iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Page one of Mary's 1860 recipe book isn't a cake. It's how to keep the woollen moth out of your blankets: cloves, rhubarb, cedar shavings, tied in a bag. A recipe book was never only about food. tinyurl.com/frkhcpx2 #VictorianHistory #FamilyHistory #socialhistory

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Any women in your #OnePlaceStudies who were “neither wives nor widows” as a result of being deserted by their husbands? What were their stories? #OnePlaceWednesday

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I've goven up with hard drives and their corruption episodes...

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

ooh exciting, I love it when the stars align 🎉

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Old school, but I love it. Whatever gets it done!

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Nothing better than time with children. Hope you get back for some work soon🙂

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Deserted in 1859, denied divorce by the court, Mary Allott spent fifty years as neither wife nor widow, a status Victorian law had no word for. Her recipe book is where she kept going. Prelaunch open now, follow to be notified. tinyurl.com/frkhcpx2 #VictorianHistory #GenHour #AncestryHour

The front cover of a Victorian notebook. The boards are covered in brown and dark-green marbled paper, heavily worn, with pale flecks where the surface has rubbed away and a torn patch at the lower right corner. A plain, darkened spine runs down the left edge, scuffed with age, with two small pink marks near its foot.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Mary Allott was deserted by her husband in 1859, aged twenty-three. She opened a notebook that spring and wrote in it for the next fifty-two years. Three volumes recovering her life now on Kickstarter prelaunch page live now www.kickstarter.com/projects/hel... #GenHour #AncestryHour #WomensHistory

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Mary: A Victorian Life Recovered in Three Books

The Recipe Book · Her Life · The Victorian Kitchen

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Society of Genealogists @sogorg.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

🕓 Dr Colin Chapman – Your Ancestors, Population & Birth Control portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/2... Come for the genealogy. Stay for the air conditioning. 😎 #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #GenHour

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Society of Genealogists @sogorg.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

#GenHour 🥵 Too hot to think? Escape the heatwave with the coolest family history day in London! ❄️ Join us on 6 Aug in our air-conditioned, canalside Resource Hub (or Zoom) for 2 talks: @davelifelines.bsky.social Lying Bastards: Exploring the Impact of Illegitimacy portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/2...

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Thank you, Devizes. Last night I spoke to the Wiltshire Family History Society about my father, Harry, and what hospital separation did to children of his generation. The feedback this morning: people taking it home to their own families. He asked me to tell it. Last night it was heard.🙏 #GenHour

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

In 1937 my father, aged two, was taken from his mother at a hospital appointment. Seven weeks before she saw him again. Tomorrow I’m in Devizes Wiltshire Family History Society, Nursteed Centre, Nursteed Road, Devizes SN10 3AH on what separations did to children. Free, open to all, 7.30pm. #Devizes

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

A 1935 directory listed where Britain sent its disabled children. It recorded the hospital it sent Harry aged 2 to in 1937. It had no line for the steel cot, the toy he wasn't allowed, the mother who couldn't follow. What the records kept & what they left out: tinyurl.com/f378bczf #GenHour

tinyurl.com

1935 Directory of Orthopaedic Institutions for Family History

The 1935 Directory of Orthopaedic Institutions shows where Britain sent its disabled children. It can help you trace an ancestor's hospital.

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Rebecca Stanley @genealogrebecca.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

As a reminder for #GenHour.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Before antibiotics, bovine tuberculosis destroyed children's bones across Britain. They were taken from their families, left outside in all weathers. No toys. No books. No education. 'Yet' tells one child's story. It has just won a Silver from the Nonfiction Book Awards. #FamilyHistory #GenHour #TB

Nonfiction Book Awards Silver Winner seal alongside the cover of 'Yet' by Helen Parker-Drabble, featuring vintage photographs of children in hospital beds and on crutches.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

A two-year-old pulled from his mother's arms at a hospital appointment. Years in plaster. Told he would never amount to anything. He proved them wrong. Harry's story is in the May issue of @whodoyouthinkyouare — four pages, on sale now. #FamilyHistory #WDYTYA #Genealogy #GenHour #Ancestry

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Happy 141st birthday, Grandad. Walter Parker was born 18 April 1885 into a family shaped by loss. I loved him, but he was distant. It took a decadee of research to understand why. I wrote a book about it. helenparkerdrabble.com/books/a-vict... #FamilyHistory #VictorianHistory #GenHour

Vintage black-and-white family photograph taken around 1974 showing Walter Parker, wearing glasses, a shirt, and a waistcoat, holding his rescue cat, Felix, beside his smiling granddaughter. She is wearing a hand-knitted cardigan, homemade skirt, daisy-patterned blouse, and white knee-high socks. They are standing in a narrow brick passage between traditional two-up, two-down houses on Edmund Street in central Sheffield, Yorkshire.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

In 1937, a two-year-old boy was admitted to a Sheffield hospital and spent much of his childhood there. He carried the shame for decades. Tonight I'm presenting his story at an international conference. Sign up for free chapters + 30% off my eBooks: tinyurl.com/3rhck37j #familyhistory #genhour #TB

A black and white photo of Harry Drabble, aged about 18 months old, wearing a hand knitted jumper, sat in a bright toy red metal car.

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

A Few Forgotten Women @afewforgottenwomen.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Would you like to help with our next research project? #WomensHistory #FamilyHistory #Genealogy www.fewforgottenwomen.com/post/forgott...

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

‘I Can’t ... Yet’. How a Collaborative Family Narrative Transformed Understanding of Childhood Institutionalisation. 1 of many presentations. 'Narratives of Impact: Connection & Belonging' is a free conference 2 April, in person + online. tinyurl.com/mw54jnjs #GenHour #FamilyHistory #AncestryHour

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Before antibiotics, thousands of British children vanished into hospitals for years. Cold wards. No toys. No parents. Their suffering was policy. 'Yet' tells their story. 🔵 tinyurl.com/2794f9zw #GenHour #DisabilityHistory #AncestryHour #FamilyHistory #Genealogy

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Stories passed between generations can create belonging. 'Narratives of Impact' is a free conference 2 April, in person + online, and may be worth signing up for. Worth registering, especially if sessions are recorded. I'm presenting. tinyurl.com/mw54jnjs #GenHour #FamilyHistory #AncestryHour

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

CW: Victorian medical misogyny Diagnosis for disobedient women: hysteria. 'Treatment': forced institutionalisation, sedation, loss of rights. When Mary pursued divorce, she risked 'mad' label. Victorian medicine pathologised resistance. helenparkerdrabble.com/coming-soon-... #VictorianHistory

helenparkerdrabble.com

Mary: A Victorian Life Recovered in Three Books - Helen Parker-Drabble | Author | Speaker | Former counsellor | Family historian

Victorian recipe book biography: Mary Allott's true story of abandonment, scandal & survival through 280+ recipes in 1860s Sheffield. Women's history meets culinary archaeology.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Victorian law: women were incubators. Before 1839: Fathers had ABSOLUTE custody rights. Mothers had NONE. Children belonged to him. Small reforms 1839 & 1873: → Mothers could petition → BUT only if they proved 'moral fitness' → Fathers still presumed fit tinyurl.com/3faz9fah #VictorianHistory

tinyurl.com

Mary: A Victorian Life Recovered in Three Books - Helen Parker-Drabble | Author | Speaker | Former counsellor | Family historian

Victorian recipe book biography: Mary Allott's true story of abandonment, scandal & survival through 280+ recipes in 1860s Sheffield. Women's history meets culinary archaeology.

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Remembering Mum, Doreen Drabble 😭 (1938-2002) on the eve of 88th birthday. I felt closer to her when I writing about her in my my book about Dad, 'Yet' A Story of Triumph Over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability. Now I feel the loss of them both again. Taken too soon, sorely missed. 💔

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

1861 census: Mary 'married'—but alone. Husband in NZ with mistress. Son with paternal grandmother. Christiana later testified AGAINST Mary in court. Victorian 'support' = men in control. helenparkerdrabble.com/coming-soon-... #VictorianHistory #Genealogy

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The 1861 census showed Mary Allott as 'married'. Her husband? New Zealand. Her eldest son? Living with his grandmother streets away. Mary's story shows us the pain. 'The Recipe Book That Sustained a Life' coming soon. Find out more and join the waitlist helenparkerdrabble.com/coming-soon-...

Black-and-white fashion plate showing a young woman standing facing forward, wearing a wide crinoline-style skirt and a coordinating mantle or shawl. The skirt has a pale hem decorated with evenly spaced ribbon bows, while the darker overskirt and mantle are edged with deep pleated trim. The woman’s hands are clasped at her waist over the mantle, and she wears a striped, high-necked bodice beneath. Her hair is dressed close to the head, and the image is framed by the printed caption “SUMMER DRESS AND MANTLE” with the publication title “THE FASHIONS AND PRACTICAL DRESS INSTRUCTOR” at the top. helenparkerdrabble.com

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

"First Class Seed Cake (Splendid)" Mary documented belonging in her personal recipe book after her husband abandoned her in 1859. From fashionable Sharrow. Expensive sugar. Luxury lemon. Not cooking. Proof of worth. helenparkerdrabble.com/coming-soon-marybio #FoodHistory #Victorian #Sheffield

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Women's History Network @womenshistnet.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

To mark Disability History Month, explore how women’s experiences have shaped disability history and why they must be counted. Read Dr Coreen McGuire’s article for the Women’s History Network: womenshistorynetwork.org/making-women... #DisabilityHistoryMonth #WomensHistory #Inclusion #Accessibility

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Women's History Network @womenshistnet.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Now released – watch Gossip! East Anglia, 1584: A young woman in labour, guided by midwives, faces a greater danger beyond childbirth. Directed by Hannah Renton, part of the Birth Rites Collection. Watch worldwide: www.birthritescollection.org.uk/gossip-fullf... (£1.99 fee supports the artist).

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Feeling stuck? Reflecting on my goals keeps me grounded: 📚 Print family history books. 🧠 Protect my mental health through purpose. 👀 Explore family history through a psychological lens. 🐄 Raise awareness of bovine TB. 💡 Shine the light on mid-Victorian women. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #GenHour

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Society of Genealogists @sogorg.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

#GenHour - Secure 2026 genealogy courses at 2025 prices: book by 31 Dec + early-booker bonuses Advancing Your DNA Skills: portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1... Crime & Punishment for Family Historians: portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1... Family History Skills – Stage 1: portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...

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Helen Parker-Drabble @helenpdrabble.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

#GenHour I was at Sheffield's Christmas Victorian Market last weekend in full Victorian costume. Great to speak to so many family historians.

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Reposted by Helen Parker-Drabble

Society of Genealogists @sogorg.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Hi #GenHour! Are you beginning to feel festive?🎄 Join us for three festive events! Explore the family secrets of Brown’s Hotel, discover what Jane Austen ate at Christmas, and uncover rich stories in The Gentleman’s Magazine. Join us online for history, flavour & seasonal cheer!

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