A tale of two siblings

This may strike you, as a far cry from my usual posts about villeins, vicars, heroes and other such family tree members, but it is just as interesting in its own way.
Eliza was born in 1820 and grew up in Lydeard St Lawrence, a village between the Quantocks and Exmoor. 18 years later her youngest brother Abraham was born.

Eliza in 1863 gave evidence at a petty sessions trial, where a baker was accused of selling bread without weights and measures being used, but it turned out the loafs he gave to her were a gift with no payment being asked.

A year later, Eliza is back in the paper, this time having won a shilling in a "Best ornamental devices in flowers and evergreens" cottagers contest.

When Abraham grew up he stayed with his sister. Through 3 census returns in 1871, 1881 and 1891 they are together and both still single, with Eliza as the head of the household and various lodgers, obviously to supplement Abraham's low income as an agricultural labourer.
In 1871, Eliza had two lodgers but no other income and Abraham was working as an ag lab.
In 1881, both Eliza and Abraham were described as annuitants, so may have had a small income after the death of their parents perhaps?
By 1901 sadly Abraham dies at 63 years of age. This was before the census of that year was taken. But we can find Eliza there, sadly, in the Taunton Workhouse. She lasted just a year following the death of her brother.
I need to follow up on this and do some research, I am really hoping that they were laid to rest together.
This is a beautiful tale, even though some may think it mundane. It makes a change from doom and gloom to see an every day life being lived, with a brother and sister who had a bond from birth to death.

You can chose your friends....

There is an old saying, "You can choose your friends, not your family" - Today that really didn't work for me, as one person I'd 'chosen' as a friend, turned out to be family (albeit, from a shared ancestor of many generations). This was discovered through the medium of DNA rather than through more traditional research.
I've read articles, debated and discussed the issue of inherited memory for a long time now, being fascinated by it, and the thought that we are attracted (or, indeed, repelled) by places and people because of something that happened to an ancestor. Sometimes on your journey, you run into an unexplained series of events that could be written off as coincidence if they were singular, but because there were so many, you feel they cannot be. This has been the case with my friend/cousin and I.
Also the other closer cousins I've connected with on the journey and I, have lots of interests and traits in common, and are friends now.