Category Archives: 1871 Census

Twins, or a multiple baptism?

Having twins in the family always adds an interesting footnote to one’s own family history. My great-grandfather (on my English side) was a twin – although his twin sister died aged only a few months- and my Italian great-grandmother was … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, Birth, Civil Registration, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope-under-Dinmore | Leave a comment

The story of Charles Henry Vickress

During the summer of 1870, my great-great-great-great-grandparents Frederick and Ann Vickress welcomed their tenth (and last) child, a son whom they had baptised on 21 August in the local church of Lyonshall (Herefordshire), where Frederick worked as a humble carpenter … Continue reading

Posted in 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Australia, Birth, Cheshire, Death, Emigration, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Lyonshall, Pembridge, Wales, World War I | Leave a comment

Blind Expectations

Well, what a week this is proving to be what with one thing and another! It seems my Allen ancestors still have much to say about our family history, and now, thanks to the wills I had copied last week … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, Ancestry.com, Birth, Colwall, England, Family Search, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage | Leave a comment

Researching Clara Allen

Several years ago I learned, thanks to the English census, that my great-great-grandfather John Allen had a younger sister called Clara. For some inexplicable reason, I have always felt a keen interest in Clara’s story – perhaps because for many … Continue reading

Posted in 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Birth, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Illness, War, Women, Work, World War I, World War II | 1 Comment

The mystery of John Davis: Part 1

For years I have been puzzled by the figure of my great-great-great-grandfather, John Davis, whose anonymous name, death and origins are as obscure as they can get. To explain why he represents such a mysterious to me, I should at … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, Birth, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, Worcestershire, Work | 1 Comment

Part I: A mound of relatives

Lately I dedided to do a bit of research on the Mounds, the family of my 3x great-grandmother Ellen. But before delving into the past and (hopefully) unearth some skeletons, let’s learn a bit more about Ellen herself. To start … Continue reading

Posted in 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, Adoption, Death, Downstairs staff, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope Bagot, Shropshire, Wolverhampton, Women, World War I, Wormsley | 1 Comment

Remembering Ash Villa

There are not many buildings left standing where an ancestor of mine once lived. One of the few exceptions that I know of is a quaint yet ordinary-looking, four-bedroom house called Ash Villa, in Upper Colwall, Herefordshire. Nestled behind the … Continue reading

Posted in 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Adoption, Birmingham, Birth, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Property, War, Worcestershire, World War I | 7 Comments

A New Branch Full of Surprises

Every time I assume that by now I have located and traced entirely all the collateral branches of my family tree, I am (happily) proven wrong. A couple of days ago I logged on Ancestry.co.uk where a pop-up message informed … Continue reading

Posted in 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Birth, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Illness, Marriage, Property, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Workhouse | 1 Comment

Annie the cook

I am notorious within my family for being a bad cook. Cooking a sad plate of pasta or heating up a frozen pizza is probably as far as I’ll be able to go – unless a particular situation requires a … Continue reading

Posted in 1841 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, Dorset, Downstairs staff, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Kington, Work | Leave a comment

The Granny from Codling Hall

It’s always exciting to discover a relative who had a bit of money, or at least owned some property here and there. It makes you feel slightly above other genealogists who so far have only been able to trace labourers … Continue reading

Posted in 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1891 Census, 1911 Census, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope-under-Dinmore, Property | 4 Comments