Category Archives: Genealogy

Who Do You Think You Are? Marianne Faithfull

SPOILER WARNING! If you had to pick a likely description for Marianne Faithfull‘s background, you would hardly choose an illustrious knight in the Austro-Hungarian army, a Jewish grandmother who took part in the Viennese resistance during WWII or a sexually … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Germany, Jewish Ancestry, Marriage, War, Who Do You Think You Are?, Women | 3 Comments

The Steadfast Tin Soldier and his Ballerina

Every now and then I use my lunch hour to have a peruse through my family tree in search of gaps that need filling. Today I decided to give my great-grandfather’s cousin a go. Until now all I had found … Continue reading

Posted in 1891 Census, 1901 Census, 1911 Census, Birth, Colwall, Death, England, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Killed In Action, Lancashire, Marriage, War, Women | 1 Comment

Summer updates

Dear readers, I must humbly and sincerely apologise for my absence since last July. I wish I had a good excuse, such as a prolonged holiday somewhere hot, or at least a fruitful trip somewhere where my ancestors lived generations … Continue reading

Posted in Genealogy | Leave a comment

Sisters of fortune, sisters of misfortune

Oh, that wonderful, childish excitement that we all get when we know we are onto something big! I mean of course that funny feeling we all know and love, when out of the blue we stumble across new pieces of … Continue reading

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

Hit a brickwall? Look for answers… within the family!

Aside from spending hours sitting quietly in my local archive listening to my iPod as my brain races while I read through endless pages of baptism records, I do love looking at old newspapers in search of new clues. You … Continue reading

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

Exploring my possible Mormon relatives

When I was little, I used to attend Sunday School every week, while preparing myself for my First Communion and, later, for my Confirmation. It wasn’t what you might call a very spiritual experience, as our lessons were taught by … Continue reading

Posted in Colwall, Emigration, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Marriage, Mormonism, Ships, United States, Women, Worcestershire | 2 Comments

In Memory of a Mother

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in Spain. The event triggered my imagination: I couldn’t let the day go by without writing about one of the thousands of mothers who populate my family tree! But who should I write about? I suppose … Continue reading

Posted in Cuba, Death, Galicia, Genealogy, Illness, Spain, United States, War, Women | 1 Comment

What can death certificates tell you?

In our cold, modern, somewhat unsentimental western culture, death has become a taboo subject. While we are totally powerless to avoid it, we still feel rather uneasy when we discuss this particular subject with friends and relatives, as if by … Continue reading

Posted in Death, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Illness, Money, Property, Spain | Leave a comment

Looking for Rina Amerio’s descendants: the Graziano family

Last October, my dad and I visited the village in northern Italy where my great-grandmother Giovanna Amerio was born in 1895. It was to be not only a quest for missing family information, but also something of a sentimental pilgrimage. … Continue reading

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, New York City, United States, War, Women | 2 Comments

Tribute to a father

Tomorrow, March 19th, is Father’s Day in Spain. A year ago exactly, a short letter from our newly-discovered Aunt Rita enclosing pictures of my up-to-then unknown grandfather arrived on our doorstep. And my, have we gone a long way since … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, Galicia, Genealogy, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Women, Work | Leave a comment