The Pickax Dream

In my dream (see post of March 26th), the pickax was buried up to the handle collar (the handle lying horizontal on the soil), sharp end down in a recently tilled farm field. It occurs to me that the field may represent Pemberton's hough, and that John Pemberton, blacksmith, of Thornton Hough, may have come into owership of George Pemberton's hough - thus the pick is in the hough. More likely, the pick is in Thornton Hough. The signature mark on the little bit of paper attached to the top end of the pick, must be that of someone linking this John to one of my George's.

I have completed the transcription of the Will of John Pemberton, Blacksmith, of Thornton Hough, 1664, proved 1669 and John gives his wife's name as Margery and his children as John, Robert, William, and Elline. John blacksmith must have been born between 1605 and 1635.

There is a family showing up in the baptisms in St Oswald, Chester, Cheshire of interest here. George Pemberton is the father of these children: George 1640, John 1642, Hester 1643, and Elizabeth 1644. Its about 12 crow miles from Chester to Thorton Hough, which is on the Wirral. Was this son John named after the blacksmith, an uncle maybe? I have to work this a bit. Maybe the father of George the first was a John?

The only record I have found of a Sarah Middleton, who married George Pemberton I, is in Nantwich, 1661, so this George baptised in 1640 would almost have to be George Pemberton the zeroeth, and his father George Pemberton the -1th (if they are indeed in the same lineage).

The Pickax Dream

I actually had the dream three times. Once one night and then twice the next (the 21st of March I think). All it amounted to was a picture. A pickax, like the classical miner would have carried, with the pointed end completely embedded in newly tilled ground and the handle resting full length on the soil. The sort of narrow spade thingy opposite the pointed end is sticking straight up and there is a small piece of paper attached somehow to it. There is something "written" on the paper, and when I get close enough to try to read it, it is just a funny collection of a few curved lines and dots. The marking on the paper seems totally enigmatic to me in the dream, but I am reminded of arabic writing as I recall it later that day, because of the curvy lines below with dots above. I didn't have any idea what to make of it, although as I had the dream I immediately associated it with genealogy.

Part two of this funny little thing, is that while reading the wills today (the ones I received the day after the third dream), when I got down to the bottom of one of them where the "signatures" are and see his mark and notice the dots in it, I am reminded immediately (although these are very different) of the marks on the paper on the tip of the pick axe spade - just because there are some lines and some dots. So you can be sure that I will be on the lookout for a will, or other document that contains the mark I saw on the pick's spade.