in 1511. It was sunk in 1545 and raised in 1982 and is currently kept in a controlled environment.

Thursday brought a trip to Battle Abbey in Hastings, site of the Battle of William the Conqueror and Harold in 1066. The tour of Battle Abbey was a walking tour of the Abbey where we could see the area where the battle of Hastings was fought. The next stop was Canterbury with a choice of going to the Cathedral or walking the narrow streets of the town. After Canterbury we returned to London and the Thistle at Euston.

Friday morning we began a tour of London with a new guide, Owen. John accompanied us, much to our delight. We visited The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and other London attractions. The highlight of the day was a walk down Coleman St, onetime address of Robert and the church he was married in, St Stephens.

Friday evening we had our last diner as an extended family followed by a group re-cap. Each person had an opportunity to talk about what they had experienced. When the meeting was over we had trouble leaving, as no one wanted the adventure to be over.