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Category Archives: Death
The San Marzano Oliveto war memorial
When my 17 year-old great-grandmother emigrated from Italy to America in late 1912, she could hardly have imagined that in less than three years her homeland would take part in the First World War – a conflict which was to … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Genealogy, Italy, Killed In Action, War, World War I
1 Comment
Victorian mourning
We are all familiar with the quintessential image of Queen Victoria in her widow’s weeds, dressed from head to foot in deep mourning for her beloved Albert, the Prince Consort. “Why may the earth not swallow me up?”, wrote an … Continue reading
Another Eureka moment!
I always feel uneasy when researching ancestors with common name and surname combinations – it is so easy to be misled by the wrong record, and to end up barking up the wrong (family) tree! This is a lesson I … Continue reading
Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, Colwall, Death, Genealogy, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Worcestershire
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Tragedy, the Lancastria and my Firkins cousins
Susan Tippins was my great-great-great-grandmother’s youngest sister. As the paper trail went cold, until very recently I’d suspected she had died young, or fallen into obscurity. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that a distant cousin of mine in … Continue reading
Posted in 1911 Census, Australia, Death, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Liverpool, Ships, Wales, World War I, World War II
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The life of Sophia Rice
As most of my ancestral lines are deeply rooted in rural Herefordshire and some of the surrounding counties, I rarely associate the North of England with my own family tree. The Yorkshire moors, and the industrial landscapes of Lancashire, are … Continue reading
The saga of the Vickresses of Marden
The following is an account of a branch of my own family whose fascinating story has captivated me since I began researching my family tree many years ago. It is, you might say, a family saga, as it covers several … Continue reading
The Peripatetic Caldwells
A few weeks ago I told you about my Morris/Hodges relatives and how their constant moves across Herefordshire led me to uncover a seemingly unorthodox family tree. Now I am turning my attention to the relatives of my grandmother’s maternal … Continue reading
The confusing story of Henry Hodges and Catherine Morris
I remember years ago when I first researched my great-great-grandfather’s eldest sister Catherine Morris that I did not find her story particularly interesting: she married, had children, and died. It was all rather dull and straightforward – or so it … Continue reading
Posted in 1841 Census, 1851 Census, 1861 Census, 1871 Census, 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Archives, Bigamy, Birth, Death, Dymock, England, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Marriage
8 Comments
Granny Morris
For me, growing up in Spain and being occasionally visited by my English grandmother was a real joy. My grandmother, whom I affectionately referred to as Nana, was everything you could expect from an English granny: loving and cuddly, she … Continue reading
Posted in 1871 Census, Adoption, Colwall, Death, Downstairs staff, Engagement, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Lyonshall, Marriage, Pembridge, Women
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Winifred’s Story
Years ago, while researching my great-grandfather’s family, I decided to explore the branch of his only paternal uncle, William Henry Allen (1845-1923), a blacksmith by trade who fathered no fewer than nine children! Most of them eventually married and had … Continue reading