Helping people.....

Sometimes, just sometimes, one's ancestors really help in the search for them, by leaving the odd (sometimes inadvertent) clue.....

I'm sure we've all got rellies whose middle name is their mother's maiden name - after years at this family history lark, I'm beginning to think that particular practice should be made mandatory; but today's subject, one Arthur Hinks, really knew how to leave a clue.

Arthur was born in Boothorpe, in Leicestershire (or Derbyshire, depending on who's writing it down) and is a distant relative of my friend Ann.  He was the seventh of nine children and the family moved to Huthwaite, in Nottinghamshire (I'm sure of this one!) soon after his birth in 1882.  I've had to work backwards, in the true genealogist way, to find much about him.

In the 1911 census, he's married to Florence, and living with her, and their son Wilfred, in Sutton in Ashfield.  He filled in the form and states, as required, that he and Flo have been married for four years.  Bless him, he also writes his wife's maiden name (Cotton) on the form and then crosses it out, presumably after realising that it wasn't asked for.

With such a lovely clue it wasn't hard to find out that Arthur Hinks and Flora (in the registration) Cotton were married in 1906.  Cheers, Arthur!

And how well did he do? Well, Arthur Hinks lived to the grand age of 101 years, dying in January 1984.  Impressive stuff; see what happens when you help people.....!

More soon.

Jessie'n'Reuben

In the midst of Euro 2012, and watching Royal Ascot, join me in commemorating the birth of Jessie May Staden, born this day in 1897 - coincidentally, another Royal Diamond Jubilee year - the fourth of twelve children of Alfred Staden and his wife Catherine (nee Derby).

My second cousin twice removed, our common ancestor is my great-great-great grandfather John Thomas Staden, Jessie was born in Cambridge but moved with the family to Steeple Bumpstead in Essex before the 1901 census.  Within a couple of years, though, they were back in the metropolis and next appear (in 1911) in Sedgwick Street.  

Jessie married carpenter Reuben Rutter in Cambridge in 1928 and the couple moved to Reuben's stamping ground of Tottenham, where they lived in Seaford Road until his death in 1952.  Jessie returned to Cambridge and died in Cambridge in 1961.

Random find to finish: whilst researching a friend's family the other day I came across my "favourite" occupation so far ...... in the 1851 census, beside a single woman (no names, no pack drill!) were the words "Pauper-Prostitute"!!

More soon.

It's behind you.....

Yesterday I was playing around with my new FlipPal scanner.  By this I mean that I was watching something on the tv whilst simultaneously scanning some photos..... 

Most of them were of the family - siblings, cousins etc, from when we were young.  A couple of them were from official school photos from Infants school. 

How very sweet, you're doubtless thinking, and yes, I was.  If you're my sort of age, then you'll know the type: in a small card 'wallet', tastefully decorated with Christmas markings. 

And then I looked on the back of one of them.  Photographer?   K.S. Culpin. 

You couldn't make it up...... 

More soon.

Lost and Found.....

My niece Samantha married Matt today in Bath and I should have been there, but I had a slight set-to with a flight of Stagecoach stairs....and lost.  So I must rely on photos and social networking.  I hate buses!

Instead of a trip south to Bath, I spent some time searching out George Francis Hardy.  My 1st cousin four times removed, he was born in Islington in 1856, the elder son of George and Frances (nee Culpin).  Last time I "saw" him was in the 1881 census and I determined that this was far too long ago.

And there he was, in 1911, in Pall Mall, a consulting actuary, together with his wife Jane.  Most likely him, as he was cited as being born in Barnsbury, which is pretty much Islington.   Backwards, then, to 1901 and he's in Bloomsbury Square.  Married in 1883, to Jane Ann Lester.  So far, so good.

Then I started looking for his death (it's a genealogy thing; no sooner do you find someone, than you're trying to kill them off) and found a George Francis Hardy in the Probate Index.  But it surely couldn't be mine, as this one was a Sir.  That's most unusual for my family!!

But, lo, a comparison of occupations seems to confirm him as mine after all.  There can't be that many George Francis Hardys born in Islington in 1856 who turned into an actuary, surely.  And, checking back to what I already had for 1881, he's an actuary then too.  

I found a brief comment about Actuarial work and India connected with his name but he received his CBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1914 as Chairman of the Actuarial Advisory Committee to the National Health Insurance Joint Committee.

But, alas, he didn't live much longer to enjoy it: he died at the age of 58 in October the same year.

Imagine, though.  A Sir in the family......

Big fairs....

So last weekend was the Big FH Fair at the Burgess Hall in St Ives and how much fun was that..... Sue collected me from the MisGuided Bus and delivered us both to the hall; and then, with much anticipation, we settled on "coffee in an hour" and split up.  

I started small - and must apologise to the Herts FHS stall for only spending 50p on a parish map, but that was all I needed; I don't know much about the county so just a basic map to find out what belongs where!

And then.... I found a stall selling the FlipPal scanner.  Now I'd heard & read all the hype about them but I wanted to see one in action.  And I did.  And it was pretty dashed clever.  So I .....er, bought one.  As you do.  

Then I met up with Andrew Martin, otherwise known as @FamilyTreeUK on Twitter.  Always good to put a face to a name and, I'll own up, I was a little bit mean to identify myself as "carrying a Hunts FHS bag" - because everyone was.  Sorry, Andrew, I was trying to be funny.

Then I found the Beds FHS stall and parted with even more money, this time for various Biggleswade registers on CD.

Finally, all spent out, it was time to meet Sue again and have a good catch up over the coffee cups.

Excellent morning!!

More soon.

Where is he?

You know how sometimes your ancestors hide from you?  Well I'm still looking for quite a few but the one on my mind at the moment is William Layton.

He's my 3xGt grandfather and all I know for "certain" is that he, or someone with his name, married Hannah Lowton in Dry Drayton, Cambs, on 21 April 1823.  He probably died before 1851 because Hannah is listed as a widow in the census of that year; but he doesn't appear to be living with them 10 years earlier either, so who's to tell?

I know that there were a conclave of Laytons in Cherry Hinton at the time but I can't understand what a Cherry Hinton lad would be doing in Dry Drayton......

Anyway, just thought I'd put this problem out there.  Any clues/thoughts gratefully received!!

More soon.

Tidying up

For the first time for ages I thought I'd have a look at my Freeman ancestors, so I sat down this morning to do some sorting/tidying.  It's shown me that I have changed some of the ways I record my info; I use The Master Genealogist (TMG) because it's a powerful database which produces good reports, but I also keep a copy of Family Tree Maker for the times when only a graphical tree will do.

And I saw that I started out giving GRO Births/Marriages/Deaths their own field in TMG.....and now I simply record them as the source for a birth etc.  So I'm changing them as I see them - which is why you will see loads of entries in the Recent Changes Index on my website.  I've also been chasing a few random Freemans round Suffolk.

But at the back of my mind is the sad news I received last night: Joyce Christie, my second cousin, and I shared Millice Campbell Culpin as an ancestor.  My great-grandmother, Blanche, was his seventh child and May Naomi, Blanche's youngest sister, was Joyce's grandmother.  May married John Harrison in Fen Drayton in 1906 and the couple emigrated to Canada, settling in Manitoba.

I first "met" Joyce via the numerous Culpin research messages online and we discovered our shared ancestor.  Since then, and despite our twenty-year age gap, we became good friends over the email; not only a Culpin expert, Joyce had a fine line in funny emails!  She also kept me up to date with what her family was doing, including the grandsons of whom she was so proud.

Joyce had been ill for some time but her death, on Wednesday, was quite sudden and I feel not only sad, that we never met, but also stunned.

More soon.