General Chat

Found out that I am a direct descendant of Frances Blackwell b 1639,who's sister Margaret was the only recorded person to catch and survive the Plague in Eyam.

Also, the Auther of A Dictionary of British Surnames P.H.Reaney was a great uncle,brother of my maternal Grandmother.

But I am not bragging,honest.

In my own research i have found a connection to Author Beatrix Potter as well as my 3x great grandfathers sister marrying a convict in Australia. But i think my best find is through a distant cousin who was able to send me copies of photographs of my 1st and 2nd great maternal grandparents and a picture of my 3x great maternal grandfather along with a copy of his Obituary detailing his work with the chuch and Sunday school which it states he was a Superintendant .. More research needed......

Gt Gt Gt Grandfather sentenced to death for highway robbery. Commuted to service in the army. He fought with Wellington at Waterloo in 1815 but it seems he never learnt his lesson, he was later jailed for robbery and assault.

My second cousin once removed was the first member of the Royal Marines to receive the VC in the 1939-45 war.

He died at Comacchio on the 3 April 1945.

My aunt married into the Oxford family Edward Oxford was 18 when he tried to shoot Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as they were riding out on Constitution Hill in 1840.

He was found to be insane and was one of the first inmates of Broadmoor,he was offered a discharge in 1867 on condition he went to Austrailia where he made a living as a house painter.

He died in 1900.

The shots he fired were blanks and missed the Queen and the Prince.

One of mine was invalided out of the army and was very weak with sore joints and a swollen abdomen. He had to go to hospital, by a fluke there are records for the Royal West Sussex in the 1840s.

After they got the seven yard long tapeworm out he seems to have been a little better!

A half-sister, the result of a night of passion enjoyed by one of my parents, neither of whom I have seen or had contact with in over 35 years. After finding her several years ago we have become very close and darling sis has been welcomed into my new family.

And a gt gt grandfather who fortunately survived the "charge of the light brigade" in 1854

I have a 14 year old who carried a banner at the Battle of Waterloo and received a medal for it. This has been verified.

There are others but no time to write as have company just arriving somewhat earlier than expected!!

After clearing out a family home we found my ggrandma's will, in which she mentioned a legitimate daughter no one knew anything about. She was the eldest and had married and moved away. Over the years I have discovered that she had a family, died in 1914, her husband remarried and had another family. I'd love to trace them, they're not on here.

Another gggrandfather from London was very mysterious, but eventually I found a 'cousin' who pointed me to a family history written in 1898 and tracing back to William the Conqueror. In the tree was also the clerk to the widow of King Henry vii, an MP for Lincoln for 50 years, and the proprieter of a London newspaper.

Discovered very early on that my maternal grandfather's family were originally from Prussia (and changed their surname in the early 1900's).
Illegitimate twins (unmarried great aunt) - they both died at a few weeks of age.
My lot were, for the most part, poor or very poor. Lots of ag labs in Dorset and Gloucestershire, and city dwellers scraping a living in London.

I have one that murdered someone. He cut the poor blokes head off.

I am going to be doing some talks on it sometime this year.

It happen in Essex 1896. Got all the court case,his prison info and i know why he done it.He tried to kill his whole family.

I have few others as well that are intresting,but just comfirming them at the moment.(none of these did anything bad like one above)

Hazelx

Have you made any new discoveries during your family history research? Family you didn't know about, maybe an Illigitimate ancestor.. Where your family well off or poor or maybe you are related to someone of importance (Historically)...Where your ancestors in the War(s) or worked for a notable family..