52 Ancestors 2026 Week 8 - A Big Decision

 52 Ancestors, Week 8: A Big Decision — Clara Emily Worsfold (1899–1962)

Some ancestors make their mark through dramatic events; others shape the family quietly, through the choices they make day after day. My maternal grandmother Clara Emily Worsfold belongs firmly to the second group. Born in 1899, she lived through two world wars, economic hardship, and enormous social change — yet her life was defined by one steady, deliberate decision: to build and hold together a large, rooted family in Sussex.

It was a choice that shaped not only her own future, but the futures of the seven children who grew up under her care.

A Childhood Formed by Love

Clara was the daughter of Walter James Worsfold and Mary Jane French. Mary Jane’s life was far from simple. She experienced loss after her first husband died young, Walter then raised 3 young step children as his own with Clara being born a few years later

Clara’s childhood, then, was not just a beginning — it formed her outlook on life. A foundation that would later make her own choices all the more understandable.

The Decision That Defined Her Life

In the early 1920s, Clara married Stephen Edwin Wadey, joining two long‑established Sussex families. Together they raised seven children: Stephen, Robert, Victor, Dorothy, Ralph, Jean and Margaret.

In an era marked by rationing, shortages, and the upheaval of two world wars, raising such a large family was not simply a matter of circumstance. It was a decision — one that required resilience, resourcefulness, and a deep commitment to keeping the household together.

Many families fractured under the pressures of the 1930s and 1940s. Yet Clara’s family remained intact, rooted, and close. That didn’t happen by accident.

Holding the Centre Through Hard Times

Clara’s child‑rearing years spanned the interwar period and the Second World War. Ration books, clothing coupons, and the constant worry of wartime disruption would have shaped her daily life. But none of the children were sent away, no splitting of the family that touched so many other families during that time. This, too, was a decision to keep the family together when the world outside was anything but stable. A decision that was made by the whole family that they "would stay together no matter what" (reflection from my mother Dorothy)

A Life Anchored in Sussex

Clara’s roots ran deep in Sussex. Her parents, grandparents, and extended kin — Worsfolds, Frenches, Kewells , Witts — all lived within the same area. While many families moved for work or opportunity, Clara stayed in Sussex Remaining in Sussex may seem unremarkable, but in the early 20th century it was often a deliberate choice. Economic hardship pushed many to seek new beginnings elsewhere.

And in doing so, she preserved the threads of a wider kin network that still shapes our family identity today.

Her Legacy

Clara died in 1962, having lived long enough to see her children grown and the world transformed yet again. She left no diaries as far as I am aware, but she left something more enduring: a family that remained connected, a sense of rootedness, and a quiet strength that echoes through the generations. There is a special bond through the Wadey clan that cannot be defined but is most definitely there thanks to Clara and Stephen

Her big decision — to build a large family and keep it together — may not have made headlines, but it changed the course of our family’s story and continues to do so.

Reflection

When I look at Clara’s place in the tree, surrounded by her children and the families they later formed, I see the quiet power of her choices. She grew up in the shadow of her mother Mary Jane’s difficult early life, yet she created for her own children: stability, continuity, and belonging.

In a century defined by upheaval, Clara’s decision to choose steadiness was, in its own way, an act of courage.