Category Archives: Death

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

My Italian ancestry online

A year or two ago, I got an e-mail from someone in America who was carrying out a research into his brother-in-law’s Italian ancestry. By pure coincidence, the man’s family came from the small Piedmontese village of San Marzano Oliveto, … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, Genealogy, Italy, Marriage | 2 Comments

Understanding Spanish Birth Certificates

One of biggest challenges we face when researching our ancestry or anybody else’s is the language barrier. There are many online tools that help overcome these barriers – from online translation tools to common phrases which are used in such … Continue reading

Posted in Andalucía, Birth, Civil Registration, Death, Genealogy, Jaén, Marriage, Spain, Women | 13 Comments

Cousin Marjorie’s Letter from Canada

Years ago, probably sometime during the 1950’s, my grandmother’s cousin Marjorie Allen visited Canada and there met up with friends and acquaintances from her native Colwall (Herefordshire) whom she had not seen in decades. The story of her trip, which … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Colwall, Death, Emigration, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, New York City, Property, Ships, United States, Women, World War I, World War II | Leave a 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

Naughty Nancy (part 2)

Well, it seems I was wrong to judge her, and Naughty Nancy was not really as naughty as I thought. Well, at least partly. It is true that she married in January 1776, when she was a widow of almost … Continue reading

Posted in Coddington, Death, Dymock, England, Forest of Dean, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Women | Leave a comment

Naughty Nancy

For a few days I have been pining for a family tree mystery. It has been ages since I last found a real question mark in my ancestry, but this morning I fortunately seem to have stumbled across one. Trying … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Coddington, Colwall, Death, Dymock, Emigration, Engagement, England, Genealogy, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Manchester, Marriage, Women | Leave a comment

Harry Bertram Caines (1893-1916)

Harry Bertram Caines was born in mid-1893, the son of Albert Caines, a brewer, and his wife Elizabeth, of Hill View Terrace, Upper Wyche. The Caines family were of modest means, and of the eleven Caines children, six had died … Continue reading

Posted in Colwall, Colwall Soldiers, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, World War I | Leave a comment

Almond John Bratt (1891-1917

Almond John Bratt was born in Colwall in early 1891, one of twelve children born to Thomas William Bratt and his wife Margaret. The Bratts, who lived in Lyttelton, Colwall were a working-class family, and in his youth John worked … Continue reading

Posted in Colwall, Colwall Soldiers, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Death, England, War, World War I | Leave a comment

Barking up the wrong family tree

Genealogy can be described, at best, as a never-ending learning curve. Your not only make wondrous new discoveries all the time, but you also never stop learning from your own mistakes. Assumptions can sometimes make you bark up the wrong … Continue reading

Posted in Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Property | Leave a comment