Tag: The Second Wife’s Story

  • Down the Arthurian Rabbit Hole

    Down the Arthurian Rabbit Hole

    King Arthur (Arthwys ap Mor of the Pennines)

    I had certainly intended to find out as much as I could about the history and culture of 19th century Wales, but I had not intended for my search of the Welsh identity to lead me down a path in and out of England and strewn with kings, queens, sorcerers, dragons, fairies, epic battles, and sackings. Now I think I know how Alice found herself in Wonderland.

    Growing up in Wales means being raised in a culture steeped in Myth and Legend, Most specifically tales of King Arthur and the immortal Red Dragon, protector of Wales.

    Mary Davis certainly would have heard the tales from parents, playmates and family members in her Welsh community, and probably further along the road to Plain City, Utah Territory from other British travelers and settlers she would have met along the way.

    While debate among historians continues as to whether or not an historical Arthur exists, there is much agreement that evidentiary artifacts and documents point to possible candidates for such a person, including the one I see as the leading contender: King Arthrwys ap Mor of the Pennines.

    I personally have seen enough to make up my mind; there is a real King Arthur, or more likely, several characters in history who contributed to Arthur’s exploits, whether Arthur-like individuals, or figures playing significant roles in his stories.

    I include in my cousins database, a page devoted to the Arthurian Dynasty, centered around the King Arthrwys ap Mor of the Pennines. This is not meant to be a definitive answer for millennia of debate, but a staging point for Welsh researchers and/or Arthurian enthusiasts.

    While this particular ancestral page is already filled with links and speculations along with stories and literal possibilities, I have no intention of coming to any kind of definitive conclusion. I already have far more information than I need for The Second Wife’s Story, so I will continue to add to King Arthwys’ page as I go but I won’t be adding much more than I already have.

    It has been a great journey, but it’s time for me to get back to Mary’s story. I hope that Historians, Arthurians, and knights of the Round Table will find much to add to their repertoire of evidence. If you find any more than you already have, please leave me a comment. I would seriously love to see more inroads leading to definitive answers.

    I really don’t know if I’ve added anything new, but it’s all new to me, but I still have to know! I’m looking for the bottle that says “drink” me; it’s time for me to get back to The Second Wife’s Story.

  • To Think I Thought Cymric History was Boring

    To Think I Thought Cymric History was Boring

    Why I Couldn’t do Wednesday, but I Could do Wales

    I took so long trying to force myself to finish a post about my first day in Austria 2019, that I couldn’t focus on finishing my organization of Mary Davis’s family in Wales. And I must admit that I had an ongoing battle between King Arthur, King Henry VII, King Einion, and a handful of other Welsh kings that The Second Wife’s Story was getting lost. To be honest, I just could not find enough interest in the Cymry until my epiphany in June of last year. I needed to find those kings to make a connection to the family that Mary Davis, the Second Wife, came from.

    But now I can’t stop myself going down the British rabbit hole, so at midnight last night, I decided to divide my hyperactive focus into landing pages, so I could publish it and come back to it later if I needed to. That way I can get Mary out of Wales and into her adventure across the ocean.

    If you are a Davis family descendant, a fan of King Arthur, interested in the Tudor Dynasty, or just a fan of British history like I thought I was but really wasn’t until I learned the truth about the Brits, then you’ll find some fun in digging into stuff about King Arthur, King Henry VII, King Einion, and other medieval kings. Beginning with King Arthwys ap Mar. I’d love to get your input to see if you can see what I’m seeing, or you can tell me I’m just seeing things.

    You will be notified every time a new page or an update is added to my quickly growing database, including my Wednesday focus on The Second Wife’s Story coming on Wednesdays in the near future. You should see King Arthwys ap Mar/Mor’s page by Monday, and hopefully my bridge to chapter one on Wednesday! Thanks for reading/ See you then!

  • Epiphany Part II

    Epiphany Part II

    About that Industrial Revolution . . .

    A few months ago, I began researching and preparing to re-open Stories from The Past with a fully fleshed out version of The Second Wife’s Story written written as a series of posts to be prepared for publication by 2027. As I neared the end of 2025, and the holidays approached, I found it necessary to focus on home and family for a few weeks. . I had come to the end of my research topics and was already organizing the very large set of files into chapters and putting details into the timeline. I wasn’t worried, though, by November I only had to tie up a few loose ends and thought I could take my time doing it.

    I planned my new year beginning with my Epiphany post and clarification. The Rebirth of Stories From the Past was set to begin on the Christian Holy Day of Epiphany because the connection between finding something important and the significance of the day were filed in my memory waiting to be fleshed out some January when I would explain the connection. Thanks to the 2025 “Super-flu” which extended into the new year, that post was only partially completed and not in the least well-explained when it automatically posted without my knowledge, a day late.

    Oops.

    To be fair, I was on my third week of battling the aforementioned flu and I still didn’t know I had it. I just thought I had overdone it, bringing on a vestibular migraine that that reused to go away and was steadily getting worse. On top of that, I thought I had caught a bad cold. In fact, on the very day my Epiphany post published, I was in the emergency room with a mindboggling set of symptoms. When you’re that sick, you don’t know to think of course I have the flu!

    So the holidays came and went with their usual fanfare thanks to the fact that I’d prepared well, but The Second Wife’s Story and blogging were left untouched. By the time I knew I had the flu it was too late for all of that. I just figured I’d get caught up when I finally started feeling better and thinking straight.

    That was yesterday; the day I found the accidental Epiphany post.

    You might be wondering what Epiphany has to do with Mary Davis. I’ll have to say a whole lot and not much at all, depending on how you look at it.

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    As far as Mary’s story is concerned, my epiphany was just those two words: Industrial Revolution. It was the sudden realization that Mary’s life was inextricably and intimately linked to the beginning and end of the first of several industrial revolutions. My research following that first epiphany led me down the proverbial rabbit hole, but the continuing epiphanies coming out of that one revelation, led me to understand Mary better, and even more importantly, the human conditions leading the Skeen Family, and later the Davis family, down the Mormon Trail. Six months later I had my story from beginning to end.

    The day of Epiphany showed up as the perfect day to revive Stories From the Past along with a lost tradition, so I focused on that day. Unfortunately my body had other ideas and the day came and went. But I’m back now and only a couple of weeks behind.

    I guess I’ll have to flesh out a new Epiphany post next holiday season. I’m not even sure if it will post to this particular blog. (I have others.) I’ll be sure to link it to Stories From the Past for those who want to follow along.

    As far as the Industrial Revolution and it’s accompanying epiphanies go, I’ll have that list along with my plans for Stories From the Past ready for preview next week.

    Thanks for sticking with me. It’s good to be back!