Tag Archives: Hellier

Born Together, Gone Too Soon: The Story of Lily and May Hellyer

Posted on 13 August 2025 by
AI Generated image depicting the Hellyer Family

ON THIS DAY…13TH AUGUST In the late summer of 1880, twin girls were born into a Royal Naval family in Plymouth. Their father’s work kept the household afloat but also took him away from home, while their mother managed daily … Continue reading →

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Drunken Louisa Confronts Her Husband In The Street

Posted on 13 April 2020 by
AI Generated image depicting a drunk and angry Louisa confronting her husband

I’ve recently undertaken quite a lot of work on the family of my 2 x great-grandparents, John Gale Hellier and Mary Ann Congdon including adding detailed notes for my great-grandmother, Sarah May Hellyer. Several of John and Mary Ann’s children … Continue reading →

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DNA Highlights My Grandpa Geake’s Mysterious Irish Connections

Posted on 15 January 2019 by
Connacht with sub-regions of North East Mayo & North West Sligo, North Connacht and North Mayo

Ancestry has recently completed its Irish ethnicity regions update and now offers 92 distinct regions in Ireland. This has resulted in my being able to identify some areas on my maternal grandfather’s side (William Hellyer Geake). My mum, aunt and … Continue reading →

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Marriage Record Finally Opens Doors To A Brick Wall

Posted on 2 June 2018 by
The marriage record between Samuel Hellier & Elizabeth Gale showing Elizabeth was a widow

What a difference one little word can make on a historical document! Today’s tip is to always view as many versions of an original record that you can possibly find. For a long time I’d been unable to move beyond … Continue reading →

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Hellyer, Helyer, Hellier, Helliar, Heller, Hillier, Holliar And So It Goes On…

Posted on 4 September 2017 by
St Eustachius Church, Tavistock

Today’s genealogical tip is to consider all name variants when you can’t find a record for your ancestor. I’ve had a minor breakthrough in tracing my Hellier/Hellyer line into the 18th century. For a while I’d been stuck at the … Continue reading →

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When You Think You Know Something, Look Again

Posted on 18 August 2017 by
My Great-great-Aunt Lil on the left and my Great-grandmother, Sarah Geake, on the right

Today’s genealogical tip is to keep revising your information and checking sources. My 2 x great-grandparents, John and Mary Ann Hellier/Hellyer, lived in the Devonport area of Plymouth for much of their married life and had, what I believed to … Continue reading →

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GRO Provides Mother’s Maiden Names During Free Search

Posted on 9 November 2016 by
Mary Ann Hellyer, nee Congdon

I’ve mentioned before about the discrepancy I have regarding the maiden name of my 2 x great-grandmother (see my blog posts here and here). In 1871 she married my 2 x great-grandfather, John Gale Hellyer, in the parish church at … Continue reading →

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My AncestryDNA Results Say I’m From The Emerald Isle

Posted on 27 May 2016 by
Annie's DNA Ethnicity Chart

Yesterday, I received the results of my AncestryDNA test. In a previous post I hinted that I thought I’d be predominantly British with possibly some Irish, Scandinavian and Western European genes. I wasn’t too far off except to learn that … Continue reading →

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Burgoyne Or Congdon! What Was My Gr-Gr-Grandmother’s Maiden Name?

Posted on 20 January 2014 by
Marriage Certificate of John G Hellier and Mary Ann Burgoyne

Having recently sent away for some details about the children of John Gale Hellier and his wife, Mary Ann, I acquired by default a copy of the couple’s marriage certificate amongst some documents which had been submitted to a Bristol … Continue reading →

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The Life Of My 2 x Great-Aunt Kate Louisa Hellyer

Posted on 9 January 2014 by
AI Generated image depicting Kate nursing her sister, Jane

Born the eldest child to John Gale Hellier, a stoker in the Royal Navy, and his wife, Mary Ann (nee Congdon) in 1878, Kate Louisa Hellyer had a difficult start in life. She was 12 when her mother died and … Continue reading →

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