WREXHAM, WALES UK - NOVEMBER 2023
RATTLESDEN, ENGLAND - AUGUST 2022
RATTLESDEN, SUFFOLK ENGLAND 2022
My Visit to Rattlesden, England (Birth Place of My 8th Great Grandfather - Capt. Thomas Munson b. 1612)
Growing up, even until I was in my 50”s, I never knew much about my family’s history.
My Father never mentioned many details about his Mother, Elizabeth Munson Jolicoeur, or her family’s history.
My brother, sister and I only knew my parents were from Litchfield, CT and my grandparents had a lovely old home there. Where we spent wonderful Summers. My Grandfather, Leo Jolicoeur, was a retired postmaster and his wife, Elizabeth (Munson), spoiled us with ice creams, homemade baked goods and special outings to her favorite department store and the delightful luncheon room there.
So many fun family get-togethers happened in the backyard of that old home on Camp Dutton Road. The huge backyard, with almost unnaturally green, soft grass and the endless hours of badminton, croquet and John Deer tractor rides we enjoyed.
Finally, about 6 years ago, I got to know more about the history of that old house and how it came to be. My niece, Jessica, had become a Mom and she started researching our family history. Almost immediately, she discovered on the Munson side, we have a really rich history in America. She shared this amazing research with me and I became fixated on learning more.
My deep dive into this fact finding mission involved many evenings being sucked into the rabbit hole that is Ancestry.com Working backwards from my DAR Patriot, which was also something new to me that Jessica uncovered, Daniel Munson (b.1745-Clan Theodophilis).
I quickly discovered my Grandmother Elizabeth’s family “tree” was, indeed, rich and tangled deeply into the past 400+ years here in America. I was keen to find as much information as I could. Especially, when it came to Capt. Thomas Munson, my 8th Great Grandfather. I read everything I could get my hands on, including both volumes of “The Munson Record (A Genealogical And Biographical Account of Captain Thomas Munson)”, which took awhile, with all of it in such a small type.
What amazed me most about the story was the bravery it took to leave England on a small wooden ship to cross the Atlantic in the 1630’s. And questions, did the ship leave from Ipswich or was it in fact The Elizabeth that departed via The River Thames (Stay tuned, later in the story, a fun by chance meeting with a lovely young shopkeeper at a Bury St. Edmund’s wine shop from Rattlesden that shares a fascinating story from his great grandmother, about the depth of the Rat River that runs through Rattlesden).
I kept wondering, where in England is Rattlesden? How long have the Munsons been there? How can I get there?
After much research and planning, on August 4th, 2022, I boarded a plane, Heathrow bound, from my home in Tampa Bay. I landed the next day and was ready to roll. Literally. I headed to pick up my rental car, which in hindsight may have been a questionable decision. Having limited sleep on the flight and now looking at a 2 hour drive, on what (to me) was the wrong side of the road. Enterprise seemed to think I was up to it. They handed me the keys and I figured if they have faith in me, time to get going.
Thankfully, I found myself on major highways most of the 100 miles. After perfecting my ability to remember to pass cars on the RIGHT (not the left), 4 Cokes, half bag of Gummy Bears and about 2 hours I had reached my destination!
Some logistical information about a visit to Rattlesden. The small Village is easily accessible from highway A14. It is 11 miles south of Bury St. Edmunds and 18 miles north of Ipswich.
I chose to stay in Ipswich for the 3 nights I was there. Stayed at a really awesome Holiday Inn with full amenities and shockingly reasonably priced. When I arrived, it was late afternoon so I checked in, had a great bite to eat in the lobby pub and then slept 9 hours. I woke up early on a wonderful Saturday morning to go see this mystical place, Rattlesden.
The moment I got off at the A14 exit taking me to Rattlesden, I was laughing. Every vista, every hill, the grass, the little farms looked just like every part of Litchfield County, CT I had ever seen. I was laughing from shock. Once I got to the center of the village, there was a convenient small parking area. (The photo of the phone booth was right at that little gravel car park). My first mission was to go visit St. Nicholas Church where my 8th Great Grandfather was Baptized in 1612. Some photos are included. And have I mentioned yet, on this August morning, Rattlesden even smelled just like Litchfield, CT on a crisp Summer morning.
Now, as I was nosing around trying to figure out how to enter the Church, I could not even make this next part up. The Church's young Vicar came walking up the hill toward the Church. We introduced ourselves and I explained my genealogical quest and he explained that he was on his way to do his morning prayer and asked if I would like to join him. Yes, I immediately knew that was my only possible answer. The prayer time was wonderful. I was so thankful he handed me a Book of Prayer, with the ribbons in the correct places. We said our farewells and I walked down the hill to do some more inspecting of this delightful hamlet.
My next stop, and the only business open so far that morning, the charming Rattlesden Community Shop. This place was so lovely. The small shop had all the necessities. Milk, breads, cakes, candies, chips, sodas, toiletries, postcards, a post office and again, just like something you would find in the Town Commons in Litchfield. The sweet older woman volunteering at the shop that morning was so kind and helpful. We chatted and she explained that my next stop that morning must be the Saturday Market in Bury St. Edmunds. It is very special, she said. Which turned out to be no exaggeration. This Saturday Market had been occurring at the location for over a thousand years. Wow.
As I pulled out of the car park there in Rattlesden and headed towards Bury St. Edmunds, my mind was swimming from what I had just experienced.
I had always been certain that my 8th Great Grandfather must have felt strongly about whatever it was that made him leave England. To cross the unforgiving Atlantic in a small wooden vessel. That fact that he did this, makes me so proud. And I now know why he worked and fought so hard once he arrived in America. God not only made sure he arrived here safely but made sure he found Connecticut. Where he and his family would feel perfectly at home.
Now the funny Bury St Edmund’s anecdote.
The Saturday Morning Market in Bury St. Edmund’s is indeed amazing.
Stalls with everything you can imagine. Including electronics these days. The other thing about the town, so many great shops and restaurants. As I was wrapping up my visit that afternoon, I found a cute wine shop. A young man at the shop helped me pick out some bottles. As we were chatting he asked what brought me to Suffolk. I explained my “mission” and my earlier visit that morning to Rattlesden. He then let me know he is from Rattlesden. I added how cute I thought the village shop was. He then laughed and explained the woman working in the shop that morning was his grandmother.
That’s so Bananas I thought!. We both laughed. As we closed our conversation, I mentioned theories about my 8th Great Grandfather’s trip to America. He let me know that his great grandmother used to talk about how much deeper and wider that the Rat River that runs through Rattlesden used to be. And maybe his initial adventure began there.
I would highly recommend this trip to anyone 🙂
