Genealogy Chat

My great grandmother's sister is supposed to have married a sailor, got syphilis and gone blind. My great grandfather is supposed to have jumped ship in Australia and spent a few years in the outback living on witchety grubs. Can't prove either of those (yet) but I do know that my great uncle Jack who bravely fought and was killed in WW1 actually died several years before the war began. Have you proved or found discrepancies in any of your family stories?

I was told by my dad, who had obviously heard it from his mum, that her brother Thomas Emmetts Matthews was in charge of Tilbury Docks in London. My research showed that Thomas was a fireman and only worked at the docks for 2 years. He may have misled his sister, as he was seemingly fond of embellishing the truth. On his wedding cert he described his dead father as a 'provisions merchant' when in fact he was a milk carrier/dairyman! The most sensational story, about a relative who killed someone whilst insane, and spent most of his life in Broadmoor, was totally unknown to my mother. nell

My G Grandmother was never registered at birth in 1864 as apparently her mother was quite old she had a sister who was already married, her father died and her mother couldn't cope so didn't want her and didn't name her she went live with her sister they named her LaLa and when she was older she chose her own name. Well found out her mother was 37 but found her with her sister in 1881 Don't know where she was or what her name was in 1871 census. Jeanette

It's funny how the mundane stories get exagerated and yet all the really juicy skeletons are never mentioned and forgotton. Another aunt remembered seeing a photo of my 2xgreat grandfather in masonic chains. So what happened to the photo and what exactly are masonic chains anyway? I do love hearing other people's family gossip. Mine were either boring or else too clever to get caught. Lyla

Nothing so exciting in mine, but I remember my mother being horrified when i realised that BOTH my sets of grandparents had HAD to get married! Lol

When we were children, my best friend's grandfather used to tell us tale after tale about Granny Lanning. It was only a couple of years ago that we started to research this family. There are still some loose ends, but the stories appear to relate to at least *three* different Granny Lannings, and only one is my friend's ancestor.

lyla, masonic chains are chains worn by member of the freemasonry depicting their rank. Some pictures can be found here http://www.freemasonrywatch.org/ugleaprons.html

We know that my great grandparents and grandfathers siblings emigrated to Canada and that grandfather stayed here. The story goes that they had intended going on theTitanic in 1912, but missed it for some reason and went on the next ship. I have yet to prove this one way or the other.

My 2 x GGF drove the Flying Scotsman. I spent ages and a lot of money on Railway Sites but couldnt find him at all. I started to get very suspicious when I saw Sue Johnson on Who Do You Think You Are - the expert on Railways said that a Driver was the highest regarded job on the railways and that it was an extremely slow progress from fireman to Driver - would take at least twenty years. As my 2 x GGF shows on the 1861 as a labourer, the 71 as an Engine Driver and the 81 as a Grocer, this really didnt seem to add up. It was a chance posting on here by someone which alerted me to the fact that he could have been an Agricultural Engine Driver, or even a stationary engine driver in a factory, which seems far more likely.Never mind though, after his death he was elevated to the status of 'Engineer' on his son's marriage certificate. The best of all, which still makes me chortle, my Grandmother always said her father was a Master Jeweller. I found this most interesting because I have traded off and on in Jewellery all my life and assumed this is where my interest came from. Ha ha!! According to the 1881, he was a Pawnbroker's Shopman. Another great uncle was a Journalist - erm, not exactly, he worked in the Soap Department of the Co-op all his life and wrote the weekly staff news sheet. Olde Crone

My grandfather did get syphilis. I'm not sure if it was 'in the trenches'!!?? as the family legend has it, but he did die from a brain tumor. At some point, years later, all his children were supposed to go and get tested to see if they had contracted it congenitally. Only my mother did and she was clear. At least that's what I was told. I thought he was just in the Home Guard, and I have a picture of him on his horse so I know that part is true. My husband's g grandfather was supposedly swept off the end of the pier during stormy weather, after going on a bender after the birth of his seventh child. No body was ever found. Of course, his daughter was only a few days old at the time so how could she know what really happened? We're beginning to think that he really did a runner and the story was made up to hide his g grandmother's embarrassment at being left. I do intend to look through archived copies of the local newspaper to see if it was reported, and is therefore true. I just found, out this week, that my aunt was the product of my grandmother's 'fraternising' (my mother's very words) with an Italian POW who was working on their farm. It had been kept secret for all these years. I'm not sure whether or not to believe it as the informant could only have been a child herself at the time. And my father, her brother, then a teenager, didn't know. I somehow suspect that the POW's name will not appear on her birth certificate...

My great-aunt was convinced that her great-grandfather had been a doctor. He had died before 1837 so no census info or certs to prove or disprove this, though it did seem a bit odd as they came from a small Wiltshire village, and later generations were all ag labs. Then I finally found him - in Devizes Jail! And no he wasn't there for medical malpractice, he had been illegally cutting wood! So that canned that family myth. However, another family legend was from Dad, who vaguely remembered his aunt telling him that his grandparents were cousins. I pooh-poohed this at first as they came from different parts of the country and theirs was a common surname. However after finally tracking down the right certs and census info, it turns out that they were in fact 1st cousins, so in that case the family legend was correct. Therefore, never dismiss a family story as there might well be some truth in it - but nevertheless, make sure that you find some corroborating evidence! Richard

Oh, I just LOVE all these stories - I am sitting here laughing out loud at some of them and at 7am that's amazing!! I think many stories, if not true, have some link with the truth, like Olde Crone's Journalist and her Engine Driver. As for Lyla's great grandmother's sister, who is supposed to have married a sailor, got syphilis and gone blind.....maybe when she said she was being courted by a sailor (or whatever they used to say!) the jealous rellies said, ''If she marries him she will probably get syphilis and go blind''!!! Later this turns into a ''true'' story! Rumour - My granny had an earlier secret marriage?? .....TRUE Rumour - My g-grandfather owned a shipping company and made a fortune in Newfoundland.....FALSE - but his third cousins branch did! My sixth cousins are closely related to the Queen!! lol - I have not put HER on my tree, as I'm not related, but my mum is going round making (mistaken) false statements about this!! She will be putting coronets on her writing paper soon!! Another thing I have noticed - If you don't have a prestigious occupation, stick the word ''Master'' in front, and you will instantly seem more important!! I am still looking for my branch of Master Ag Labs!! Merry

I've been told that a great uncle returned from WW1, thought that his wife had had an affair and that the children were not his. He then killed his wife and children and tried to hang himself in Cannon Hill park in Birmingham. He was then sent to Broadmoor. Cannot find anything on this at all!

Strange to read this thread - I'm starting to wonder about my dad (no, not like that!!!) He was in the Navy, I know a couple of the ships he says he served on, he was also at TS Vindicatrix just before it went off to the wreckers yard - yet no one I managed to find from TSV has heard of him! He was a Sick Berth Petty Officer, mum said that one of his duties was giving recruits vaccinations, but no one seems to remember him, only a Sister from that time. Mum used to go to visit him and have the young lads asking her 'Please Miss, does Sir hurt when he gives injections?' She used to tell them it depended on how much he had to drink the night before (oh dear) So now I'm wondering, have I got it all wrong? Or was it all a figment of his imagination? Add this to the three female rellies on my dads side who I truly think must have been left on doorsteps by aliens, cos I can't find any trace of them - I think I'll give up! Lisa

Older family relatives used to boast of a relative that was transported to Australia. I think they reckoned he stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving family or was a Lovejoy character. Turned out he had aided & abeted a rape! I'm not allowed to mention it or tell anyone now!! PS Don't tell anyone I've told.

My mum never really spoke about her family - she was put in a Home. But one thing she did know was that her granny had 3 husbands - she didnt - she had 4 of her own at least -(and dont know how many other peoples lol)

A relative, on my fathers side of the family, is supposed to have won the watermans race on the Thames. My mother believes she saw the jacket, given to the winners, in a relatives house in London in the late 1950's. Several rellies were waterman but none are listed as winning this race. Would like one day to prove this legend as it would be the familys only claim to fame. Maureen

Glitter Baby, I have the list of Doggetts winners if you want me to check out the truth - I have to say MY GUY is on there!

Gawd, if I believed all the ones weve got, Id not only own London docklands but be the current queen of Russia.

I love these stories. My mum's family believe that their ancestor's were Welsh. Grandma's maiden name was Edwards so we thought it would be her line. One aunt said that grandma's dad was born at Ross so I thought Ross-on Wye....Welsh borders etc. etc. But then I found grandma with her family on a census and her father was born at Rowley Regis and going back to an earlier census found that his father was born at Rowley Regis too. Looking closer at the address, they lived at Ross, Rowley Regis! Heather(still looking for the welsh connection)