#deadsleuth
As a child Tee loved to shock others with the tale that she had been abandoned at birth by gypsies and raised with kindly mice in the crypt of an old church.
Alas! Tee was born and raised in the ancient and ghostly City of York – a Yorky who lives by the ethos that all is well with the world is there is a book, a decent cup of tea and a bar of chocolate to hand.
A dreamer from birth with a taste for history, a curious mind and the irresistible urge to create and write – Tee was bitten by the genealogy bug as a teenager.
Tee was blessed with an amazing paternal grandfather who cherished his ancestral links to his homeland in the County of Essex and who would share wonderful memories of his childhood in the ‘Dick Turpin Cottage’ in the small town of Thaxted.
And, over tea and delicious homemade cake, Tee’s maternal grandmother with her phenomenal memory would happily regale her with a myriad of tales about the Dalby and Edeson families from York and the Tibbett clan all living, loving and squabbling within their adoptive land of Scarborough in North Yorkshire.
Much to the horror of Tee’s parents – this delightful woman also encouraged Tee’s passion for cemeteries and as she sought out yet another ancestral grave in a local graveyard – her grandmother would inevitably nudge her towards the right path.
Tee is usually to be found buried within an archive somewhere or pottering among the tombstones with camera in hand.
Cake remains an essential research tool.
the graveyard squirrel
Have you ever heard the one about how there are only two things that are certain to us?
The first one being that we are all subject to some form of taxation and the second is that one day we WILL all die.
As a genealogical researcher Tee’s time is usually spent grappling with the mystery of death.
And if she is not in search of a missing ancestor or researching another life long lost to history – Tee will be poring over the details of a newly discovered death certificate or trawling through the parish records in search of a burial entry.
Being able to locate the final resting place of those from Tee’s research endeavours has always been an important task and an unsuccessful search is disappointing as the final piece of the jigsaw remains missing.
Tee shares the tales and triumphs of family history and of her wanderings among the tombstones in search of the unquiet dead at The Graveyard Squirrel.
However, if you struggle with the thought of death – Tee’s world is probably NOT for you!
The Polite Tourist
QUESTION:
What kind of mischief could possibly be unleashed by one lowly professional genealogist and grave hunter with an unseemly fascination with the history of death; a passion for Victorian true crime, the tales of long forgotten folk and a love of storytelling?
ANSWER:
She becomes a company founder and solopreneur!
As the founder of The Polite Tourist in the spring of 2022 – Tee has been waking the dead who flirted with criminality in the Victorian era while creating a calendar of innovative, and meticulously researched true crime walks through the City of York.
And with the peeling back of the murky shadows of a seaside town’s criminal past – a stroll through the old cobbled streets in search of Scarborough’s long forgotten dead with The Polite Tourist now beckons to the curious.
And those tales of brothel-keepers, prostitutes, drunks, pick-pockets and other assorted criminals who once lay claim to the unquiet avenues, lanes and terraces of Leeds, Glasgow and London await the curious too!
#stillsleuthing
With the enthusiastic continuum of professional development along with the evolution of The Dead Sleuth brand – Tee’s research in progress includes:
The stories of prostitutes from the Victorian era in YORK, SCARBORO’, HULL, LEEDS and GLASGOW.
A study of the history of Female Penitentiaries from YORK, SCARBORO’, HULL, LEEDS and GLASGOW.
A study of the the surname HITCHING for the Guild of One-Name Studies.
The social history of the coastal town of SCARBOROUGH in North Yorkshire for the Society of One-Place Studies.
The life of CHARLES TOFT NEWSTEAD (1836-1900)
You can find Tee at the Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild and The Public Speakers Corner.
Tee is a member of a number of Local History Societies including Clement Hall History Group, East Yorkshire Family History, The Family & Community Historical Research Society and Heritage Hunters.
She is also a volunteer taphophile and genealogist in residence for the City of York & District Family History Society.
the dead sleuth
ANCESTRAL HEALING:
Passionate about the benefits of Ancestral Healing – Tee now works alongside those who are seeking to understand, reveal and free inherited grief and trauma from their family histories.
PUBLIC SPEAKING AND PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE:
Social History of Tradition and Death
The Victorian Celebration of Death
Symbolism and Language of Graveyards
The History of the Victorian Penitentiary
Victorian Crime in York and Beyond
FAMILY HISTORY COACHING:
Are you interested in adding some leaves to your family tree but don’t know where to begin?
Or have some of the leaves on your family tree fallen and you’re unsure how to continue?
leave your card?
To consult with Tee about genealogy or family history, chat about her research in progress, make an enquiry concerning her diary of upcoming talks and walks or to book a TEE TALK – use the message board below:
