Genealogy Chat

I have a rellie who won the distinguished conduct medal and the military medal in W.W.1 he was described as the bravest man who ever wore boots, I am very proud of him, its just a shame he got himself killed winning them, most of the rest of them were just plain ordinary, though my great aunty always said we had a rellie who gothimself transported and then made his way back and became mayor of a little town in south yorkshire......

I have a just discovered a possible link to Somerset's finest, (wait for it!!!) Adj Cutler of the Wurzels, complete with combine harvester!!! Also have someone who was a gaeity girl and married an Indian Prince (penniless by all accounts) and a cousin of my G-grandmother who married a Jockey called Charles Trigg who won the Epsom Oaks on a horse called Rosedrop in 1910. Unfortunately she was divorced by him on grounds of her adultery with a friend of his!!!

I'm afraid most of my ancestors/rellies were the lowest of the low but.. there are two worthy of note. Anyone over 60 has probably heard of Flanagan and Allen's 'Crazy Gang', a comedy troupe famous in the 1930's and 40's. One of them was Edward Earl Gray, better known as 'Monsewer Eddie Gray', well he was my second cousin once removed. The other one was Bob Grant, who played the part of Jack the conductor in the ITV sitcom 'On the Buses', broadcast between 1968 and 1974. He was my first cousin, though since my branch of the family got cut off from the rest many years ago, we didn't discover this until after he died a couple of years ago. Andrew.

This thread is so interesting. I have found lots of agr labs, railway workers, and recently found that my gggrannie was in a workhouse. Since most of the ones I have lots of info on came to Canada and the USA have some indirect bragging rights with them. My ggggrandfather's cousin married Martin VanBuren (President of the USA), This family also married into the Roosevelt family (another US President). These connections were both on my fathers fathers, side. My dads, mother was great grand niece to Millard Fillmore (13th President of the USA). According to new information the Fillmore line links back to one of the British king lines. Am still checking that out. On a lighter note. My g grandfathers brother was picked to be an escort to the Duchess of Windsor while on a visit to Canada (late 1800's) Uncle Dougal was to take the Duchess on a canoe trip up the Resitigouche River in New Brunswick. Well the story from the paper was that Dougal was so overcome with emotion at the honor of escorting the Duchess that while they were boarding the canoe, Dougal fainted fell in the water and royally soaked the poor woman. Debs

My grandfather was a regular on the television in the 1970's............. He was a road sweeper and kept getting caught on Candid Camera - does that count? He came from a long line of Ag Labs Michaela

Some of the most interesting information about early ancestors comes from their death certificates. I have two which are out of the ordinary. According to the coroner one 'Cut his own throat in a momentary fit of insanity'. One wonders how the momentary insanity was diagnosed after the event - more likely just a form of words to cater for the religious sensibilities regarding suicide in the mid 19th century. However, one does wonder... could he have been murdered? Another colourful character, from a different family branch, was fished out of the Forth and Clyde canal at 6am one morning. The cause of death accidental drowning - till you read the register of corrected entries when you find that the underlying reason was he fell into the canal while the worse for drink. Not a fate I would wish on anyone!

I find these stories fascinating reading.....they're great! And as for Paul's comment, ROFPML at that one, I really did!!! Karen (who is desperately trying to find an exciting rellie to show off) P.S. My Dad (prof photographer now retired) photographed Princess Anne many years ago, will THAT do ???

My most interesting relative was my 3x great aunt Dolly Harmer, her real name was Sarah Caron, she was a born in a trunk baby in 1867 to parents who worked in the theatre, by the time she was 13 she was an accomplished violinist, as she got a bit older she played in Pantomines all over the country as Principal Boy, her father was a Comedien and her brothers were also Violinists one being the lead violinist in the Halle Orchestra 1890s. The first half of her career was in the Music Halls and Pantomines all over Britain, she went on to marry an actor called Willie Scott in 1890. The second part of her career didnt start till she was nearly fifty years of age when she became associated with a little guy called Wee Georgie Wood where she became his partner in jest and his stage mother for the next 30 years, She was nicknamed the Mother of the forces as she travelled through the war years all over the world entertaining the troops and helping with the injured soldiers and nurses., she travelled all over europe and as far afield as Australia ,South Africa, America and Malta just to name a few there were at least twenty countries in all which I think was quite an achievement for a woman from that era in time. She was the first woman member of ENSA which is the Entertainments National Service Association which was set up in WW2 to provide entertainment to the troops all over the world. In 1930s she made Blackhand Gang films with Wee Goergie Wood and played his mother Mrs Robinson. If you want to read a bit about her just google Dolly Harmer and it tells you a bit about her life. She was a fascinating woman for her time and achieved so many things that a lot of us today could only dream about. Marie : )

I have a Walter Horsford who was found guilty of murder and hanged in 1893.His cousin Annie was pregnant by him and he got some strychnine and gave it to her. The police found him with the poison on his person.Gotcha!!

Won't give surname of rellie, as descendants still bearing family name may object, but one ancestor was hauled before the parish officers, taken off to parish church and forcibly married to a single woman who was 6 months pregnant, so that she and her child would not be a drain on the poor relief. He skipped off 3 days later and joined the 3 rd.Regt. Dragoons, went off to fight in America, returned some years later, and remarried, his 1st wife having died in childbirth and the child with her. Some 20/30 years later he is hauled before the parish officers where he recounts this story. He died a pretty wealthy man according to his will, although was an agri. lab. all his life so don't know where the money came from. I found references to this on a website containing wills, administrations, settlements, etc, under 'examinations', although I had to go to my local records office to actually see the documents. Any other tips on how to find the dirt on rellies in order to flesh them out?

PS - If anyone has ancestors from Hampshire I am happy to give website address for wills, administrations, settlements, etc - also contains records of refusals for poor relief and forcible removals to other parishes, etc. Wendy

PAUL, I repeat my offer - brains and a sense of humour, my dream man. Still PMSL -

Unfortunately Heather, I had a nasty experience at a wedding which put me off matrimony for life...... ......I got married!

My boyfriends as a living rellie who is a famous cricket player (and he is regularly on TV) xx

Angela - what has made you a fully qualified Southerner? I take it you used to be a Northerner; and which did you prefer? I was born a Northerner, now living in the South...but I'll always miss 'home'.

She ditched the ferret and bought some shoes.

I love this thread it's so funny, I have found on a census a brother and sister on my mother's side classed as imbecils not something you want to find out really so I smirked a bit when I found an ancestor of my husband also listed as one, OH can trace his rellies back to William Williams of Penticalyn (think that's how you spell it I typed it from memory) he was a hymn writer of some note, no pun intended. jill

I have a 'burial at sea' rellie. When we past the site, 39.17 N Lat 0.21E Long (as on the 'Certified Extract from a Retun of Death Cert') .off the coast of Spain on our cruise last year, it was quite sad looking at where he had been plopped into the sea. Karen

nudging this so I don't lose it again! My lot are the usual ag labs mostly. Dad's side have wheelwrights. I find it interesting that when a woman is the wife of the head she usually has no occupation (apart from 'Do's wife') but when she is widowed she mostly becomes a charwoman. Hubby's side has a couple who ran a beerhouse for at least 30 years. Hoping to find out that GG Grandparents on dad's side did something spectacular in Wayne County USA. Had a fantastic response from the local historical society there and they are going to go through their archives for me! keep the great tales coming Rose in Newark

I found the dirt on my ancestors by accident. I was looking through Poor Law Records for my ancestors when i came accoss one for my gran who was age 6 at the time. The police had applied for Poor Relef for her as her parents were in Prision for running a Brothel and a Shebben (drinking Den).