General Chat

My family, so far, seems very ordinary. Any unusual tales you have uncovered?

My gt gt grandmother's older brother committed a murder while insane. My very religious gt grandmother from Norfolk was illegitimate. On my husband's side His father was married before he married husband's mother and we only found out when they were both terminally ill. His mother's grandmother was Jewish. We all thought she and the grandfather had married in a register office because she was pregnant, but it appears it was because they were of different faiths.

Hi Daniel, Mine is discovering that my father went by another name,perhaps like Judith my maiden name is not as I thought,also other half siblings,one who has died,other no contact as yet,then he went on to have more,also found out recently he was awarded the British Empire Medal for Bravery,he certainly wouldnt get a medal for Father of the Year.I only found this out after 30years of searching,what a shocker,and what a rotter. Hey Judith,hes from Liverpool too, trish.

My husbands great grandmother died at 32 leaving about four children. Great granda got married again and not long after, his new wife was up before the courts for child cruelty! Only a couple of weeks later G Grandpa died ( they said he died of shame but I doubt that bit). Anyway the children ended up in care, one boy ran off to sea and two girls were sent off to Australia by the authorities. It makes you wonder what the rest of our ancestors went through that we dont know about.

I also have Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo in my family. My maternal grandmother always said that one of her grandmothers was a Maria Joslin - who was connected to the Cabury family (Choc people) thats proved to be wrong. Liz

Hi That I can't find anything other than a marriage cert. and in the 1881 census that is all i can find and have given up on one side of my family Margaret

When Jessie Parkinson registered the birth of her children she named their father as her husband, Richard Noble Parkinson. On her death certificate she is described as the widow of Richard Noble Parkinson. However, I can find no record of his birth, or their marriage or his death, and on the censuses she is a widow!!! I think he must be her imaginary friend ................... unless, of course, someone out there knows better! Janice

my great grandmother was married three times,abandoned her first four children,liked sailors and said she was 15 yrs younger than she was on her 3rd marriage,oh nearly forgot,she was also a prostitute, karen

mine was reading the thread that women who put "dressmaker" on the census may well have b een prostitutes. Therefore my gtx 4 grandfather living as a "gent" in a household of 6 dressmakers was most likely a pimp

Really. Was that the code they used or something?

Daniel - nothing too extraordinary, my great-grandfather came from Germany which we didn't know, as Grandad changed his name (probably around time of WW1). One of Mum's sisters is actually a half-sister, and my Grandad was supposed to be on the Titanic (he wasn't but can't prove that he 'should have'!)

Well i'll throw in my own little piece. One of my half cousins was one of the calverymen who rode at George VI corronation. I'm expecting a photo of him this week to put on my site.

One of my hubbie's relatives was on the Titanic (a survivor) and one of my rellies had machinery in the hold of the Titanic which probably didnt help a great deal!! Jacqui

i have also found out my surname might be not what it is as my grandfather and his sister have no dad on their birth certificate and their mother my g/grandmother was a housekeeper for a man who might have fathered her children

hi daniel just a couple for you my grandparents had 8 kids in 20 years before marrying .and my grandfather left his 1st wife and 2 kids to live in sin with my nan. ooer how i wish they were still alive so i could tell them what i think and get the gruesome details. also that my maiden name that i got bullied for in school was made up of his middle name and surname so that the 1st wife couldn't find him. i should've been plain old jones not addison-jones , half the 1st generation it isn't even on their birth certificates. oh well at least most of them are still alive so i got the info. lol sandra

I don'[t think my Gran's parents married as we can't find a certificate for them. Also my Gt Grnadad had the name Manouvrier (led to believe that it's French) but just before WW1 he bought another man's id so that he could serve in the Australian Navy, even though he lived in Chatham, Kent. So on the 1901 census he's down as T W Allen, although all the children were registered with the name Manouvrier and they were all registered with Man... at their deaths!!!! Julie

Believing my ancestors to have been prim and proper Victorians, I was surprised to find that G.Grandfather had been in prison and it appears to be twice that I know of! My daughter thinks the best find so far is a female relative having married a Chas Rabbit. She thinks it hilarious. Jacky:-)