 |
| A few of my Ancestors |
Over the past few months I've been busy tracing my family tree via "Ancestry"
I had spent several weeks with my maternal grandmother, sitting on her footstool, jotting down names and dates, prior to her passing in 1992. They were good days hearing her memories.
Last year, my Uncle Roy added to my paternal tree, and I knew I had to find a way to store all the information I'd gathered.
By signing up with Ancestry, I was able to quickly add data, source records and connect with others researching family tree members.
What an adventure!
My tree began to grow, but there were still mysterious dead-ends and intriguing gaps that I just couldn't research any further online.
Today I received a copy of my Great Grandmothers marriage certificate, which I hoped would identify her fathers name and help me to complete this particular branch of my tree.
Success!
With this missing piece of the puzzle, his branch of my tree has begun to stretch further into the past.
I've found that it's good practice to view the original images attached to the records, to check for transcription errors that can make a world of difference.
In one particular census, my Great grandmother had been transcribed as 'Emma', when her actual name was 'Ethel'. All the other family member details were correct, - so I decided to look further into the record.
Taking a look at the image of the original record I found that the entry for her name had been spoilt by a transcription error, and the name 'Ethel' had been crossed through by a flamboyant correction on the line above her entry.
There she was - 'Ethel Emma', - so I updated the record to help others with their research.
My fathers family tree has been helped along by another ancestry member who has done extensive research into all branches of the family.
It was so interesting when we realised we were 1st cousins!
My fathers maternal family hail from a small Northamptonshire village, where I have generations of ancestors.
The village is featured by the Rushden Research Group, whose members have transcribed over 12,000 pages of census records, news items, church and parish records, and so much more. It's an absolute goldmine of information for anyone with a family connection to the area.
As I browsed through the pages, I was delighted to find this news article, about my 3x Great Grandfather, William Brealey;
"Wellingborough News, 12th August 1882, transcribed by Kay Collins
ACCIDENT—William Brealey, in the employ of Mr. J. Allibone, was on Wednesday returning from Ravenstone mill, with a wagon and two horses, when between Olney and Weston Underwood the hind horse set off kicking, and he had great difficulty to hold it in. He ran for some distance at the horse's head, when unfortunately he stumbled over a stone and fell to the ground, the wagon wheels passing over him and breaking the bone in the small of the arm. He was at once taken to Dr. Grindon, of Onley, who after binding up the arm sent him on to Northampton Infirmary."
(source: http://www.rushdenheritage.co.uk/Villages/Bozeat+Strixton+EM/news1882em.html)
I noticed that my 3x Great Grandfather, William Brealey, was also recorded as being born at a place called 'Easton Lodge', a place boasting a fascinating history and beautiful gardens.
Today there is much work surrounding the restoration of the Italian Garden
I often find myself wondering about the lives of my ancestors, and these snippets of information, along with photographs and stories posted by other members, really do bring them back to life.
