Bio
Hello,
You’re in the right place if:
1. You are fascinated by Victorian English village life
2. You want to deepen your understanding of an ancestor’s life.
3. You have questions about how trauma, alcoholism, or physical and mental illness might have affected your forebears
4. You’re looking for examples of family history in print
For occasional exclusive content why not sign up for the ‘Who Do I Think You Were? email list by clicking the ‘FREE First 2 chapters of A Victorian’s Ineritance’ button above.
What will you get?
- Occasional free resources
- I will answer any questions you have about the themes in A Victorian’s Inheritance or writing family history. Just send your question to: helen@helenparkerdrabble.com
- I will give you updates, images, or exclusive appetisers from the series Who Do I Think You Were?
- I will enter you into any giveaways I run
- You will be the first to know when I release other books in the series
About Helen
I’m a lifelong explorer of social history, a weaver of factual family tales, and hold a Diploma in counselling. Fascinated by psychological theory and the stories we develop to make sense of ourselves and our family, my original quest was to understand my Victorian grandfather, Walter Parker, born in 1885 in the English village of Upwell on the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border. Walter migrated to Canada in 1907.
During my research, a transgenerational legacy of loss, trauma, anxiety, and depression unravelled. It revealed repeated patterns of behaviour that I too had unwittingly passed on. This discovery helped me understand my work’s focus. As a geneatherapist my mission is to share historical and current theories around mental health, psychology, and neuroscience to help you answer your question, ‘Who Do I Think You Were?’ so you can connect and deepen your understanding of your ancestors for the benefit of present and future generations. It is through acknowledging and exploring these patterns that you can develop a deeper understanding of those who came before you and pass on a healthier legacy. I believe family history doesn’t survive unless it’s in print, so I pondered how to share what I had learnt. Inspired by the few trailblazers, I set out to write an engaging and accessible book that would not only explore working-class life in an English village, but could encourage other family historians to pass on what they have painstakingly discovered. The best thing about publishing a book is connecting with readers who share a passion for family history, psychology, or mental health. So, I would be delighted if you sent me an email to say, ‘Hi’, or to share something you’ve discovered about your family. Alternatively, why not tell me of any interesting research you come across? My email address is helen@helenparkerdrabble.com. I hope to hear from you.
Take care,
Helen
PS You can find more ways to contact me here.
I was honoured by an invitation to talk about my grandfather at the Thorney Heritage 30th anniversary celebration in the Bedford Hall, Thorney in 2017.
For this event, I presented a shorter piece about my grandfather, entitled A Boy in the Tank Yard, and was privileged to contribute Walter’s profile to the museum’s ‘Profile of Notable People’ touch screen, sound and vision display. Other speakers included:
Dr Rebecca Browett (University of Kent)—Topic: St Aethelwold of Winchester
Professor Patricia Fara (University of Cambridge)—Topic: History of Science (Mary Smith—1770 Commonplace book)
I think Walter would be perplexed to see that his childhood home now houses the Thorney Museum, but I like to think he would be quietly pleased.
Although A Victorian’s Inheritance began as a personal project, the resulting research is of relevance to:
- anyone wanting to explore how experiences can be inherited
- descendants intrigued by what can be passed from one generation to another
- those interested in their ancestors’ mental health
- people curious about how Victorian working-class society shaped the minds and bodies of their ancestors
- those with roots in an English village
- anyone exploring Victorian life
- or those with a connection to Thorney or Upwell.
About Helen
I’m a lifelong explorer of social history, a weaver of factual family tales, and hold a Diploma in counselling. Fascinated by psychological theory and the stories we develop to make sense of ourselves and our family, my original quest was to understand my Victorian grandfather, Walter Parker, born in 1885 in the English village of Upwell on the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border. Walter migrated to Canada in 1907.
During my research, a transgenerational legacy of loss, trauma, anxiety, and depression unravelled. It revealed repeated patterns of behaviour that I too had unwittingly passed on. This discovery helped me understand my work’s focus. As a geneatherapist my mission is to share historical and current theories around mental health, psychology, and neuroscience to help you answer your question, ‘Who Do I Think You Were?’ so you can connect and deepen your understanding of your ancestors for the benefit of present and future generations.
It is through acknowledging and exploring these patterns that you can develop a deeper understanding of those who came before you and pass on a healthier legacy.
I believe family history doesn’t survive unless it’s in print, so I pondered how to share what I had learnt. Inspired by the few trailblazers, I set out to write an engaging and accessible book that would not only explore working-class life in an English village but could encourage other family historians to pass on what they have painstakingly discovered.
The best thing about publishing a book is connecting with readers who share a passion for family history, psychology, or mental health. So, I would be delighted if you sent me an email to say, ‘Hi’, or to share something you’ve discovered about your family. Alternatively, why not tell me of any interesting research you come across? My email address is: helen@helenparkerdrabble.com.
I hope to hear from you.
Take care,
Helen
PS You can find more ways to contact me here.
I was honoured by an invitation to talk about my grandfather at the Thorney Heritage 30th anniversary celebration in the Bedford Hall, Thorney in 2017.
For this event, I presented a shorter piece about my grandfather, entitled A Boy in the Tank Yard, and was privileged to contribute Walter’s profile to the museum’s ‘Profile of Notable People’ touch screen, sound and vision display. Other speakers included:
Dr Rebecca Browett (University of Kent)—Topic: St Aethelwold of Winchester
Professor Patricia Fara (University of Cambridge)—Topic: History of Science (Mary Smith—1770 Commonplace book)
I think Walter would be perplexed to see that his childhood home now houses the Thorney Museum, but I like to think he would be quietly pleased.
Although A Victorian’s Inheritance began as a personal project, the resulting research is of relevance to:
- anyone wanting to explore how experiences can be inherited
- descendants intrigued by what can be passed from one generation to another
- those interested in their ancestors’ mental health
- people curious about how Victorian working-class society shaped the minds and bodies of their ancestors
- those with roots in an English village
- anyone exploring Victorian life
- or those with a connection to Thorney or Upwell.
If you would like to read the first two chapters of A Victorian’s Inheritance for free, please join my email list by click on the ‘FREE two chapters’ button at the top of the page. If you sign up, I will also drop you an occasional update including images, information, exclusive titbits, or free prize draws related to my series Who Do I Think You Were? You can unsubscribe at any time.
