General Chat

William Cornelius ......... was marching through the town with his Territorial unit when he saw his wife coming out of the hairdressers before going into hospital to have their first child. As they had fallen out recently, he promptly drew a bead with his rifle and killed her. He later kept an appointment with Albert Pierpoint(The public executioner) at Armley Goal. Another branch line shunted into the sidings. Surname removed to protect the guilty.

My grandfather was always told by his father, John Picton, that they were descended from General Sir Thomas Picton who was famous from the Battle of Waterloo. I've been checking into this and it appears that he didn't have any children. Furthermore, all his brother's lines died out after one generation, so we're not even related that way. So much for that story! Crista

My mum's uncle designed the girl on the container of Morton Salt (do you have Morton Salt in the UK?) -- the girl on the container is holding an umbrella and a container of salt. I contacted Morton a few years ago, as I wanted to find out more information. Don't trust those family tales -- Uncle Roy(?) didn't come up with the idea, he simply updated the original design. Oh well, at least he was connected to it somehow.

The stories are good, but very misleading!
Granny D apparently had ladies pilot licence No6, she went on rallys with Healey, was descended from an Irishman & a Gipsy from Juarez. disproved the last one- both her parents were Cornish - don't know about the others.
Granny Shears was always saying my grandad must be Scottish as he was always singing 'I belong to Glasgow' - no he was born & bred in Southampton! - none of his ancestors were Scottish.
I am, however a descendant, through him, of a man who was, according to newspapers, the heaviest man in England in 1842!

The names and the dates are a challenge but the family folklore gives it colour. Sure the hand- me- down stories get taller by the generation, but do we care.... ggg George invented farm machinery and ran a pub-died when he fell into one of his threshing machines. ggg Henry owned one of the first motor tricycles- used to leave a route map so the horse and buggy could come and find him when he broke down. g uncle Dick died hours short of his 101st birthday and was buried with his birthday cards There's more and blacker..let's see what you have first...