My fourth cousin Geoff and I had reached different conclusions as to the identity of our 6th great grandmother, as discussed in this post. A quick summary is that in 1705, there lived three Richard Beales - our ancestor (Tombstone Richard), his cousin (Other Richard) and some random Richard in Wadhurst (Wadhurst Richard). One of … Continue reading Elizabeth Beale: Mystery SOLVED
It appears that my great great great grandfather has gone viral, nearly 200 years after his death. The Museum of English Rural Life, in Reading, has acquired various bits of Beale memorabilia - mainly farming diaries and account books. But one little book caught their eye more than others: the school maths book of 13 … Continue reading Rich Richard and the Trousered Chicken
Last year, I visited Ypres and the surrounding area for the Passchendaele 100th anniversary commemorations. There was more to see and do than I could fit into that weekend, so a year later I returned to tick off the missing items: The 6km "Canadian Road to Passchendaele" signposted walk, Essex Farm cemetery and dressing station, … Continue reading Revisiting The Western Front
Henry Bishop is another example of a very distant non-blood relative who has grabbed my interest. He was my 5th great aunt husband's brother, and lived alongside my Downing Ancestors in Southminster. I find building a picture of 19th century Southminster, the key figures in the village and how they all interacted with each other … Continue reading Henry Bishop: The Alternative Deacon
I had a very frustrating day at the Kent Archives yesterday! I had four Kentish Questions that I needed answering: I wanted to know the name of a father of an illegitimate baby who was born in Buckland in 1865. There is a slim chance this might appear in the baptism or workhouse records. But … Continue reading Difficult Ancestors
George Brent 1831-1898 Miner of St Dominick, Cornwall, and my 2nd great grandfather... or possibly not... The main reason I started tracing my family tree was because I knew next to nothing about my father's family. He died when I was seven, and I had very little contact with the only living relatives on his … Continue reading Am I a True Brent?
Elizabeth, wife of Richard Beale (1663-1757) Clothiers of Biddenden, Kent and my 6th great grandparents There's been quite a few posts on this blog about unidentified fathers, but this is my first unidentified mother! I was very pleased to get an email from my Beale cousin, Geoff West, the other day. Geoff was one of … Continue reading Who Was Elizabeth Beale?
Frederick Harold Whibley 1878-1921 Gardener and Store Keeper of Lambeth, Mitcham, Epping, Woolwich and Guildford and my 2nd great uncle. I've been continuing my delve into all things Whibley, determined to find my connection with my mysterious DNA probable second cousin once removed "Ronan Quick", and this has involved probing the lives of the brothers … Continue reading Frederick Harold Whibley: The mysterious disappearing family
Ambrose Whibley Remington, 1762-1846 Gardener of Hunton, Kent, and my 4th grandfather I will confess my sins now. When I was very new to genealogy, I committed one of the cardinal sins. Excitedly coming across some other people's family trees that featured my ancestors, I copied names, dates and places to my own tree without … Continue reading Whibley Wobbles: who is the father of Ambrose Whibley Remington?
Arthur Charles Baldwin 1898-1950 Miscreant child of Southend on Sea, Essex, and my second cousin, three times removed. Whilst metaphorically leafing through old issues of the Southend Standard on FindMyPast, ever hopeful of finding something new about my ancestors, I chanced upon an article about the family of my first cousin, four times removed, Thomas Henry … Continue reading Arthur Charles Baldwin: The Boy Who Killed His Sister
Family Mystery 