THE story of centenarian Katherine Rackett, who now lives in Ruislip, was discovered by Findmypast in the recently-launched 1921 Census of England and Wales.
Katherine, 101, was then living with her mother and sister, as well as her father, though he worked away from home.
She was one year old when the Census was taken. Her grandparents lived next door to her.
They had land on which they kept animals, which meant Katherine grew up with dogs, cats, a cow, a horse, rabbits, ferrets, goats and more
Her mother nearly died from the Spanish flu after World War One and one of her father’s brothers did succumb to it.
Life in the 1920s she describes as pleasant for a child, boring for a teenager, and very, very hard for adults.
Where she grew up, near Staines, there was hardly any work as it was mostly rural and her father struggled to find a job.
At her school, there was hardly any sanitation, and plenty of illness. In her first three terms, she had mumps, measles, chicken pox and German measles.
She is fascinated by the 1921 Census as she has always been interested in collecting her family’s histories.
Indeed, her advice for future generations is: don’t forget the history of the world and your own family’s past.
The census is available online only at findmypast.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here