Category Archives: France

See you at the Salon de la Généalogie Paris 15!

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Dawsr

I am extremely pleased to announce that I have been invited to talk at the next edition of the Salon de la Généalogie Paris 15. The event, the largest of its kind in the French-speaking world this side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, France, Genealogy, Spain | 1 Comment

The curious private life of Mary Willoughby

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Dawsr

On 23rd December 1880, a wedding took place in the church of Saint James the Great, Colwall, at the foot of the Malvern Hills which separate Herefordshire from Worcestershire. The bride was twenty-five-year-old Mary Willoughby, my great-grandfather’s third cousin and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1881 Census, 1891 Census, 1901 Census, Birth, Colwall, Colwall Soldiers, Divorce, France, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, Worcestershire, World War I, Yorkshire | Leave a comment

My AncestryDNA Adventure

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Dawsr

The following entry has been written over a period of several weeks. 25 March 2016 It was one of those lazy mornings when, instead of rushing to get ready for work, as I should, I got glued to the minuscule screen … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancestry.com, Andalucía, Birth, DNA, England, France, Galicia, Genealogy, Germany, Herefordshire, Huguenots, Ireland, Italy, Jewish Ancestry, La Coruña, New York City, Spain, United States, Worcestershire | 3 Comments

Milboroughs and Montilions

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Dawsr

John, Ann, William, Mary, Thomas and Elizabeth. These are probably names which appear dozens, if not hundreds of times in your family history, particularly as you delve into the earlier decades of the 18th century. However, while researching you family … Continue reading →

Posted in Birth, Emigration, England, France, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Hope-under-Dinmore, Huguenots, Kington, Marriage, Shropshire, World War I | 1 Comment

Dora Carrington’s Family

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Dawsr

Dora Carrington is perhaps best remembered for being associated with the bohemian, artistic Bloomsbury Group of the early 20th century. Although not a part of the Bloomsbury Group herself, Carrington knew some of group’s members intimately. The person who had … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911 Census, Birth, Death, England, Famous Genealogy, France, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Illness, Marriage, Women | 1 Comment

The first Ronquete

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Dawsr

Up until a couple of years ago, I had always been struck by the odd-sounding last name of my grandmother’s paternal grandfather, Miguel Ronquete. This unusual, very un-Spanish surname always seemed to me rather mysterious, particularly as most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Emigration, France, Galicia, Genealogy, Italy, Santiago de Compostela, Ships, Spain, War | Leave a comment

Mad as a March Hare

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Dawsr

It was the year 1854. Cholera broke out in many parts of the world, and decimated countless families. My family was among those affected, and very probably among one of the epidemic’s numerous victims was my 6x great-uncle, Elias de … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Engagement, France, Galicia, Genealogy, Illness, Marriage, Money, Property, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Women | Leave a comment

The 1854 Cholera Epidemic

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Dawsr

Every genealogist and historian knows the basic facts about the so-called Spanish Flu epidemic and its devastating effects on post-First World War Europe and America. However, through my own family history I have encountered several deaths all directly caused by … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Galicia, Genealogy, Illness, Spain | Leave a comment

Tracing your ancestors… on the RMS Titanic

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Dawsr

100 years ago today, the RMS Titanic set sail from the English port of Southampton, completing the first leg of a journey which would never be completed. Less than five days later, the largest ship in the world at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Death, Emigration, England, Famous Genealogy, France, Genealogy, Ships, Spain, United States | 6 Comments

The Family of Edgar Degas: genealogy through portraits

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Dawsr

Having a painter in the family before the age of photography must have been a comfortable and convenient method of perpetuating one’s portrait into posterity. At least, that is what one can appreciate when analyzing French impressionist painter Edgar Degas‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous Genealogy, France, Genealogy, Italy, Louisiana | 1 Comment