Category Archives: Ships

William Samuel Morris (1925-1941)

Some of the stories in my family history are so graphic, so poignant, that they will always remain a fixture of my mind and my imagination. Such is the case of my grandmother’s cousin, William Samuel Morris, who died in … Continue reading

Posted in 1911 Census, 1939 UK Register, Death, Genealogy, Herefordshire, Ships, World War II | Leave a comment

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 | Leave a comment

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

508, 9th Avenue, Manhattan

The year is 1884. On 20th March, the day before the start of spring, my great-great-grandmother, then a young girl of 15 years, put down her name on a marriage certificate. Maria Maddalena Terzano, who preferred to go by the more poetic name … Continue reading

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, New York City, Ships, United States | Leave a comment

Jane Austen’s family tree

Like so many other great British female authors, such as Virginia Woolf or the three Brontë sisters, English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817) was a wonderful and prolific writer, but left no children. But although there are no descendants of the … Continue reading

Posted in England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Ireland, Marriage, Royalty, Ships, Women | 9 Comments

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 | Leave a comment

The day that Great-granddaddy met the King

The other day I walked into one of my favourite bookshops in town: Librería Arenas. As I am writing researching and writing about the history of my grandmother’s family, I was wondering whether there might be a good reference book … Continue reading

Posted in England, Galicia, Genealogy, La Coruña, Lyonshall, Royalty, Santiago de Compostela, Ships, Spain, War | 1 Comment

Lest We Forget

One cannot face November 11th without thinking of the year 1918, when the guns in Europe went silent for what was thought would be the very last time. I doubt there is one among you who can seriously claim to … Continue reading

Posted in 1901 Census, 1910 US Census, 1911 Census, Birth, Death, Emigration, England, Genealogy, Italy, Killed In Action, Ships, United States, War | Leave a comment

The first Ronquete

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

Understanding Passenger Lists

Genealogy can provide us a lot more than a mere list of names and dates plunging back endlessly into History. In an interview I recently read, a professional genealogist expressed her opinion that she prefers to investigate personal details about … Continue reading

Posted in 1910 US Census, Death, Emigration, Engagement, Genealogy, Italy, Marriage, Ships, United States | Leave a comment