family history
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Samuel Doidge Brent
Samuel Doidge Brent 1863-1937 Postmaster and my great grandfather I have a tradition of naming snails after my great grandparents. My two pet Giant African Land Snails were Percy and Phoebe, after Percy and Phoebe Beale, my dad’s mum’s parents. … Continue reading
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Runaway Ancestors
Charles Richard Curteis/Pilcher 1836-1915 Runaway to New Zealand and my cousin three times removed This is a lovely example of how DNA evidence and family hearsay can come together. One of my DNA matches, RP, caught my eye. We shared… Continue reading
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I’m currently taking part in the MIND initiative, RED January – the purpose of which is to do some form of exercise every day to raise awareness of mental health issues and how exercise affects the mental health. While I’m… Continue reading
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Jean Mary Olorenshaw: A Tribute to My Grandmother
Jean Mary Olorenshaw 1921-1958 My grandmother This is a hard post for me to write, because unlike the other ancestors I have written about, this isn’t just a piece of history that has been forgotten. There are people who knew… Continue reading
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My Northern Roots
I think of myself as not only almost completely British, but almost completely Southern as well – most of my research is within Kent and Essex. But I am actually one eighth Yorkshirese. My great grandmother, Elizabeth Danby, came from… Continue reading
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John Beale: letters from the grey sheep of the family
John Beale 1811-1873 Farmer of Biddenden and Beckley and my great great grandfather. Rich Richard Beale, 18th century dog doodler and Twitter sensation, had eleven children. The second youngest was my great great grandfather, John. I have been lucky… Continue reading
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Elizabeth Beale: Mystery SOLVED
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… Continue reading
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Rich Richard and the Trousered Chicken
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… Continue reading
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Henry Bishop: The Alternative Deacon
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… Continue reading
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Difficult Ancestors
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. … Continue reading
Family Mystery 