Genealogy Chat

A work colleague has just told me that one of her very young female ancestors was so angry when her uncle was hung that she tried to throttle the hangman!!! I wish I had such interesting rellies. My only claim to fame is that the son of one of my rellies wrote the music for Queen Victoria's Coronation. Far too refined for me. I would much rather have one that tried to throttle the hangman. Who was your most interesting ancestor?

I have a 6ft 5in Coldstream Guardsman in my tree who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallant actions at the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War. So that you don't think I am a complete goody goody, I also had a great-great-grand uncle transported to Australia for stealing some wool! Cheers, Horatia

Nice one, Horatia. Both sides of the coin!!

I dont have any particular outstanding ones. They are all interesting to me! But I guess there is one, who I havent really looked into yet - but he was a sea captain in the early 1800s and apparently got the Mayor of Calais daughter up the duff. It was some time ago I got all this info from someone related through my Bonifaces. I seem to remember that either the Mayor or Boniface's superior wrote a note that he was 'just as good a womaniser as he was a sea captain'. Now youve reminded me, I shall have to sort that out and follow it up.

Ummmmmmmmmm.....Is this the showing off thread??!! All the following found/proved by me! A cousin compiled his family tree of 1500 names covering 300 years and took him 65 years to do it. There are virtually no errors, though it did take me about 20 years to find his work Ordinary family produce business man who left equv£24 million in 1893. A rellie won the Military Cross three times in WW1 A rellie was murdered and the blood-covered, knife wielding perpertrator was let off! Two inventors Bigamists galore....one with 4 wives! One cousin married into the Royal Family! One cousin was a civil engineer who lied about having any training. Built specialist bridges all around the world One cousin built a theatre One cousin built a church One cousin is a relation of Mahatma Ghandi One ancestor was once an owner of Althorpe House, Earl Spencer's ancestral home. His descendants were paupers in St Pancras!! One cousin is descended on the ''other side'' from the Czars of Russia. A cousin married the illegitimate 2xg-granddaughter of the reputed richest man in Europe Ummmmmm...... That'll do for now! Merry

The ballerina Madame Pavlova asked my grandad to tour the world with her, playing his cello for her ballets. He turned her down!!

Oh, and.............. My second cousin is a descendant of the brother of Edward Jenner, who saved billions of people from Smallpox by inventing the first smallpox vaccine. Merry

Hubby says to tell you his ancestor was urinal cleaner for the parish of St Pancras! Merry

My husband and I lay claim to the following:- Me - Still trying to get a connection to Sarah Wilde/Wildes hung as a witch at the Salem Witch Trials, Mass.USA 1600's so have indefinitely adopted her. Family connection to Jacky and Bobby Charlton,still searching. Husband - Still trying to find connection the Sir Arthur Sullivan or the Sullivan Family. By marriage to Joe Davis(Snooker player) He is also related to a MP for NE Derbyshire(early 1900's) and World Ballroom Dancing Champions June and Mervin Higgins. Brenda Brenda

Merry, tell your OH he has a famous ancestor (the number of times he's mentioned on here!)

B*****dy hell Merry - you should be banned from this sort of thread. Its a bit like allowing Robbie Williams to sing in the Eurovision song contest.

My father was adopted and his 'mother' was jailed for murder in 1943. I only found this out 10 years ago after his death.... but she was not a midwife as I was led to believe but an abortionist!!! A film came out last year called Vera Drake which I haven't yet seen but apparently is almost the same as her story.

Keep 'em coming, folks. I am getting greener by the minute!

Paul, get the dvd out - its fascinating insight to London post war, beautifully authentic - and I seem to remember some Peabody Buildings if anyone is interested. It was a true story about Vera, who I should imagine wasnt even as bright as depicted in the film. She never actually made any money from her abortions - she thought she was helping girls out who just couldnt manage with any more mouths to feed. Anyway, do get it out on dvd.

my husband is related to Robert The Bruce, Judy Garland, Diane Princess of Wales would you believe , no wonder he keeps telling me I must bow when I see him, and a few others to be confirmed ,I seem to have had a rather boring lot so far except my nan and some of my family use to drink in The frying Pan Pub where one of the victims of Jack the Ripper drank. Does that count ????

LOL Vicky!!!! Heather..... To prohibit myself from this type of thread, I would use that bit of selotape that fell off your lips when you went onto IW's ''Too much help'' thread, but the bits of moustache on the sticky side have put me off?!!!! Merry

a very recent (1950's) claim to fame/notoriety... My dad has sworn at Prince Philip - and also received an apology from him! my dad was in the navy, and in the early 1950's was serving on a cruiser in the Mediterranean off Malta. Some young hooray henry type in a yacht cut across his bows, causing the captain of the cruiser to take immediate remedial action to avoid a collision. (Naval etiquette says the smaller boat has to give way to the larger, as small craft are far more manoeverable) The violent change of course taken by the cruiser caused a few on-board accidents, and a collision was only averted by a matter of inches. My dad who was on deck at the time, shouted a few choice phrases at the chap on the yacht. It only dawned on him later who he was. Some time later, the capt of the cruiser received a message from the Admiralty complaining about the ungentlemanly conduct of the rating in swearing at a member of the Royal family, and my dad was summoned before the capt to explain himself. When the facts were related back, the response was an unreserved apology from Philip for not paying more attention to his own seamanship. I doubt any of this is recorded officially!

Nobody famous in my tree, but I did find this intriguing extract from the Earl of Bradford's militia papers on A2A, which gives a fascinating insight into a soldier's life in the late 18th-early 19th century. Not sure if it relates to my Thomas Sparkes, but I think it's likely. Unfortunately the papers are in the Shropshire Archives, and I'm in Italy.. *** July, 1810 Series of 10 letters, concerning the quarrel between Mr. Gill and Captain Sparkes, occasioned when Gill gave Sparkes the LIE in the Officers Mess. *** October 12, 1812 Captain Sparkes fell out because he is lame, but he left the field contrary to orders and was not to be found when the time came to inspect the books - this put the general in a violent passion and so he continued to find fault with the books. He had been through the mens mess before and complained that there were no plates (only tins) and no tablecloths. Gatacre had procured basins, plates and spoons (spoons they had of their own, but the barrack master could not provide the other things without these), Capt. Kynaston gave tablecloths to his company, and they offered to find the other things themselves - it would be cheaper for the other companies to do the same, rather than to be constantly making up the losses of broken things. He ordered an immediate return over the bad accountrements so that they may be replaced. Gatacre gave Capt. Sparkes a severe reprimand. Mrs. Gatacre has spent a very pleasant time at Weston. *** (wondering if it was Capt. Sparkes who entertained Mrs. Gatacre...)

no one remarkable in my familyso far, apart from one rellie who was a mormon pioneer had 3 wives and 27 children and has about 15 pedigree files on LDS! everyone wants to claim him but he's MINE!!!! Linda

I have a Manchester United footballer A politician who bought ini the amendment that made gay sex illegal and eventually imprisoned Oscar Wilde - which was a bit of a downer as he'd married an actress (my 3x gt aunt) who was very good friends with Oscar. She describes herself on teh 1881 census as a concubine as there was great scandal that a politician had set up home with an actress and they didn't marry beforehand. She trained Lillie Langtry in how to act. A lot of theatricals - among them: The producer of George Bernard Shaw's plays - there's a huge collection of letters between him and George in America that I'm STILL (3 years on) trying to get them to give me details of. The man that bought the first professional operatic productions to Australia. He also has a whole town in Australia named after him as he gave them money to build their first school. A fairly prolific music hall tune writer (I'm slowly collecting his printed works - but I can't play any of them so one day I'll hunt down someone with a piano) Also - An Australian cricketer who went on to manage the national team and seemingly took some cricketers on a baseball tour of the states. A couple of artists. And my favourite - a man arrested for exposing himself by the Thames river who they wanted to send to jail but the prison governor refused to take him as they'd just introduced the lunacy act that said he had to be institutionalised but the judge said he wasn't a proper lunatic and kept sending him back to the jail who in turn kept sending him back to the police.