A $3 Basket...

..purchased at the Dollar Store yesterday led to so much more...

I have found baskets to be useful and attractive for various objects in different rooms in my home.  My thoughts after arranging this one went to an ancestor whose occupation was listed as a Basket Maker.

 Stephen Oldcorn  born in 1841 in Preston Patrick, Westmorland, England.  A third cousin 3x removed. He and his wife Alice Dowker had seven children and moved later to Great Broughton in Lancashire.

This led me to a Google search for Stephen and I found him on a list of Basket-makers on  Romany Connections, What? could I possibly have Gypsy Blood coursing through my veins. 

Memories came flooding back.  When I was a child and the Gypsy's came to town  parents would threaten to give away mis behaving children to them.   Another experience I personally had was when serving my LDS Mission in England.  I answered the door one day to find an older Gypsy Woman selling Daffodil's.  I didn't buy any.  Then she asked me if I had any old winter boots I could give her.  I told her I was sorry but the only boots I had were the boots I was wearing.  She got a little upset wanted me to take them off and give them to her, when I refused she put a "curse" on me and angrily walked away.  I went back inside and told my Missionary Companion we had better work really hard this afternoon we have a curse to remove.

A few years ago I  submitted my DNA to be tested for family history purposes and the results were interesting.  They indicated on my mothers side that my genes also were present in the tribes from the European Mountain Areas (wish I could find the actual letter, I have filed it away in a very safe place).

So, if cousin Stephen was not given to the Gypsy's as a naughty child I have concluded that after reading the history of Gypsy's and putting it together with my DNA results I could very well have some of the same blood in my veins!

Vincent van Gogh painted in 1888.