The Jollyman Letters: project progress January 2017
George Millman
The Jollyman Letters Project is making great progress.
All the letters are now transcribed, so I have a better idea of the material I have to work with.
I’ve decided to focus on getting three books published first, including The Jollyman Letters, of course, as it’s now one hundred years since World War I, so the subject is particularly topical and anyway I consider it the most important book in the series.
The other two books will be The Hansford Letters and The Millman Letters, which tell the story of Mary Hansford and George Millman, my favourite ancestors, before and after their marriage. It’s an engaging romance, both funny and sad, set on the sunny Isle of Wight and in grimy Victorian London.
The books will be published out of chronological order, as each book will stand alone and some cover different families during the same period. All the books are planned now, and I’ve decided to include other aspects of my research into the background of our family history, which I hope will give the books appeal to readers outside my immediate family.
The Young Letters will include details of the expansion of Methodism on the Isle of Wight, life there in Victorian times and the Island’s history in general.
The Hansford Letters will have more about Victorian seaside holidays, various places such as Ventnor and Brading on the Isle of Wight and other topics.
The Millman Letters will include some of the history of the London City Mission, as George’s father, James Millman, worked for the LCM for many years.
The Cornock Letters is about our family’s travels, so it will include some of the history of Bristol, the tobacco trade and details of emigration by sailing ship to Australia and South Africa.
The Jollyman Letters will contain extra information about English life on the Home Front in the First World War, conscription, the wartime postal service, etc.
The Honeyspoon Letters will have more about the area around Lynton in Devon and country life in the 1920s.
The Paice Letters will cover experiences during the Siege of Malta in World War II.
The Story of Ashley: a Billericay House will include details of the history of Billericay in Essex.
The next step is to complete my research into the Jollyman, Millman and Hansford families. Any excuse for a trip to my beloved Isle of Wight!
