This monument is a puzzling one and it has sent me deep into the internet to find clues and answers but this research has brought up more questions and confusion. I struggle with:
- a sculptor with a surname in 2 different variations
- a statue which may be Faith or Hope
- an alleged father-in-law who is actually a stepfather but the father-in-law of another character in this story
- a distant relative buried there as well but with missing information on the monument
- a link which doesn't lead to the promised (and much coveted!!!) details (at least it didn't link to a dubious website either. It was "just" a wrong link but how very frustrating, really!!!)
And the most baffling one!!!!
- the information given on the monument about the person for whom it was erected in the first place
I spent hour upon hour to sift through many websites and blogs to collect information. Sadly most bloggers don't lay their cards open
where they found their info. This is a problem for me. Why? Because anyone can write anything and present it as fact. Without naming a source or reference, it simply can be the case of one blogger just copying content from another. I am sceptical about this. Finally I did find an original source. Now, I am not saying this is gospel nor that this source is entirely reliable and the ultimate truth. What I am saying though ~ at least it is an original source.
It is fun to collect all the bits and pieces but it can also be frustrating. Cause the internet does have its limits. I was looking for a specific edition of the London Illustrated News and I failed. Several numbers of that old newspaper I did find but not the one I needed :( To access certain online resources, you either need to be a member of a specific library (which I am not) or you need to register somewhere and get a paid membership (which I won't, not for blog research).
When my last weekend came to a close, I had downloaded pdf files, saved pictures, wrote down URLs, pieced together screenshots. Figuratively speaking I had just opened the box of the jigsaw puzzle, had scattered about the pieces and tried to find the 4 corner pieces to make a start. I guess these 4 corner pieces could be the 4 people buried there, how is that for a start?
- Elizabeth Emma Soyer, née Jones (1813–1842)
- Alexis Bénoit Soyer (4 February 1810 – 5 August 1858)
- Francois Simonau (26 May 1783 - 26 November, 1859)
- Lady Elise Isabelle Watts, née Simonau (10 August 1863 - ??? , maybe 1930)