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On This Day In 1916 – A Narrow Escape

Posted on 18 June 2017 by
Possibly a photograph of the damaged seaplane reported in the incident of 31st May 1916

18TH JUNE Early aviation during the First World War was a hairy business. Harvey’s grandad, Cyril Ellen, was involved in two recorded incidents whilst serving with the R.N.A.S. (Royal Naval Air Service) onboard HMS Riviera. Riviera saw service with the … Continue reading →

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On This Day – Remembering The Quetta Earthquake Of 1935

Posted on 31 May 2017 by
Quetta Earthquake 1935 - Buildings were reduced to rubble

31ST MAY Today, 31st May, sees the 82nd anniversary of the earthquake at Quetta, Balochistan, British India, which is now part of Pakistan. Harvey’s grandparents and mother, who was a child at the time, were caught up in the disaster … Continue reading →

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York Families Of Kidderminster

Posted on 15 May 2017 by
St Mary & All Saints Church, Kidderminster

On my father’s side, my 3 x great-grandmother, Hannah, who married Edmund Cotterill had been a long-standing brick wall until recently when I managed to make some progress. I hadn’t been certain of Hannah’s maiden name although I had previously … Continue reading →

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My Grandpa Geake, A Moving History

Posted on 25 April 2017 by
William Hellyer Geake (1917-1994)

25TH APRIL One hundred years ago on 25th April 1917, my Grandpa Geake (William Hellyer Geake), known as Bill, was born in a blizzard in South Wales. Hopefully the snow was outside! Grandpa was the fifth of eleven children and … Continue reading →

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Photo Of Harvey’s Gt-Gt-Grandmother, Maria Bunstone Thomas, Nee Guy

Posted on 5 April 2017 by
Maria Thomas, nee Guy

A member of Harvey’s family recently sent us some information regarding the family history as well as some photographs. One of the photos was of Harvey’s 2 x great-grandmother, Maria Bunstone Thomas (nee Guy). She was apparently posing for the … Continue reading →

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Genealogy Tip: Always Check The Original Record

Posted on 21 March 2017 by
The marriage between Stephen Bonston and Grace Farmer

I recently revisited the marriage between Harvey’s 4 x great-grandparents, Stephen Bunstow/Bonston and his wife, Grace. Stephen married Grace Farmer on 27th October 1818 in St Saviour’s Church, Dartmouth in Devon. When I first looked at this, I didn’t have … Continue reading →

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My Great-Auntie Betty’s Scottish Lineage

Posted on 26 February 2017 by
My Great-Auntie Betty Geake, nee Hutton

A few months ago my great-aunt Betty (Betty Gordon Hutton) passed away and I have since added her lineage to my website. Auntie Betty was married to Uncle Ron (Ronald Arthur Geake) who was my Grandpa’s brother. They were married … Continue reading →

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Susanna Stinchcomb: My Ancestor’s Maiden Name Finally Revealed

Posted on 23 February 2017 by
Views from Stinchcombe Hill near Dursley

I’ve been researching my family history since 2007 and it is only just recently that I believe I have discovered the maiden name of my 6 x great-grandmother, Susanna, who was married to John Dando, the elder. Their marriage had … Continue reading →

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17th Century Newsflash: Okehampton’s Thatched School House Catches Fire

Posted on 23 February 2017 by
AI Generated image depicting a school house on fire

Regular readers will know that I’ve been tracing backwards on my maternal grandfather’s line, through my Edwards, Recket, Pudicome and Randall ancestors. Last time, I reached back to 1672 when my 7 x great-grandfather, Nathaniel Randall, was born in Okehampton … Continue reading →

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My Edwards, Recket, Randall And Pudicome Ancestors From West Devon

Posted on 15 January 2017 by
Map of Inwardleigh, Hatherleigh and Okehampton.

This post follows on from my previous one about the family of Nathaniel Edwards and Grace Reckett. Grace’s father was Robert Ridstone Recket who was born in Inwardleigh, Devon, in about 1722 to an unmarried woman called Catherine Recket. There … Continue reading →

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