#may we spared to meet on earth

[shloodles]

I requested a copy of May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth from my library because its huge and expensive and they accepted it! so I've been working my way through it the past few weeks. many things about this book and these letters make me uncontrollably emotional but nothing nearly so much as harry goodsir's letters. what's really getting to me right now is harry's relationship with his aunt ann taylor on his mother's side. she knit him things, and in one of his letters where he's requesting clothing items from his family for the expedition (I believe it's to his sister) he mentions requesting to have his aunt knit the wooly things for him, since he knows the quality of her work to be better than anything he's seen in the shops in london.

I know genaology is a lot more complicated than this especially when it comes to scottish clans but I'm thinking about how I had a great grandmother who was a Taylor (my little brother was named Taylor for her). back in 2019 I was in a short summer program to study scottish literature in Edinburgh. It was the first time I had ever been out of the country for so long. when I had finished my program, I stayed a while longer and my family came up to visit me. we went to one of those tartan plaid shops (one of the nicer more legit ones but still largely for usamerican tourists like us lol) and they actually had a taylor tartan, despite it being such a small clan!! (they were so small they later merged with the camerons.) my brother and I bought matching taylor scarves...and just the other week, not at ALL knowing what I would learn that day, I was wearing mine while reading the letter where I learned about harry's aunt :')

all this to say, with each letter I read I slowly fall a little bit more in love with this darling, brilliant man, who I may in some way be a descendant of?? I think about scotland almost every day since that trip, but especially now as I learn more about harry's life. like when I was in edinburgh I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit the royal surgeons hall museum, which I LOVED. but at the time, I didn't even know Harry existed, let alone that he had been the curator there right before he left for the expedition!! If I ever get to go back I want to visit his hometown of anstruther and cry

#his mother's side were taylors so his mom and his aunt and i think he had an uncle on her side too? #also...the colors of the taylor tartan are SO beautiful?? soft sage green run through with gentle lavender. like... #anyway having big feelings and just planning a whole goodsir-centric trip to cope #there's also a bar in greenhithe along the thames called the sir john franklin that i wanna hit up lol #i also feel the need to make the disclaimer that #any connection on a deep level really does not need to have anything to do with ancestry and i'm aware of all the bullshit #this just happens to be meaningful to me personally because of my experiences briefly living in scotland and learning its history #and being a lit major and finding patterns and experiencing the beauty of connecting with the past in something as simple as a scarf #man i just care about this dead guy 😭 #personal #harry ds goodsir #may we spared to meet on earth

[hacash]

jared harris doomed grouchy alcoholic captain of my heart and all, but I cannot emphasise just how moving it is to read the actual crozier’s letters to his ‘dear sisters’ and nicknaming his sister charlotte as ‘dear small’ and gushing over how excited he is to serve under someone so honourable as sir john franklin and constantly asking james clark ross to pass on his love to ross’s wife and baby and nicknaming anne ross ‘thot’ (??) and the baby cute things like ‘the dear little stranger’ and ‘little sir james’

and yes I love terror’s francis ‘crankypants’ crozier, but the fact that we think of victorian men as being repressed and emotionless and yet every single one of the real man’s letters just overflows with affection and good humour just Does Something to me ok

#the terror #may we be spared to meet on earth #history #don’t even get me started on the Dork Twins fitzjames and goodsir #goodsir gushing about Science Things #fitzjames recommending a lieutenant for service because he ‘invented fuzes or something’ #(direct quote) #I’m crying a little

[bonzoobel]

been reading may we be spared to meet on earth... intrigued by the sea fauna goodsir mentions :-)

#historys most neurodivergent coded man #harry goodsir #may we be spared to meet on earth #the terror #the terror amc #my art

[hetchdrive]

The funniest thing about Little’s fandom reputation being that he’s a sad wet cat of a man is that he also wasn’t first pick for this expedition. According to May We Be Spared Crozier had someone else in mind for his first lieutenant, another Irish guy, in fact, a Reginald Levinge who, although he did not go on the Franklin expedition still died the same time as he would have if he had. His ship the HMS Penelope was wrecked on April 24 1848, the day before the Victory Point Note was amended.

#the terror #may we be spared to meet on earth

[saintharrowhark]

jfj is never beating the allegations

#james fitzjames #franklin expedition #the terror #may we be spared to meet on earth

[clove-pinks]

I'm not done with Edward Couch (although I feel very sorry for his tragic fate). He not only looks like this but writes with the voice of an 1840s Gent in his letters home. He visits Greenland and writes to his parents: "Arrival took place this morning at 3 o’clock & one of the rummest snug little places I ever saw. x x x x x" (He uses tons of Xs in his letters, from the example in May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth).

"Old Franklin is an exceedingly good old chap." And he continues:

In our mess – we live uncommon well – too well almost – we commenced preserved meats & soups etc, a day or two ago & find them very good – in fact every thing is most comfortable – couldn’t be more so. x x x x We shall have plenty of shooting by & bye – when we arrive at our station – jammed in the ice – a regular set of game laws will come out

#franklin expedition #edward couch #royal navy #1840s #gents #dressed to kill #early victorian era #this poor man should have been smoking cigars and reading magazine cartoons #not dying in the arctic #polar #may we be spared to meet on earth #perfect 19th century man punctuation #no periods no commas just endless dashes

[jeyneofpoole]

franklin expedition mania is back in session boys i almost gnawed off some fingers in public today about the real life man henry duncan spens goodsir i need to be shot btw

#may we be spared to meet on fucking earth i guess. god.

[daincrediblegg]

Thot compilation

Bonus:

#sweetest shit I have ever seen why is he. LIKE THIS #francis crozier #the terror #may we be spared to meet on earth #annrossier #I believe in the real life annrossier truth

[heartnell]

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie - trad. & Beechey Island Graves & May We Be Spared to Meet On Earth - edited by Russell A. Potter et al. & The Terror

#was peacefully listening to folk music when I had a screaming crying grieving revelation #bothered-by-expeditions birdie #thomas hartnell #john hartnell #the terror amc #the terror #franklin expedition #beechey graves #may we be spared to meet on earth #various expeditions

[moongazeonastarfillednight]

Were none of you going to tell me that the Goodsirs dog, Caesar, which Harry tried to bring aboard, was an itty bitty tiny Scot Terrier?

Omg Harry what were you thinking, sweet summer child 😭

#the terror #adjacent #19th century dead sailors #harry goodsir #may we be spared to meet on earth #reading the book of letters

[shestoodintears]

Started reading May We Be Spared To Meet on Earth, Letters of the Lost Franklin Arctic Expedition, and I'm delighted to report that James Fitzjames had a terrible sense of humour.

#May We Be Spared To Meet on Earth #Letters of the Lost Franklin Arctic Expedition #james fitzjames #notes on my reading

[bamboo-vulture]

the more i think about "how i do miss you - i cannot bear going on board erebus" the more insane and sick i get

#it’s just too much #may we be spared to meet on earth #francis crozier #the terror

[hetchdrive]

hey James? Fitzjames???

#jfj my beloved #may we be spared to meet on earth #sorry for posting so much about this book today i’m just. god.

[saintharrowhark]

underrated jfj moment from his letters

#i maynt get them but i MAY #james fitzjames #franklin expedition #may we be spared to meet on earth #the terror

[croziers-compass]

I'm perishing over how he copymocks Reid and how he describes Franklin.

#james fitzjames #john franklin #may we be spared to meet on earth

[clove-pinks]

To my Franklin Expedition enthusiast friends: May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth: Letters of the Lost Franklin Expedition is out NOW, on Google Books, well ahead of the official release in the US (and also ahead of the official UK and European publication dates??)

Absolutely going nuts at work!! More this weekend when I finish reading it!!!

#franklin expedition #may we be spared to meet on earth #books #polar #arctic expeditions #polar exploration #royal navy #letters #the discussion seems to be entirely on twitter #freaking out trapped at work with the ebook in my possession