Genealogical records are not perfect… As a result genealogists work with a trail of imperfect and inconsistent breadcrumbs, and we use these traces to recreate the lives of our ancestors. Sometimes we do a good job, sometimes we do a poor job, and sometimes we may not know the difference. Trapped within [our] DNA, however, are the stories of [our] ancestors. (Blaine Bettinger) Before piling back into client work after a pretty hectic couple of months, I treated myself to some time on my own family records. Here, I must acknowledge the fantastic genealogical work undertaken by George Aynsley-Smith, (1866-1942) my great Grandfather’s brother, and subsequently his son Philip. It was after all, the family tree given to me as a young teenager by Philip that set me off on the quest for ancestral knowledge. It was not until October 2015, (very foggy if I remember), that I first had sight of the true extent of George’s research, and the huge collection of family documents he had amassed. My extravagance was to re-read a collection of letters, that due to other commitments had really only been skim read before.  George Aynsley-Smith, (1866-1942), circa 1880-1882. What struck me first is that most of the letter writers are women – not prissy women mind you, but women who are at times dealing with serious business, finance and sadly death. It was whilst reading the letter written circa 1798 by my 4th great grandmother Mary Thompson that two further thoughts came to me. The first was that the contents of these letters extend way beyond my own family and are a rich source of local and family history for others, and the second had me wondering whether I have inherited any of the DNA from the letter writers. Therefore, I fully intend to pull the letters and research together, cross reference the people and events that were being written about and present it in a searchable format. This exercise may also help to address the significant number of online trees that are frankly rubbish, full of circumstantial evidence and no relation to these lines at all. Furthermore, whilst George and Philip’s research has contributed to many published works, it has never been publicly recognised in its own right. This will be quite an undertaking, but has already been helped enormously by Philip and my Aynsley-Smith cousins - not least by deciphering some of George’s handwritten trees! Philip had started the process of identifying our relations in the letters, and he too did an excellent job with our family genealogy, but the letters have more still to give above and beyond his carefully researched notes. In 1986 Philip wrote his foreword to the collection: A BOOK OF FAMILY DOCUMENTS  Page 2 of the letter from Agnes Smith to her sister Jane of the 13th September 1842. Below is a transcription of letter No12 relating to Christian Trotter’s fatal illness, and the treatment of her husband’s failing eyesight with fumes of Prussic Acid or Hydrogen Cyanide! As the main ingredient of what would become known as ‘Zyklon B’ it is little wonder the poor chap felt both faint and ill afterwards! Letter from Agnes Smith (1803 - 1871) to her sister Jane Smith (1807 - 1885) Updated Notes to the Letter Sadly my [3x] great grandmother died two days after the letter was written on the 15th September 1842. The letter certainly conveys Christian’s character as someone who was not going to take her last illness quietly. The refusal to take her medicine and her vociferous protests displays an obstinate mule like quality which I fear may have been passed on in her genes. It also suggests the terror she may have felt at the prospect of going the same way as her brother Rev Ninian who died in the Cholera Epidemic of 1832. Of Dr Moffat I can find little, but the reference to his ‘lodgings’ may suggest he was from out of town. My friend and colleague Fergus Smith of Old Scottish, whose knowledge of records and antiquarian books is just immense, passed me this reference to a publication concerning amongst other things, the treatment of ‘Amaurosis’, or blindness without visible lesions to the eye, with the aforementioned ‘prussic acid’.  The following extracts are taken from case No. 13 on pages 43 & 44:   Dr Cahill on the other hand was an eminent physician, Alderman of Berwick upon Tweed and the town’s Mayor in 1841. Having treated cholera patients in the 1832 epidemic, he was instrumental in establishing the town’s subsequent policy of cholera prevention and treatment. Cahill, part of that nexus of civic leaders in Berwick, had been a medical attendant or doctor at the Berwick Dispensary and Infirmary since 1815, and was its secretary in 1818-1829. This charitable institution, at 18 Quay Walls, benefited the ‘sick poor’ and industrious sick within a twelve-mile radius, and treating around 140 persons a year between 1814 and 1854. Mrs Trotter was Margaret (also nee) Trotter, the widow of James Trotter of Newton, Abercorn, West Lothian. James (1765-1829) was Christian’s brother thus making Margaret aunt to the girls by marriage. Margaret was, however, also Christian’s half cousin, sharing a mutual grandfather in James Trotter (1695-1786) of Kerchesters, Sprouston. At the time the letter was written Margaret was living at East House, Cheswick with three of her daughters. It is through this line and the marriage of her daughter Agnes to George Cargey at Dalmeny in 1853, that we have known living relatives. ‘P’ was almost certainly Phyllis Smith, another sister. Helen, was Helen Young, at the time about six years old. She was the step-daughter of their brother George Smith (of Ancroft) and his wife Grace Ann White by her first husband David Young of Ladykirk. Helen who married Thomas Pinkerton in 1856, was thus a half-sister to the Ancroft Smiths. Sister Jane was neither at home nor with the Trotter family at Cheswick in the 1841 census. Her exact whereabouts in 1841 have yet to be determined but I can guarantee she was not married to a Thomas Slater as 10 online family trees would have you believe! The fact that the letter was written on the 13th of September which was a Tuesday, and not expected to arrive until the Friday, would suggest that Jane was not in the immediate vicinity. Interestingly, brother John who was still unmarried at that time, is also away from home on the night of the 1841 census. By the time the census came around again in 1851, they are both back with the family who are on longer living at Loanend, but most likely at West House, or West Croft within Norham Village. It should be noted that they were both still very ‘unmarried’. John did not marry (for the 1st time) until 1858, and Jane never married at all!!  George and his wife Jeanne in the Garden at Norham circa 1940 The above is a brief example of the information that potentially lies beneath the surface of many of these letters. One reason why this particular example was chosen is that is actually mentions very few people, and of those that are, most are already familiar to me. Many of the other letters are not quite so straightforward and will require more time to research in any depth. Time, which for this month at least, has somewhat evaporated once again. As regards Philip’s comments re some of the letters not being real family at all, I have to strongly disagree. The Whitham family to whom he makes particular reference, are indeed blood relatives. Our common ancestors, John Thompson (1745-1810) of Overshiels (Shieldykes) and Todstead and his wife Ann Grey (1747-1812), just one generation further back, were in fact my 5th great grandparents twice over - due to first cousin marriages they are the parents of two sets of 4th greats. However, in Philip’s defence, who would have thought that DNA would come to play such a prominent role in family history research of ordinary folk. So, for the purpose of proving ancestral heritage, Whitham descendants as blood relatives from this line are most definitely family and potential DNA matches. I say potential, as there is no guarantee that I will have inherited the same genes as my Whitham counterparts, and the Thompson/Grey DNA may have been lost to natural wastage at each subsequent generation. This is best illustrated in a diagram:  Here, I am figuratively represented by the circle at centre of the base. Each ring represents a generation, with the grey cells representing DNA inherited, and the white cells DNA which has been lost. From this it is easy to see that whilst I should have inherited DNA from all my 2nd gt grandparents, I may only have inherited DNA from 22 of my 32 3rd gt grandparents and so on. In this way our genetic tree can be very different to our pedigree on paper. As DNA can now tell you that a third cousin shares zero DNA with you - do you feel less related to them at that point? Or what about the third cousin who shares more than normal with you? Is there now a difference in how you view your relation to both of those?’ This is a question being raised by Michelle Leonard of ‘Genes and Genealogy’ in her forthcoming talk in Adare, Ireland. A fascinating topic and am looking forward to hearing her feedback. In the meantime do let me know if you have any thoughts on the matter, or indeed would be interested in helping me identify the DNA I may or may not have inherited from this side of the family.
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 Army of Headstones facing the Cheviots in Ford Churchyard Keeping your cool and your eyes open have to be to this month’s buzzwords. The standard of census transcription provided by the ‘big two’ has left so much to be desired I was on the verge of insanity. Just how many ways can you spell ‘Tait’? With the clock ticking for a paying customer time comes at premium. It quickly reaches the point where you either move on to search for the next record, or delegate. In this case I managed to do both, and for that I have to thank my good friend and ‘genie’ colleague Michelle Leonard, for her startling efficiency in finding the census record which had been eluding me within five minutes! First tip – if you think you know where your ancestors are living, try a search using the address! With sanity partially restored, and suspicions confirmed that there had indeed been at least one other child born in the intervening period between marriage and the 1841 census, it was time to head off to the Old Parish Registers (OPR’s). Whilst like many I use a combination of secondary sources and each has its positives and negatives, they still don’t retain all of the information contained in the original registers. They are also prone to human error incurred during the transcription process which was testing my patience so sorely in my search for Tait (Lair, Lais, Fair, Fait, Sair, Sait, Late and even Tart!) Often, access to the originals can be problematic due to distance from the archives or restrictive opening times. Hence I am a big fan of the BT’s or Bishops Transcripts which are freely available online through Family Search. Rather than launch into a full explanation of the information they contain I have added a link at the end of this post. Suffice it to say, they comprise images of the original baptism, marriage and burial records for an individual parish. With some containing records dating from the late 16th century to circa 1841 they are a very useful tool for research in the pre statutory registration period. A word of warning though, they too are prone to errors and omissions as they are themselves copies of the original registers, albeit contemporary ones. Also, they are not indexed so a bit of savvy searching is required. A good tip is to glean as much information as possible from other sources before you reach for the BT. It worth noting that ‘The Genealogist’ now has some parish records for Northumberland available online. Their whizzy quick search button for related family members and records is a great timesaver - but remember this list may be incomplete. It is no panacea nor a substitute for the real thing, and more importantly it still has many details and individuals omitted from the transcripts.  Ford Castle once ransacked by James IV on his way to Flodden in 1513, taken from the Churchyard It was whilst putting this into practice in the BT’s for Ford, I happened on a record that provided an answer to a question that has been plaguing Smith family research for YEARS – and not just mine I might add! I can’t find a single individual that has found the correct answer, but I can now remedy that situation. What made this particular case even more trying was the individuals involved left quite detailed wills that contained not a single clue, referring only to wives and mothers by their Christian names. Well ‘cousin’ Patrick, I can now solve the mystery of the 'Harper' in your surname!  Margaret Young late Harper, of Mount Carmel, Parish of Norham, widow of Aaron Young, Farmer, Died died 15th January 1805, buried 18th aged 89 years One of the earliest blogs I wrote back in March 2013, 'One too Many ...or Was It' concerned Aaron Young who unfortunately drowned in the river Whiteadder at the Bluestone Ford on the 31st December 1822. An incident which has fascinated generations, but beyond the grisly details, little was known about the gentleman’s parentage. He was an only child, his father having died in 1759 when he was just 4 years old and his mother’s Christian name was Margaret! Anyone who has researched Young families in the North Northumberland area will appreciate the difficulty in firstly finding the records as they were ‘dissenters’, and then identifying who is who from often patchy information. However, even dissenters were required to be interred in the parish burial ground, so the records should be in the parish burial registers. As Aaron Young and his father before him were associated with the farms of Windmill Hill near Berwick or Mount Carmel near Norham, searches for his parents burial records in the past have centred around these areas. There she was on the page before me in Ford - Margaret Young, maiden surname Harper of Mount Carmel died aged 89 in January 1805. If her age at death is correct then this gives an approximate date of birth of 1715 -1716, around the time of first famous Jacobite Rising known as the '15.  The exact same record from The Genealogist with false eyelashes and lipstick applied, but that vital piece of information 'late Harper' required to trace her own family ancestry, nowhere to be seen. The original parish registers and thus the BT’s for this area can be extremely informative particularly if the parishes fell under the auspices of Bishop Shute Barrington For the genealogist, demographer and historian, however, the memorable gift of Bishop Shute Barrington was his introduction of a detailed format for parish registers, along the lines of the pioneer work of William Dade in the neighbouring diocese of York, but in a more manageable format. From 1798 until the national introduction of printed register books in 1812, baptism registers in the diocese of Durham were required to include the child’s date of birth, the mother’s maiden name and the parishes in which both parents were born as well, as the number of the child in the family. Details of fathers of illegitimate children were recorded with similar zeal. [Debretts Ancestral Research]  A Bishop Barrington influenced Birth and Baptism entry from 1805 Frances Jane Thompson, Born 20th May 1805, Baptised the 25th, 5th daughter of The Reverend Joseph Thompson, Curate of this Parish, Native of Little Blencowe in the Parish of Greystock, [Greystoke] Cumberland, by his wife Margaret Daughter of John and Byers, Native of Great Salkeld Cumberland. Records like these were time consuming to keep and to copy so alas, this level of detail wasn't kept up for long, but while they do they provide manna from heaven for the family historian. This example happens to be for the daughter of the parish curate, but the other entries from this period are just as detailed with families from Yorkshire, Norfolk and McLeods from the Isle of Skye being amongst some notable entries in the register. Having stumbled upon this piece of elusive information I resolved to re-visit the Ford BT in search of other ancestors on my maternal side who appear to have been equally averse to a traditional head wetting. It’s not often I get a chance to research my own family, so when I do I expect the ancestors to play ball and co-operate. On this occasion whilst not laying bare all the family secrets, they did submit to supplying some tantalising clues, suggesting they have been in and around the Ford and Crookham area for some time, and not just passing through.  Alexander Hewitt, Eastfeld, [occupation] Gardner, [marital status] Widower [died] 11th January 1804, [buried] 13th January 1804, [age] 90 years. As well as Alexander's astonishing longevity which potentially links the family to Ford as early as circa 1714, of particular interest is his occupation. Subsequent generations are described as market gardeners and fruiterers, which remained the trade of our branch of the Hewitt family, who became fruit brokers in the mid 19th century. This connection eventually came to an end through a series of mergers and the ultimate retirement of my own grandfather on 30th June 1974. More about the business and associated families appear in my blog of April 2014 Another tantalising snippet of information was provided by this entry dated the following March:  Pringle Turnbull, late Hewitt, Crookham, wife of James Turnbull DANCING MASTER died March 29th 1805, buried the 31st aged 42 years. I can honestly say this is the first time I have encountered the occupation 'Dancing Master' in a rural parish record. Furthermore what was her relationship to Alexander, daughter or granddaughter? What the record does suggest, however, is that I should potentially be looking for a Pringle connection and hope that she was not named for some unrelated eminent personage in the local community. Our ancestors are good at throwing us 'red herrings' such as this so it is always worth bearing in mind. Away from the BT's for a moment, this record found with the transcripts of Irregular Marriages at Coldstream Bridge is another Hewitt sneaking over the Border into Scotland to tie the knot in 1795.  The transcript may be easier to read and imparts the relevant information but to my mind its just a bit lifeless. The old handwritten documents act as a window to the 'soul' of the parish, complete with their erroneous spellings and sometimes eyebrow raising comments. Whilst searching through the original images I came across a couple of entries that impart a bit more information than is immediately apparent.  Dated 1st Feb 1834, the surname Blythe, [abode] 'Travelling' and the occupation 'Besom Maker' [Brush Maker] tell us that this record is highly likely to be the baptism of a Romany or Gypsy child. The area around Kirk Yetholm, not far from Ford being renowned as seat of the 'King of the Gypsies' with its nineteenth century gypsy palace. Another record that caught my eye was the 'supposed' man buried at Ford in November 1808.  A Stranger supposed from the neighbourhood of West Wemyss, whose name is supposed to be John Dunsire from a letter found in his pocket found drowned near Redscar, Ford November 10th 1808, buried 12th, supposed to be 50 years of age. Was this supposed stranger actually John Dunsire, or someone else entirely? What was in the letter to suppose it was he, a testimonial from his own parish of settlement? Was he trying to cross the watery taker of souls that is the River Till at Redscar on his way South or North? We will doubtless never know, but if there are any 'Fifers' out there missing a John Dunsire who disappears around 1805, we have him here at Ford. SAYS Tweed to Till-- The Bishops Transcripts are not the easiest to navigate at times, the handwriting ranges from sublime to somewhat more challenging, and the quality of the filming can be a bit haphazard. However, to the committed family historian they are definitely worth their weight in gold. Links Debretts, Bishop Shute Barrington and the English Parish Register http://debrettancestryresearch.com/bishop-shute-barrington-and-the-english-parish-register/ Family Search, Bishop's Transcripts for Durham Doicese https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/England,_Durham_Diocese_Bishops%27_Transcripts_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) The Genealogist https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/
 An early 18th century map.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACarte_Nouvelle-france_et_13_colonies_en_1710.jpg You know the saying about waiting for a bus and then three come along at once? Well the same it seems can be said of requests for research. There seems to be an epidemic of 17th century ‘plantationitis’ doing the rounds! These include the associated rumours of transportation due to criminal convictions and religious persecution, with the ‘victim’ subsequently coming good in the Americas. These cases are topped off with accounts of escaped and freed slaves who went on to found their own dynasties bearing the surname of their previous ‘owners’. That slavery is synonymous with plantations and the whole concept of a fellow human being reduced to a mere possession or commodity to be traded is totally abhorrent, but there is more to the history of the early plantations than meets the eye. Some legacies left have had far reaching impact and longevity spanning centuries as examined in this month’s featured article from Fergus Soucek-Smith of ‘Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History’ who takes a look at a couple of specific ‘Deeds of Mortification’. Before that below is a very brief a look at some of the records that may be helpful when researching early plantation ancestors from Britain.  An example of an Indenture dated 1738 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIndenturecertificate.jpg By The original uploader was Greensburger at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons) Companies such as The Virginia Company founded in 1606 by royal charter of King James I & VI, (except for viewers in Scotland!), with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America to produce and export tobacco, required a huge labour force. This was often supplied via voluntary ‘indenture’, a means by which poor folks would have their passage to America paid and be provided for in exchange for a fixed period of labour for the plantation owner – typically 4-7 years. At the end of the term they were often given a few acres of land, a cow, some corn etc., to make good their start in the New World. The earliest record in the family archives is of a Ralph Nicholson aboard the Merchant Bonaventure, captained by Mr James Ricroft, bound from London to Virginia in 1635. Several members of the Nicholson family followed, including William Nicholson, who died in Maryland in 1719, and James Nicholson, a nephew who emigrated in 1716 aboard the ‘Jonathon’. In a letter to his sister Margaret, from South River, Maryland, James asks her to assist his mother in finding him a weaver.  Image courtesy of Berwick Record Office, Nicholson Correspondence NRO/1955/A/12 The letter implies James is to pay the cost in return for between five and seven years of service. The reference to his tailor ‘who regrets not his coming’ is also of interest. Although sadly he is not named, his place of birth being Jedburgh indicates a preference for workers from the Scottish Borders. This sentiment is borne out in his line ‘as men from the North are generally more honest and faithful than those we get from in and about London’. The numbers swelled as English gaols were emptied of ‘idle vagrants’ and pardons were issued on condition of transportation. On Friday, Anthony Wornum, whose family history is also inextricably linked with the Nicholsons, contacted me regarding: ... a catalyst [to revisit the family history, received] a couple of days ago from the branch of the family that settled in the USA. There are many Wornums in the USA descended from a freed slave called Ben Wornum who took his owner's surname (as so many did) when freed. However, this message was from Jane Wornom Swallow, a member of the Wornom family looking for their link to the elusive "John Wornum" who allegedly arrived in Virginia USA in the 1600s having been transported to the colonies for some offence or other. Having the ‘Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage 1614 – 1775’ by Peter Wilson Coldham to hand, I had a brief look to see if he was listed. Despite looking at a few variant spellings I could find nothing. Given a sharp prod by Anthony to try again – Warnum struck gold: Warnum, John. R [reprieved for transportation] for Barbados April TB [transportation bond] Oct 1669 M [Middlesex] Middlesex cases were heard at the Old Bailey, but alas just a little before their fantastic online archive begins in 1674. So, we are still in the dark as to what offence he was convicted of, and just how he fits into the family tree, but this snippet is at least a start.  Cromwell at Dunbar, a scene from the English Civil War, by Andrew Carrick Gow, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons. (During the period of the English Civil War 22 Aug 1642 – 3 Sep 1651, transportation to the colonies came to a halt, and the Plantations increasingly turned to slave labour.) As for religious persecution, which was another reason mooted for an ancestor’s removal to foreign parts (being a Quaker), whilst not finding the gentleman in question, research did find several instances of this being the case. This particular reference from the section ‘Transported Quakers, 1664 to 1666’ at Genealogy Quest dated 7 December 1664 made me smile: Whereas Nicholas Lucas, Henry Feste, Henry Marshall, Francis Pryor, John Blendall, Jeremiah Hearne, and Samuel Treherne, Persons Convicted at the last Assises held at Hertford, in the County of Hertford, and Sentenced to be Transported to some of His Majestys Plantations in the West Indies; Who accordingly were putt on board the Shipp called the Anne of London, whereof one Thomas May is master, who undertook and engaged himself for their Transportation, Yet sett them on-shoare in or about the Downes, leaving them at liberty to goe whither they pleased; Which insolent demeanour being taken into Consideration; and it appearing to be a Matter of Contrivance and Combination between the said master and the persons before-mentioned; It was this day Ordered (his majesty present in Councell) That the high Shereif of the County of Hertford (now being) do cause the said [persons] to be apprehended and Secured, untill meanes of transporting them can be made, by some Shipping bound unto those parts.
Banishment by transportation was also a regular punishment for political rebels and Coldham’s book contains plenty from the ‘Monmouth Rebellion’ against James II & VII in 1685 and more again who rose in defence of his son James III ‘The Old Pretender’ (Jacobites) in 1715. These are just a few of the causes that may have forged our ancestors’ paths to America and beyond. In his article Fergus looks at bequests made by a Man of the Cloth, how he came by his money, how its legacy endured until the 1960’s in Aberdeen, and where such records can be found. CARIBBEAN SLAVERY AND EDUCATION IN ABERDEENSHIRE by Fergus Soucek-Smith of 'Old Scottish Genealogy and Family History' When I was applying to university in the mid-1980s, the then Scottish Education Department maintained a register of educational trusts that were available to provide support to prospective students. There were hundreds of such funds, some of them very specific. One of my university friends was given a significant amount of money each year from a variety of these funds, because of his surname and the small town where he was born. Most of these funds derived from bequests left over the years to various good causes. Kirk Session records often contain records of these legacies – often described as mortifications – as they were often tied to specific locales, and the Kirk Session was the obvious group to administer them. Aberdeenshire and the North-East in general are particularly well represented in such legacies, at least in terms of records surviving in the Kirk Session collections. There are a number covering large parts of the region, and many more covering individual parishes. Some legacies were intended to benefit the poor of the parish in the form of poor relief, but in keeping with the traditional Scots respect for education, many were intended to fund education in one form or another. The minutes of one such trust fund can be found among the Kirk Session records of Birse, in Aberdeenshire. [1] These minutes largely consist of details of payments made every six months to “the most indigent of the poor of the parish”, and are a handy source of information about some of the poorest people in this part of the north-east in the early 19th century. They even include a few payments to cover the cost of funerals of paupers, a useful source for genealogists given that the Old Parish Registers for Birse do not include any death or burial records. As is often the case for records of legacies and mortifications, the minutes include a transcript of the original deed or will establishing the fund. In this case, although the minutes begin in 1800, the fund was actually established in the will of Doctor Gilbert Ramsay, written in 1728. Dr Ramsay was an Episcopalian minister, originally from Birse. In 1686, he had arrived in the Caribbean as minister of St Paul’s, in Antigua. [2] By 1689, Dr Ramsay had moved to Barbados, where he became Rector of Christ Church. He remained at Christ Church for nearly forty years, before returning to the UK, “sojourning” in Bath, where he wrote his will. Presumably he was in Bath to partake of the waters, as in his will he writes that he is sick and weak in body, but (thanks to God) of sound and perfect disposition, mind and memory His first legacy is £4800 sterling to the “Corporation of New Aberdeen in North Britain, i.e. to the Provost, Bailiffs, Town Council, and governing members of the same city for the time being”, which is to be used to purchase land “as near to the City of New Aberdeen as can conveniently be purchased”. The proceeds from these lands are to be divided among various good causes. The “yearly Rent, Interest or Income” of £1000 is to be paid as a salary to a Pious, Learned, and well qualified Professor of Hebrew, Arabic and Oriental Languages, in the Marischall College of the said city of New Aberdeen, for the advancement of true learning, to the glory of God and the good of his Church. The second provision is that the proceeds from £2000 (of the £4800 left to the city of Aberdeen) should be used to provide a yearly pension to four hopeful, deserving young scholars, Masters of Arts, students of Divinity, which four students of Divinity conscionably elected I order shall be placed in said Marischal College of New Aberdeen to pursue diligently their Theological Studies there, for the Service of the Church … for the term of three years and no longer. The third provision of Ramsay’s will is a continuation of a Deed initially granted by him in Barbados in 1714, to provide for “four hopeful young men called Bursars, for ever to be educated in the knowledge of the Greek Tongue and Philosophy in the said Marischall College in New Aberdeen, during the space of four years and no longer.” This was to be funded from the proceeds of £800 of the legacy left to the Corporation. Ramsay did not forget his home parish. The “yearly rent, interest or income of five hundred pounds sterling” was to fund a salary to a pious, provident and experienced Schoolmaster well qualified to instruct the youth in the Parish of Birse … the place of my nativity … in the Principles of Religion, to read and write English, and to understand both Greek and Latin Before employing a schoolmaster, the proceeds were to be used to fund “building a schoolhouse in the most convenient place of the said Parish of Birse”. The remaining £500 of the legacy was to be given “to the order of the Reverend Ministers and Elders of the said Parish of Birse … to be forever by them conscionably and impartially distributed yearly among the poor of the said parish of Birse” on the first Monday of January and July each year. Patronage of the foundation was granted to Gilbert’s cousin, Sir Alexander Ramsay, Baronet and Laird of Balmain in Kincardineshire. Various other smaller legacies are given to “the poor Episcopal Clergy of Scotland”, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Scots Corporation in London, Balliol College, Oxford, and to various family and friends. Another £500 is left to Christ Church, Barbados to educate the poor youth of the parish. Reading all of this, you cannot help but wonder how an Episcopalian minister born in 17th century Aberdeenshire could have accumulated what was, for the time, a substantial sum of money. One clue is given in another provision of his will and my will is that all my slaves except my negroe man Robert here now attending me, be immediately sold after my death by my executor after named to such persons as will use them well tho’ at a cheaper rate than to others and to my said negroe man I give him his freedom from the day of my decease, and I will that he shall be taken care of and sent to Barbadoes at my charge, as soon as may be after my death and that the executors of this my will do pay him five pounds of that country money on his arrival at Barbadoes and likewise order, and appoint that all the money arising by such sale of my negroes shall be applied with the rest of my estate to pay off my legacies. Gilbert had evidently benefited significantly from the proceeds of slavery in Barbados. And his legacy continued to have knock-on benefits for a very long time. The Minute book of the Birse trust only cover the period 1800-1838, but the National Records of Scotland hold files on the Birse Mortification dating from 1886 [3] and 1889 [4] over 160 years after the bequest was made. Even that is not the end of the story: another record held by the NRS shows that it was not until 1961 that the trust fund was wound up.[5] For over 230 years, the people of Aberdeenshire benefited from an endowment established on the basis of profits from slavery. A number of prominent scholars are today attempting to unravel the ramifications of the proceeds of slavery on Scottish society. You have to wonder how many - if any - of the beneficiaries of this foundation were aware of where the money came from to fund their education. Sources:
'The life of such a man, intelligently written, would furnish an instructive chapter to the popular history of our country'. Unknown 1865.  Blaydon Races were held every year from 1811-1916 at Stella Haugh near Blaydon. Picture - William Irving 1903 at Shipley Art Gallery I love researching family histories that goes without saying, and every family has an interesting story to tell. It would also be true to say that some histories interest me far more than others, so when approached to research a family by the name of Chicken, thought to have originated in and around Tyneside in the late 18th early 19th centuries, this was a case I was not going to let pass. Whilst the surname Chicken may seem unusual, and indeed it is, there was quite a pocket of families by this name in the areas surrounding Newcastle at this time. Suffice it to say this family, despite the unusual name, presented the same obstacles encountered in similar projects covering the pre-statutory registration and census period. In these situations regional knowledge is key, and local historical community groups can be a vital source of information. To this end I must acknowledge the fantastic work currently being undertaken by the ‘St James’ Heritage & Environment Group’ in Benwell and thank them for providing evidence vital to this project.  Elswick, looking up the river towards Benwell in 1860 by Thomas Hair. The Armstrong Works are just visible in the bottom right. The point at which research for the project began was with William Chicken born in Newcastle upon Tyne circa the early 1820s. William had emigrated to Australia aboard the 'James Bains' with his Scottish wife Margaret Bartie and their young family in 1858. William was an ‘engine driver’ who died at the age of 57 in Wagga Wagga, Australia in 1878. The information provided on his death certificate proved the first and biggest obstacle of all, which has only very recently been conclusively resolved. His parents' names were given as John Chicken, also an ‘engine driver’, and Jane Robinson. No corresponding baptism record could be found to this parentage. The problem was exacerbated as William had left home before the first census in 1841, and therefore could not be traced through other household members. The process of tracing every William Chicken born in and around Tyneside at that time and eliminating them from the enquiry left just one parentage possibility. This was John Chicken, a colliery banksman in Benwell, and his wife Jane Moses. However, although almost certainly the correct couple, a small element of doubt remained. It was whilst investigating John Chicken that the story of an ordinary working class man in Industrial Tyneside began to emerge. Newcastle was built on coal, and the Industrial Revolution saw many men from very humble origins rise to prominence as the power of steam was harnessed and combined with advancements in engineering to drive industry and manufacturing. Contemporaries of John Chicken such as George Stephenson (1781-1848) ‘the father of the railways’ and his son Robert (1803-1859), did not have the benefit of a privileged education and wealth, but rather possessed a natural intelligence, aptitude and entrepreneurial spirit. William Armstrong (1778-1857), father of William George Armstrong (1810 -1900) who founded the iconic Elswick Works was also from a modest background. William junior rose to be an eminent scientist, inventor and philanthropist, who was knighted in 1859. These families would cross John Chicken's path through life in more ways than one. John Chicken was born on the 7th February 1795, the third of five children born to parents William Chicken, a colliery banksman, and his wife Alice Hogg of Low Benwell.  Benwell was then a very different place to the Benwell we see today. It was largely a rural landscape of farms, open fields and market gardens with a few small privately owned coal mines. It was rapidly becoming a desirable and fashionable place for the wealthy to live. The ‘St James’ Heritage & Environment Group’ have produced a fabulous publication ‘Benwell through the years In Maps and Pictures’ which describes and illustrates the changes both industrial and urban, that took place throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. On the 3rd October 1818 John Chicken married Jane Moses at Newburn Parish Church where George Stephenson celebrated his own two marriages in 1802 and 1820. One of the witnesses to the Chicken nuptials is of particular interest as it provides evidence of interaction between the Chickens and the families of the rising industrialists.  Extract from the 1818 Newburn Parish Register. Rebecca Gilchrist Potter is believed to be the daughter of William Potter of Walbottle Hall, a part owner in the Walbottle Colliery where John was perhaps employed. Another daughter of William Potter by his first marriage, Anne, was married to William Armstrong and mother to the young future baronet. Rebecca married Thomas Wrightson on the 16th June 1834, and one of their sons, Thomas jnr, served his apprenticeship with his cousin, William G Armstrong, at the Armstrong Works in Elswick, before studying civil engineering at Westminster. His interest in 'mechanics' extended beyond the buildings of bridges, for which he would become best known, and circa 1920 'Sir Thomas Wrightson's Theory of Hearing' was published. The other witness to the marriage, Jonathon Moses, is believed to be either the father or brother of the bride but this is as yet unconfirmed. In all John Chicken and Jane would have six children, five of whom would survive into adulthood, with only the youngest Robert dying as an infant in 1833. The second child was William, the starting point for this research, whose baptism is entered in the Newburn parish register as the 15th April 1821.  By the time the 1851 census was taken, John had left the mine and was working as a labourer in Armstrong's newly opened Elswick Works, by 1861 he had risen to the position of weighing machine clerk. He was living in Low Benwell at No. 33 Scotswood Road, just a short distance from ‘Paradise’, both of which are immortalised in the traditional folk song and Geordie Anthem, ‘The Blaydon Races’ written circa 1862. In 1851 two of John’s daughters, Ann and Alice, would marry, firstly Ann to Thomas Dunn an Ironmonger. In 1861 Ann and Thomas Dunn with their only son, John Thomas, were living at No 4, Saville Court, next door to her brother John an engine fitter, with his wife and daughter Mary. By 1871 the Dunn family had moved to 67 Grainger Street, and Thomas was now an auctioneer employing two men and 2 boys. In 1881 the family can be found living at 27 Oxford Street, Thomas snr was still an auctioneer but young John Thomas now aged 22, was recorded as an ‘analytical chemist’. In 1882 John Thomas Dunn was made a ‘Pemberton Fellow’ of Durham University. In April 1883 Ann died and Thomas followed soon after in July 1884.  Extract from Durham University Calendar 1897 In October 1851 Ann’s sister Alice had married Samuel Cooper a ‘tailor and draper’. In 1861 the Cooper family were living at 12 Back Blandford St, with two of their three children Mary (1857) and Samuel T (1859). Their third child Earnest was born in late 1866, just as tragedy was about to strike. In July 1867, during a family trip to the coast at Whitley Bay, husband and father Samuel was drowned at sea whilst bathing.  Image courtesty of British Newspaper Archive. Newcastle Weekly Chronicle Sat July 13th 1867. However, Samuel Cooper's death was not in vain, as later in July a newly invented ‘Life Preserving Apparatus’ was tested for the first time near the spot where he had perished. Although the trial was not wholly successful, it was unanimously decided that a bathing machine and lifeguard be immediately installed to prevent such accidents from happening in the future.  Image courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive. Newcastle Weekly Chronicle Sat. 20th July. The esteem in which Mr Cooper was revered by the community is evident from the accounts of his funeral, which was both large and well attended. His place did not remain vacant for long though as Alice, who was running the business which now included an undertakers, married a Mr George Charlton in 1870. George was a Master Tailor, former colleague of her husband and one of the mourners at his funeral. He survived his wife, who passed away on the 30th September 1889, and was re-married himself by the time of the 1891 census. The eldest sister Mary never married and died at the house she shared with her mother on the 13th August 1875. She and her sisters lie with their parents in the ‘old ground’ of St James’ Churchyard in Benwell. Their mother Jane Moses spent her last two years being cared for by daughter Alice and her second husband George Charlton, before she too was laid to rest on the 8th of December 1877 at the grand old age of 83.  Memorial Headstone in St James' churchyard, Thanks to the St James' Heritage and Environment Group for providing the photograph. Of her husband John the inscription on the memorial ‘In every relation of life he was an honourable and upright man’ seems to echo the sentiments of the unknown writer of the following extract which appeared in the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle on Saturday the 13th May 1865.  There are many words within this obituary that strike a chord. 'Mr Chicken was an educated man ...' may be a statement taken for granted today, but prior to the 'Education Act of 1870' (Forster's Act) there was no national system of education, and rates of illiteracy amongst the working classes were high. The Education Act of 1870 was the first to give all children the right to some form of education between the ages of 5 and 13. Both W G Armstrong and George Stephenson, who was himself illiterate until the age of 18, were great proponents of education for the working man. They were both incremental in the establishment of the Elswick Works school and Mechanics Institute, long before intervention by the Government, and to which Mr Chicken's literacy is more likely attributable. Other members of the family are also interred at St James’. Alice Chicken nee Hogg age 76 of Benwell Colliery, mother of John and grandmother to the girls, was buried on 13th July 1844. Robert, the infant son of John and Jane, was also buried here aged just 8 days on the 6th September 1833. Notable absences from the memorial and burial records are William and John, the couple's other two sons. William passed away in Wagga Wagga, Australia aged 57 on the 30th September 1878. John, by contrast, remained an engine fitter and mechanical engineer in Newcastle until his retirement. He died at No 9 Claremont Road in September 1902 and was survived by his wife, two daughters and several grandchildren.  St James' Church in Benwell. Photo courtesy of St James' Heritage and Environment Group. Descendants of William Chicken, who still live in Australia, will soon be visiting St James’ Benwell to pay their respects to their now confirmed 3 x great grandparents John Chicken, Jane Moses and their family. It is perhaps ironic but fitting that it was science that provided that last vital piece of evidence. It came in the form of a DNA match to a distant cousin, a descendant of Robert Chicken, brother of John Chicken senior, who moved to Liverpool and settled there sometime before 1820. This confirmation has opened the door to further research into the history of the Chicken family. Early indications are that before the move to Benwell they lived at Barlow Colliery near Blaydon. More ancestors may be amongst the many Chickens who lie buried in the ancient churchyard of Holy Cross in Ryton. Not far from Ryton, at Stella Haugh, is the site of the former ‘Blaydon Races’. It is as we would say up here, ‘just a kick in the pants away’. Useful Links St James' Heritage and Environmental Group stjameschurchnewcastle.wordpress.com/ Durham Records Online. https://www.durhamrecordsonline.com/ Durham Mining Museum http://www.dmm.org.uk/mindex.htm www.dmm.org.uk/mindex.htm Tyne & Wear Archives. Records of the Elswick Works School and Mechanics Institute. (Not online)
http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/DServe2/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=NaviTree.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqItem=D.VA/74&dsqField=RefNo  Wiki Commons Thomas Girtin (1775ー1802) Durham Cathedral and Castle（c.1800 I have received several tweets and emails from folks anxious to hear the results of my test with Living DNA. Well in the main I am going to keep you ‘hanging’ for a little longer! I shall give a brief overview and analysis of the results, but first I must congratulate the competition winners. Very well done to Sarah Rogers and Kim Strong who both correctly guessed the Northumbrian percentage of my own DNA as 20.3%. Many thanks also to David Nicholson of Living DNA for generously donating two tests as the competition resulted in a tie! The result was announced live at WDYTYA following the talk and presentation given by members of the Living DNA team to a packed audience in Theatre 3. I don’t think I remember much of the presentation (sorry guys!) as although as cool as a cucumber beforehand, the anticipation was just too much. The team had kept the results a secret as requested, (filed under the name Debbie Douglas, a nickname that affectionately seems to have stuck!), so this really was the first time I was going to have any insight into the secrets of my genes. By the time I got to the stage I really had turned into a bit of a sweaty palmed wreck, and was totally incapable of absorbing the information when it was finally revealed. Indeed it wasn’t until I had returned home and really looked at the results that they began to form patterns that correlated to the family tree created using traditional research methods.  Map showing regional distribution of my DNA. Note Sardina at the bottom of the picture. The key to map appears below. Northumbria tops the list at 20.3% but given the geographical definition for the purpose of the test, from Durham to north of the Forth in Fife, I initially expected this figure to have been higher. In fact, if I had been told this was my mother’s regional DNA profile I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. However this simply isn’t impossible as everyone inherits 50% of their genes from their father and 50% from their mother. To complicate matters there is no way of telling which genes we have inherited from our parents without testing ourselves. To help solve this mystery my mother’s DNA is now with Living DNA waiting to be analysed, and my brother will be testing very soon. Although he and I share the same parents, the 50% of DNA we have inherited from each parent will not be the same. Once these results are to hand I will be better placed to analyse the geographical spread of the DNA I have inherited, and from whom. I shall then write a full report detailing the ancestors believed to have contributed the most to my genetic geographical spread. Perhaps I shall also have an answer to where the 1.5% Sardinian has entered the equation, and confirmation that the as yet unassigned 6.1% presumed British is in fact Dutch.
In the meantime, I have set about trying to work out the regional pattern I inherited from my father. A lot of previous research into his paternal heritage is pretty much in tablets of stone. His grandfather John Smith (d 1937) was 100% Northumbrian and Scottish Borders. Like many who focus on a particular relative or branch of their tree, this has become the basis of my ‘identity’ and how I see myself. However, this is a very misplaced notion as it disregards all the contributions to my genetic profile inherited from my other paternal ancestors. My great grandfather’s wife Mabel Herd was, for example, roughly 50% Lancashire, 25% Shropshire and 25% Angus and Fife! Yet, she is referred to by the family as being Scottish! There is no doubt that this notion of ‘Scottishness’ regardless how small the actual genetic percentage, is the driving force behind the success of Ancestral Tourism in Scotland. Unfortunately, this is to the detriment of other regions of the United Kingdom. I myself am just as guilty. Have I ever been to Shropshire – no, Lancashire – no, why? Because ‘granny Mabel came from Dundee’ of course! Actually that 25% was largely from Arbroath but let’s not split hairs – and so it goes on. Having thus reprimanded myself, and being driven by the overwhelming desire to now map together my ancestral genetic profile (yes, I am well and truly hooked), I set off to look at the part of my tree that is ‘sensitive’ to any self-respecting Geordie - the family that came from Sunderland. A ridiculous notion in itself and just another symptom of ahistorical assumptions that surround the question of ‘identity’. Taking the advice from a recent article ‘A plea to kill off our ancestors conclusively’ written by Rachel Bellerby of ‘Family Tree Magazine’ I proceeded to do just that. What better place to start than with the father of my 3x great grandmother Grace Greig born in Monkwearmouth Shore in 1809. Grace has cropped up before in several blogs, as she is the link between the rather colourful Dixon family and my Dutch ancestry. From Grace’s baptism and her parent’s marriage I knew them to be John Greig and Mary Bulmer. I had an approximate year of birth for John as 1780, and knew his occupation at the time of Grace's birth to be a barber and hairdresser. However, I had no record of when he had died. It was whilst searching for his probate record, which often holds significant clues to a persons life, that a link to a criminal record dated summer 1816 popped up instead! What happened next is best described by the opening lines from a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way... There on the page before me was written the sentence of death for murder! Underneath it was entered one word - ‘Executed’.  Extract from the Summer 1816 Durham Assizes. Surely there had been a mistake, I must have the wrong man, or it had been a gross miscarriage of justice. I was to be proved wrong on all counts. Newspapers are the best place to look as they are often the only place to find the full transcript of a court hearing. The case of John Greig was no exception and I have attached a copy of an extract from the Durham County Advertiser courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive.  London Courier and Evening Gazette - Saturday 24 August 1816 courtesy of British Newspaper Archive. From this and other accounts of the case, it appears that Elizabeth Stonehouse had been repeatedly accusing John of illicit affairs with his sister-in-law, his servant and of fathering an illegitimate child. Whether there was any truth to the accusations is as yet unknown, but from the evidence presented it is clear he went to her house that night to put an end to her gossip mongering once and for all. Whether he actually intended to kill her, or just give her an almighty fright, remains open for debate. I have personally concluded that to fail to kill someone outright with a pistol from four yards is hardly the profile of a cold blooded killer with murderous intentions. Nevertheless, after five hours court deliberation he was found guilty and sentence was passed. He did not have long to contemplate his fate as the date set for his execution was the following Saturday. John Greig would enter the history books on the 17th August 1816 as the first person to sample the ‘New Drop’ on gallows erected for the purpose immediately outside the door of Durham Courthouse. A ‘vast crowd, who appeared to have a strong feeling for the unfortunate man’ was reported to have assembled for the event. Executions in those days were both public and lucrative for those who could sell ringside views. It is said that a balcony in Old Elvet, which remains to this day, was erected in time for this particular spectacle.  Durham County Advertiser - Saturday 24 August 1816. Courtesy of British Newspaper Archive. A strange enough saga in itself, made all the more bizarre with the addition of the story of his executioner. William ‘Mutton’ Curry was so named as he had himself had a sentence of death for sheep rustling commuted to transportation. It was not unusual for executioners to be appointed from the ranks of the convicted, but William obviously found his new career more challenging and unpleasant than most. The necessity to drown himself in gin had led to one occasion of missing the neck of the condemned with the noose, and on another of being so inebriated he fell down the hole after the victim. However, on the day of John Greig’s dispatch ‘Mutton Curry’ was reported to have performed his task in a sober and efficient manner. John who was described as ‘ 37, good looking and stout’, was also the father of six children. The eldest being Grace who was just 8 years old and Frances the youngest just two months old at the time of his death.  Picture courtesy of Durham University Community. Engraving of Durham Assize Court There remains much research to do into the fortunes of the family that survived him and many more questions to which I would like to find some answers. With some surprise I have discovered they remained in Monkwearmouth. Did John’s widow Mary continue to run the alehouse, barber and hairdressing business? Their son William certainly followed his father’s trade, married and died there in 1852. There are descendants of this branch of the family living today. They may however, be unaware of these connections due to certain manipulation of the facts on a marriage certificate in 1877. The subtle addition of the middle name ‘Bulmer’ and an elevation in circumstances of the groom’s father from Hairdresser to Solicitor wasn’t enough to throw me off the scent! This month’s blog is not packed with hints and tips for family historians but is rather intended as an inducement for a period of self-reflection on definitions of our own ‘identity’. We can no more chose our place of birth than we can our ancestors, yet we are the living testimony that they once lived, loved, worked and died. The further into our ancestral heritage we delve the more resounding the ethos of Living DNA should resonate when considering who we are, and our place within a global society. ‘we are all made up of all us’
Family History is littered with brick walls, some higher and wider than others. Many can be overcome with a bit of lateral thinking, albeit in a rather round-about way. Illegitimacy and adoption however, present an obstacle more challenging than most.  Richard Redgrave, 'The Outcast', 1851 © Royal Academy of Arts, London, photograph by John Hammond Historically, illegitimacy was viewed as a potential financial burden on the authorities responsible for the administration of funds to the poor and needy. Prior to the radical changes brought about by the ‘Poor Law’ reforms in 1834, this burden fell upon the Parish to which the individual ‘belonged’ under the terms of various ‘Acts of Settlement’. In simple terms a child took the place of settlement of his father, and an illegitimate child its place of birth. Parishes and Burghs therefore sought to distance themselves from this potential financial burden wherever possible. In early parish baptismal registers, it is not uncommon to find the father’s name given as an acknowledgment of paternity. However, in cases where his name was not forthcoming the courts could exercise their legal right to question the mother in order to pursue the father for maintenance. Hence, under the terms of ‘removal’, illegitimate children may have been born outside the parish that was the last known residence of the mother. As such, cases of illegitimacy often left a handy paper trail, and the records of the civil and ecclesiastical courts where cases of ‘fornication’ abound, can be rich pickings for the researcher. In the Post 1834 period whilst the issue of settlement remained in force, the right of the courts to pursue the father for maintenance did not. The onus for this was passed firmly to the mother. Often left without the means to do so or family to support her, the single mother had little option but to enter the workhouse or abandon her child. The insensitively named ‘Bastardy Laws’ introduced in 1844, later renamed affiliation orders, at least offered the mother some chance of judicial redress. These records can also prove to be useful sources of information.  Image courtesy of Berwick Record Office. Note the names of the putative fathers  Image courtesy of Berwick Record Office. Note how no father's name are now present. The introduction of civil registration brings its own set of challenges to the researcher as rules governing the validity of the information included on the certificate, and who could legally supply it changed over time. However, perhaps the most challenging aspect of tracing illegitimate ancestors arises when the child was adopted. Although adoption societies began to emerge during the years of WW1, in England there was no legal procedure or registration framework in place until 1927. (The Adoption Index for the period from 1927 is not available anywhere online but can be viewed at the British Library.) Added to this the unavailability of census records after 1911 and subsequent data protection laws, make tracing illegitimate births and adoptions within this period extremely difficult indeed. This was certainly the case for Jack Ridley whose research ground to halt with the discovery that his maternal grandfather John Henderson had been born out of wedlock and adopted shortly afterwards.
John Henderson was born on the 8th July 1914 at 206 Greystone Road, Carlisle which appears to have been some sort of ‘birthing’ establishment run by William Ramsay Findlay and his wife Mary Jane. Before legislation passed in 1908, establishments such as these were largely unregulated and conjure up dark images of Victorian baby farming and other dubious practices. Whilst this does not appear to be the case in this instance, the Findlay's ‘having adopted’ at least two infants themselves, the question remains how the women ‘in trouble‘ came to hear about this establishment and furthermore how they paid for it. John’s mother gave her name as Georgina Henderson and registered the birth herself on the 28th July. Columns 3 and 6 which would normally contain information about the father are blank, indicating that Georgina had not pursued the father for affiliation or maintenance. A photocopy of the original entry of the birth in the Carlisle register which bears her signature has been ordered. Her signature may be useful for future use for matching against other records and may also indicated level of literacy. This is the only means by which the signature of the informant can be obtained as they are not present on the certified copies available from the GRO or Local Register Offices.  Where Georgina came from or where she went is a mystery, she simply appears to vanish. The only evidence for her existence at all being John’s birth record. The sense of frustration is evident from Jack’s own summary of events to date: …whilst there are anecdotal stories about the circumstances of John's adoption it struck me as curious that my mother's family had not pursued this further. The name Georgina Henderson is unusual in that, according to the 1911 census, there are at most a dozen possibilities - assuming of course that the information on the birth certificate was correct. Over the past 3 years, I have dissected each and every detail from the certificate. But even now, I treat all information within that document as probable - not definite. Whilst the possible number of women named Georgina Henderson may be relatively small, there would have still have been no means of identifying which of them was actually Jacks maternal great grandmother. The relatively recent developments and accessibility to genetic testing for family history research is now helping researchers like Jack to break down these impenetrable brick walls. Even so, wading through the forest of distant genetic matches in trees that bear no resemblance, or commonality to your own can be a daunting and lengthy process without expert guidance. Top international genetic genealogist Michelle Leonard has been recruited to help solve this mystery and has kindly shared some top tips for others facing similar obstacles. This informative article is available to download and keep for future reference. 
DNA Testing For Unknown Ancestor MysteriesBefore affordable DNA testing for genealogical purposes burst onto the scene in recent years many family history mysteries were simply filed away in the unsolvable drawer. DNA testing has opened up a whole new world of possibility for adoptees and those with unknown parentage mysteries and by unknown parentage mysteries I'm not only referring to an unknown parent but perhaps an unknown grandparent or even great grandparent as in the case of Jack Ridley. DNA testing has become the logical next step for those faced with brick walls such as a grandfather's birth certificate with a blank next to the father's name. It is a very powerful tool that can be used to help reconnect biological family members in the here and now as well as unlock secrets from the past whose answers we thought had died with those who kept them. DNA testing is not a magic bullet, however, and can't be used in isolation. Some people will get lucky with a close match that solves their mystery as soon as they test but for most a lot of hard work is on the horizon. I like to think of DNA as another tool in the genealogist's varied toolbox and it needs to be used in conjunction with traditional research to get the best results. Before deciding to test people also must be aware, and make those they are asking to test aware, that surprises are possible. Many test in order to try to solve the riddle of an NPE but for some the act of taking the test itself is what informs them they have an NPE in the first place. NPE stands for non-paternity event although I much prefer to call it "not the parent expected". DNA is scrupulously honest and, while the percentage of people who discover an NPE is small, everyone should be prepared for the possibility they may receive answers they are not expecting.  Image courtesy of Forces War Records. Young children with their carers in the safety of their 'well-bricked' cave in London which served as an air raid shelter. So, like Jack Ridley, you have a recent mystery in your tree and you decide your next step is DNA testing. Which tests are available and which would best help you with your mystery? There are three different types of test on the market today; autosomal DNA tests, Y Chromosome (Y-DNA) tests and Mitochondrial (MtDNA) tests. In recent years autosomal tests have become the most popular but all have their own merits and limitations. Autosomal DNA Tests Autosomal DNA is a mix of the DNA you inherited from all of your ancestral lines but, due to the way it recombines as it is passed down, some DNA from your most distant ancestors drops off each generation. This means autosomal DNA is limited to the past 5-7 generations and is also why testing older generations can be so crucial - they have more of your ancestors’ autosomal DNA than you do. While this filtering out of older DNA is a limitation of autosomal testing, it is also why it can be so useful for recent family history mysteries - you inherit 50% of your autosomal DNA from your mother and 50% from your father so if you were adopted or have a recent unknown ancestor autosomal DNA testing is crucial and should be your first port of call if you want to use DNA to solve your mystery. Y-DNA Tests Only men have a Y-chromosome which is passed down from father to son along a continuous male line and, therefore, Y-DNA tests can only be taken by men. The limitation of a Y-DNA test is that it only tests one of your ancestral lines - your direct paternal line. You have sixteen lines stemming from your great great grandparents and an autosomal test can cover all of these while a Y-DNA test only covers one. The advantages of Y-DNA testing, however, are that the particular line it covers is the line that carries your surname and it can reach much further back in time than autosomal. If your mystery is on a line for which you have a Y-DNA tester (a man who shares the Y-chromosome of the mystery man) I would recommend Y-DNA testing in addition to autosomal DNA testing as there is a chance it could identify a surname. If, for instance, out of your top ten Y-DNA matches seven of them have the surname Campbell, there’s a good chance your mystery man was a Campbell too. This is a huge clue. There is only a 10-15% chance of identifying a surname in this way at the moment but if you don’t test you will never know and that percentage will rise over time as more people enter the database. Unfortunately female adoptees and females with unknown fathers cannot utilise Y-DNA testing but don’t think Y-DNA is only useful for your direct paternal line as it can help you with any mystery male ancestor so long as you can find an appropriate Y-DNA tester for that line.  Mitochondrial DNA Tests Mitochondrial DNA, like Y-DNA, also only covers one line of your tree - this time the direct female line. There is, however, no gender limitation on who can take this test as both males and females inherit mitochondrial DNA from their mothers (males just don’t pass it on). The main difference with an MtDNA test is the fact that a direct female line you can test usually changes surname every generation due to marriage and as such this test cannot give clues that point to a particular surname in the way a Y-DNA test might. MtDNA testing tends to be most useful when examining a hypothesis and, due to how slowly it mutates, is usually the least genealogically useful of the three tests - you can have an exact MtDNA match that is many hundreds of years back in time. It is certainly worth considering though if your mystery is on a direct female line you can test or you are an adoptee as it can be useful to cross-reference your MtDNA haplogroup with close autosomal matches if they have also tested their MtDNA. Testing Companies The three main companies offering DNA testing for genealogy now are AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe. AncestryDNA only offer autosomal testing while FamilyTreeDNA is the only company that offers Y-DNA and MtDNA matching databases as well as an autosomal one. FamilyTreeDNA have also recently re-introduced autosomal transfers making it free to transfer into their autosomal database and only $19 to unlock their ethnicity estimate and tools such as their chromosome browser. Be aware that due to differences in the testing chips between Ancestry and FamilyTreeDNA you will see much fewer matches than if you tested with them on a standalone basis but if you transfer you are eligible for a reduced price FamilyTreeDNA kit if you wish to re-test there to gain all of the lower level matches they may have to offer. 23andMe offer an autosomal test which also gives you basic Y-DNA (male testers only) and MtDNA haplogroup information as well as certain health reports. As 23andMe have a focus on health many people test there solely for the health information and not for genealogy purposes. It is more expensive than the other two and unfortunately they offer an Ancestry-only test at a much cheaper price in the US but not internationally. Two new players have also recently entered the marketplace; MyHeritage and Living DNA. MyHeritage has just started selling their own kits so it will be some time before they are a major player but in time they will have a unique database that those seeking to solve a mystery shouldn't ignore. For now, though, it is possible to upload your raw data to MyHeritage for free if you have tested elsewhere. Living DNA is a new UK-based company and their test includes Y-DNA (male testers only) and MtDNA information as well as a regional breakdown of your ethnicity. Be aware that they don't currently have a matching database although one has been promised in the near future.  Image courtesy of Friends of Berwick District Museum and Archives. http://www.berwickfriends.org.uk/record-office/projects/first-world-war/ All of the different testing companies have their own pros and cons but when you are testing to solve a mystery you have to think in terms of getting into the largest databases as the larger the database the more chance you have of hitting upon a close enough match to aid your search. Entry to a matching database showing all of the other people who have tested with whom you share DNA is the most crucial thing you receive with your results. You also get an ethnicity estimate from an autosomal test and haplogroup assignments from Y-DNA and MtDNA tests but while ethnicity estimates and haplogroups can be useful when dealing with unknown parentage, you will really want to concentrate on these matching databases as the key to solving your mystery. My top recommendation for those with an adoption or unknown parentage mystery is to get themselves into as many of the major autosomal databases as they can afford to. It's like going on a fishing trip and not knowing which pond your big fish might be swimming in; if you are in them all then you won't miss out on landing your personal big fish. AncestryDNA has by far the largest database now having hit over 3 million testers so I recommend testing there first then transferring into FamilyTreeDNA for your top matches in their database (remembering if you want all the matches available you will have to upgrade your test). I also highly recommend uploading your DNA to GEDmatch as soon as you receive your AncestryDNA results. GEDmatch is a fantastic and free volunteer-run website that allows matching between those who have tested at all the major companies and also, in my opinion, offers the best tools for working with your DNA. I find it invaluabe in my work. Finally 23andMe also have a large database so if your mystery is no closer to being solved after testing at AncestryDNA and uploading to FamilyTreeDNA, GEDmatch and MyHeritage then I would encourage you to also test at 23andMe in order to have complete coverage of the databases on offer.  Extract from Cornhill Baptism Register 1796 - 1812. Berwick Record Office. Here the child has been acknowledged as a 'natural' son. Note: Although born in Scotland he was baptised across the Border in England. When your results arrive check your match list and start working with your highest matches first. You want to find or compile family trees for these matches. In many cases this will require contacting people and hoping they will be willing to help. This can be daunting and there may well be disappointments and frustrations if close matches don't respond. Try not to get discouraged. Take screenshots of the trees of all close matches in case they decide to make them private at some point and you lose that information. If you don’t have a tree of your own to compare to the trees of your matches, the most important thing you can do is identify other people on your list that also match your highest matches and see if you can work out how they match each other! The line on which they match each other is almost certainly the line they match you on. If you can narrow their connection down to a particular ancestor or ancestral couple it’s likely they are also your ancestors or their parents or grandparents are. The generational level for the common ancestors depends on the amount of DNA you share with the matches. You need to familiarise yourself with the amounts of DNA different cousin relationships should share with each other; consult the Shared cM Project and ISOGG’s autosomal DNA statistics page. Once you are sure you’ve identified a common ancestor or ancestral couple you need to build their line forward to identify potential grandparents, parents etc via age and location. Then comes the really tricky part – asking people on the line you think may contain your close relatives to test. You need to think carefully about how to initiate this contact and have a support network on hand. It’s important to understand that how successful you will be is totally dependent on whether or not close enough relatives have tested yet - by close enough I don't mean a parent or a sibling, which of course is the jackpot for an unknown parent mystery, but a first, second or third cousin match. Some will find they don’t have close enough matches to begin with but more and more people are testing on a daily basis and match lists are constantly updating so closer matches can come along at any point. Jack Ridley’s Mystery; who should he test? Here's a hypothetical family tree for a situation like Jack’s:  *Percentages: these demonstrate the amount of DNA each person shares with ONE of the mystery great grandparents e.g. the mystery great grandparents themselves have 100% of their own DNA and each passed 50% of that down to their son. Their great grandson Jack inherited around 12.5% from each of them. The 25% and 12.5% percentages are approximate; DNA is not passed down in in such exact amounts outside of parent/child relationships (e.g. you could get 23% from one grandparent and 27% from the other but overall these numbers are a reasonable guide). With a case like this we're not looking for extremely close matches – we need first cousins1xrem or more likely second or third cousins (full, half or removed) as those are the closest matches that could descend from the mystery great grandparents. We can see from the chart that Jack shares approximately 12.5% with each of his mystery great grandparents so that means that around 25% of his DNA came from them combined. So far only Jack has tested meaning the combined 25% of their DNA that he has inherited from them himself is all he has to work with and, since 75% of his DNA does not pertain to them, a large number of his matches won’t be relevant to identifying who they were. His matches will be a mix of people related to him on all of his lines. Think of his tree in terms of quarters – there’s the paternal grandfather’s quarter, the paternal grandmother’s quarter, the maternal grandfather’s quarter and the maternal grandmother’s quarter. In this situation we want to eliminate the matches from the three other quarters that he already knows about in order to pinpoint the ones from the mystery quarter he doesn’t. How do we go about that though? Well firstly we have to identify as many matches as we can on the other three quarters! The more DNA that can be attributed to them the easier it will be to assign matches to the mystery quarter. This can be done by identifying matches who have already tested but by far the easiest way to do it is to proactively test other close relatives yourself.
Mother/Aunt/Half Uncle: Since he does not have his maternal grandfather to test his mother and her siblings are his next best testers as they all received double the amount of DNA he did from the mystery great grandparents. They inherited around 25% from each of them meaning 50% of their DNA is relevant to the mystery. He should aim to test them all if possible as this will give him much more of the mystery great grandparents’ DNA to work with and the more of their DNA he has to work with, the better chance he has of obtaining matches that could help solve the mystery. Testing his half uncle in particular should be a priority; testing a half-sibling on the right side in a mystery situation like this is even better than testing a full sibling! Half-siblings share around 25% with each other as opposed to 50% for full siblings but in this situation all of the DNA the half uncle shares with Jack, his mother or his aunt will have come from his maternal grandfather and therefore directly from the mystery great grandparents. Testing a full maternal aunt/uncle is also very useful as it will give him more DNA to work with but it won’t narrow matches down specifically to his mystery line as any matches he shares with his aunt could also stem from his maternal grandmother’s line. He may not have his mother or her siblings to test either though and, in that case, he should move down to his first cousins and half first cousins. Again all the DNA he shares with his half first cousins came directly from the mystery couple.  Courtesy of Berwick Record Office. Bastardy Orders Norham and Islandshire 1844 -1861. Note here that the putative father is from 75 miles away in South Shields! Father: if he doesn’t have his mother to test then in terms of narrowing down his own matches his father is one of the most important people to be tested if possible. He is unrelated to the mystery grandparents but 50% of Jack comes from his father and by testing him all the matches he has received that are on his paternal side can be eliminated in one go. This is very simple to do once his father’s results enter the system; he can just check his match list against his father’s and anyone who matches his father can be eliminated from the search. Those that don’t match his father will be maternal matches that could either be on his mystery line or his maternal grandmother’s line but at least using his father’s results he will have narrowed them down that far. If he doesn’t have his father to test other close paternal relatives such as paternal aunts, uncles or first cousins can still narrow many of his matches down in this way. Maternal Grandmother: you might think testing those on his maternal grandmother's side who share 0% with the mystery ancestors won't help but you’d be wrong! If Jack was lucky enough to have his maternal grandmother herself to test he could eliminate all matches that stem from her and that would help enormously with pinpointing those who stem from the mystery side especially if he also had his father tested too. If he doesn’t have her to test he can still eliminate many of these matches by testing her siblings (his grand aunts/uncles) or their children (first cousins1xrem) or grandchildren (second cousins). Note that as he’ll share less DNA with each successive generation the number of matches he’ll be able to eliminate by testing them will decrease accordingly too. I liken DNA testing for genealogy mysteries to trying to complete a giant jigsaw puzzle - the more important pieces you can place on the board yourself, the easier it will be to identify other key pieces and build the jigsaw. Finally educating yourself about DNA testing for genealogy is of great importance. There are so many helpful blogs, books and groups out there; try to take advantage of them all. If you're confused about something seek out some answers! The ISOGG wiki is a fabulous resource you should become familiar with. I recommend reading all of the excellent information outlined at DNAAdoption.com as well; although set up to cater to the adoption community the advice there can help anyone with a mystery to solve. There are some excellent books too - Blaine Bettinger's new book "The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy" is a superb overview on the subject and if you’d like to try out some practical exercises try his new workbook “Genetic Genealogy In Practice”. If you would like to read about a successful adoption search I can highly recommend Richard Hill’s book “Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA”. If you use Facebook I recommend following the DNA Detectives and ISOGG groups. The most important thing to do is just to work with your DNA matches as practising is the very best way to become more familiar with the whole process. It can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions so be prepared, be patient and don’t give up. Conclusion I am extremely grateful to Michelle Leonard for providing such an indepth and comprehensive guide to using DNA in Ancestral research. 'Who Do You Think You Are' Live are hosting three days of Talks and Workshops sponsored by Family Tree DNA at the Birmingham NEC from 6-8th April, and are free to attend. www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.com/workshop-timetable-dna. Michelle is hosting her own workshop about autosomal DNA for family tree research on Saturday at 11.15 am. All you need now are your tickets to the show which are available at a discount - just click the image below:  Alternatively have a go at **Winning** a pair of tickets by answering a simple question at www.bordersancestry.co.uk/wdytya-competition.html You can contact Michelle by email and you can follow her on social media. You can catch her on Twitter as @GenealogyLass and her business page on Facebook is Genes & Genealogy. She is on hand most weeks to answer #DNA queries during the #AncestryHour live chats each Tuesday evening 7-8pm GMT so feel free to join us sometime soon. Remember you can download the text only version of Michelle's article to keep handy for future reference!
Whilst writing last month’s blog and trying to second guess the regional distribution of my own DNA in the UK, currently under analysis with Living DNA, my thoughts turned to the branch that is most definitely not British in origin at all. When viewed as a diagrammatical tree, this branch is much closer to the trunk than some of the others I have written about in the past. Yet, there they sit rather forlornly and somewhat neglected as nothing more than a fairly extensive list of names. I know, or understand very little about them as 'people' or their place in history. These families hailed predominantly from Groningen, a medieval city built on Roman foundations in the North Eastern region of the Netherlands. ‘As an old city Groningen was the regional power of the northern Netherlands, a semi-independent city-state and member of the German Hanseatic League’. It lies close to the German border, so close infact that a bus to Bremen costs as little as 7.50 Euros. Ironically the city is twinned with Newcastle upon Tyne, and today is most famous for its university, founded in 1614.  The original uploader was Gouwenaar at Dutch Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons I have touched on this family before in my blog The Dixons and a Dutchman in which I likened my 2 x Great Grandfather Hendrikus Petrus van Castel Meijer, (HPvCM) to the Dickens character, Mr Micawber. In the 1871 census Hendrikus was listed simply as Henry Meyer, a Ships Provision Merchant living at 79 Manor Road, Deptford, with his wife Isabel and their only child, a daughter called Grace Elizabeth or “Tissie”. From this point, for a period approaching 20 years, they all simply disappear. I am living testimony that this family was not abducted by aliens, even though on occasion it seems the only logical explanation! The next confirmed sighting I had of Henry came from his death record in Beusichem, Buren, Gelderland, Netherlands in Sep 1889, where is reported as having ‘no occupation’. This was closely followed by Tissie’s marriage to John Davison of Alnwick in December of the same year, where his occupation recorded as a ‘labourer’. An eclectic mix of monogrammed silver cutlery has survived to potentially bear witness to this family’s more affluent times. This is not quite as ‘daft’ as it may sound. Items such as these were highly portable commodities that could easily be sold or pawned. The majority of the cutlery that remains appears to be part of a monogrammed canteen. It is electro plated nickel silver or (EPNS). Some of the pieces are hallmarked R M J & Co. S. A. R M J & Co refers to the manufacturer ‘Robinson M. Johnson & Company’ active at Shoreham Plate Works, Shoreham St, Sheffield (hence the ‘S’) from 1876-1881. The ‘A’ refers the grade or quantity of silver in each piece. ‘A = Standard Quality = 24 grams on 12 pieces = 2 grams per table spoon or table fork’. Henry & Isabella were married in 1865, so the above dating process would preclude the cutlery from being a wedding present. Equally, as there are also oddities of a lesser grade ‘B’ bearing exactly the same monograms, but with the markers mark J R & S for John Round & Son of Birmingham, perhaps the set was rather ‘bodged’ together, and already second hand at the time it was engraved for purpose? A few solid silver pieces remain including Tissie’s christening spoon and fork, which bear the marks of ‘Henry Holland’ of London and the date Letter ‘M’ for 1867, the year after Tissie’s birth. (She was born on Christmas Day 25th December 1866). However, this blog is not about the history of silver but suffice it to say, the evidence surrounding this little collection of innocuous objects does offer some insight into the family, and would indicate they were still in England in the mid to late 1870’s if not the 1880’s. So where were they?
The 1881 census repeatedly draws a blank every time I look at it. Not helped I might add, by the fact the family had anglicised their surname from Meijer to Meyer, making it rather more akin to searching for ‘John Smith’. A possible sighting in the 1881 census matches Henry’s brother, Reinier, more closely in occupation and age than it does Henry himself. The problem here is that the Christian name recorded is ‘Heindrich‘ and he is married, which so far as is known, Reinier was not! Of Isabella and Tissie there is no sign whatsoever. By the time of his death and his daughter’s marriage shortly afterwards, Henry seems to have found himself in rather reduced circumstances, evidenced by Tissie’s marriage certificate. Yet, someone placed the marriage notice in the newspaper using his full name Hendrikus Petrus can Castel Meyer, of London, but who? Determined to get the bottom of these mysteries and being unable to read Dutch it was time to bring in the experts! I passed the case to Dutch genealogist John Boeren of ‘Antecedentia’ to see what he could unearth in the records there. The first piece of information that came back was that the informants of Henry’s death in 1889, (aged 57), were a doctor and a police constable. Highly suspicious of the potential implications this presented - John checked the newspapers – nothing, apart from an announcement in the Rotterdam press. This once again raises questions as to who placed the advert and more crucially who paid for it! Announcements such as these were not common practice, and Beusichem, where Henry died, is not in the Rotterdam area. Did Henry have relatives living there? The record does at least tell us that Isabel had predeceased him, (where and when to date remains unknown), and that he had one daughter. But where was she?  Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad 10-9-1889 p4 Here, dear reader, I shall hand over to John, who will talk you through the format of the Dutch records, what is available and crucially how, and what further information he discovered about Henry: Genealogy in the Netherlands Once you find out you have ancestors from the Netherlands, you might think: “oh no, is this my next brick wall?” But let me assure you: there are so many Dutch resources available, and you can find a lot of information on the internet. Most genealogical databases focus on BMD records, population registers and church books. That is no surprise, since these sources are the first ones you want to study! They provide tons of useful information. But as always, there are a few things to keep in mind when browsing all the digital images. BMDLet me first tell you something about BMD records. The Dutch term for civil registration is burgerlijke stand. Most genealogists in the Netherlands will tell you that the burgerlijke stand was used since 1811, when the country was part of the French empire. That statement is true for most of the country. However, some parts in the south of the provinces of Limburg and Zeeland came earlier under French influence. In these regions, you can find birth, marriage and death records from 1796 on. In all other provinces civil registration was introduced from 1811 on. Records of the burgerlijke stand are important, because under Dutch law these records proof certain facts. A birth record for example proofs the date and place of the birth, the name of the child and its relationship with the parents. This does not – unfortunately – imply that all the information in a birth, marriage or death record is always correct! You can find many mistakes in these records, especially in the records from the first decades of this new system. You should always look for other sources to corroborate the information. Civil records like this are still in use today. Due to privacy regulations, you can only access BMD records that are older than 50 years (death), 75 years (marriage) or 100 years (birth).  1833-B-Groningen HPvC Meijer. This document is a veritable family tree in itself. There are three generations documented - can you spot them? You might be scared of the Dutch language. Try not to be. Once you have seen a couple of civil records, you will see a pattern. Each document has more or less the same structure, the same elements. Especially the printed forms are quite easy to read and understand. A birth record is called geboorteakte, a marriage record is a huwelijksakte and a death records is an overlijdensakte. Do you know in what place your ancestor was born, got married or died? The best you can do is to find the local or regional archives. See if they have a website with a genealogical database and start your quest. If you do not know where exactly to look for your ancestors, you might try the ‘national’ database of WieWasWie. The database does not contain all records, but gives you a good idea where to start your search. It has an English interface: https://www.wiewaswie.nl/en/home/ The case of HPvCM I could find the birth record of Hendrikus Petrus van Castel Meijer on the website from the archives in Groningen (click here). The record tells me that he was born in Groningen on 11 November 1833 as a son of Hendrik Lofvers Meijer and Elijzabeth Houwerzijl. Through this record I also learned his father was a school teacher who lived at the address of Oude Ebbingestraat 79. This street still exists, so technically Susie could go there and visit the location where her great-great-grandfather was born! I was also able to find his overlijdensakte, registered in Beusichem on 3 September 1889. The death record states he died on 2 September 1889 in Zoelmond (a small village within the municipality of Beusichem), aged 55. It says he had no occupation and that he was a widower of Isabella Dixon. The record also mentions his parents.  1889-D-Beusichem HPvC Meijer Population registers Besides the BMD records you should really use the population registers (bevolkingsregister). The information in the burgerlijke stand focuses on specific events, whereas the population registers show you where a person lived for a longer period. These registers start – in most places – in 1850 and are available until 1920. From 1920 until 1939 the same kind of information was registered on family cards (gezinskaarten). Both systems are public and if you are lucky, you might find images of them online. If you take a look at a page of a bevolkingsregister you might think that they look quite similar to a UK census form. There is one very important difference between a census and a Dutch population register. A census records all information, as it is at that exact moment. A bevolkingsregister records all information, as it was during a period of time. Sometimes these registers were used for ten or even twenty years. Within this period, all changes were recorded. So you can see what happened to the whole family in a glance: children were born, parents died, children left their parental house for marriage or to live in another city. If you ‘follow’ the person from register to register, you know exactly what happened to him or her and where she or he lived. Not all Dutch population registers are online (yet). I was very lucky to find Hendrikus Petrus van Castel Meijer in the bevolkingsregisters of the municipalities of Buren and Beusichem. The Buren register shows very clearly that he left London and moved to Asch, a small village close to Buren, at the end of March or beginning of April 1887. He lived with the local school teacher’s family. One year later – after the death of the school teacher - he moved to Beusichem, where he lived with the school teacher’s widow and her children in the small village of Zoelmond. The Beusichem population register shows that he died on 2 September 1889. The exact same date as I found in his death record.  PR Beusichem (Zoelmond) 1880_1900 invnr 303 p57  Extract from the above showing HPvCM I now know where he spent the last two years of his life. But I still have a lot of questions… For that I need further research, either in the UK or in the Netherlands! Looks like Susie & I will be working together on this case for some time yet. **ENDS**How Henry died and why it necessitated the presence of a constable remains unresolved, furthermore it does not help in the search for Tissie. Was she in Holland, as there is no trace of her in the UK. With John’s help I hope to set about about tracking her closest Dutch relatives, her cousins in Groningen. This was the family of Maragretha Magdalena Meijer, Henry’s sister, and second wife to Arend Martens Prins, a merchant there. The old grey matter remembered this family being mentioned and that there was a London connection. Was Tissie possibly living with them? A probate record for Margaretha Prins proved at London in 1895 would indicate the family had at least some interest there. What was it and more to the point where was Tissie? As this blog is being written, so the basis of another is forming as John goes in search of the Prins family. Merchants they may have been, but their main cargo appears to have been people! Join us soon for the next instalment and another foray into European history. ConclusionAs an endnote to this piece, which I think perfectly illustrates Living DNA’s motto ‘We are all made up of all of us’, is something I stumbled upon whilst researching this article. One of the daughter’s of Arend and Margaretha Prins - Reiniera Margaretha Arendina Prins appears in a family tree on GENI. This lady was my 1st cousin 3 times removed in my paternal line. However, GENI has also found a link back to my mother! “Reiniera Margaretha Arendina Prins is your 7th great aunt's niece's husband's first cousin thrice removed's wife's sister's husband's granddaughter's husband's mother.” Work that one out if you can! In case you missed it last month, and want to join me on my ancestral journey – the competition to win a free DNA test from Living DNA is still open! http://www.bordersancestry.co.uk/dna-competition.htm John Boeren 'Antecedentia'John Boeren is a genealogist, researcher and writer, who lives in Tilburg, in the Netherlands. He offers genealogical research in the Netherlands, heritage trips, lectures and courses. His genealogy business is called Antecedentia (http://antecedentia.com). Link to website: http://antecedentia.com Link to facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/antecedentiaresearch/ John will be attending the WDYTYA event in Birmingham NEC 6-8th April, where you can meet him in the 'ask the experts' section of the show. If you haven't already bought your tickets you can save £20 on a pair, when you book through #AncestryHour.   Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. "This land is defined by its geography. Throughout history, Northumbria has meant many things to many people, and its unique story has resulted in a unique genetic signature that can be detected within the region today". Lliving DNA A very interesting question, and given the present global political mood regarding nationality, migration, ethnicity the closing of borders and the building of physical barriers, a very topical one too. The origins of ‘identity’ in relation to a sense of belonging, particularly to a certain place, tribe or family, are rooted deep in history. In the Medieval period in England at least, the notion of belonging to a certain geographical ‘place’ formed the basis of an administrative system, determining who would look after the poor, infirm and destitute in times of need. In simple terms who would ‘cough up’ to pay for your basic needs when you could not! This was known as your place of ‘Settlement’. This was broken down by ‘Parish’ and the rules and laws governing the particular parish you belonged to, changed and adapted over time. It often reflected a recognised economic requirement to move, primarily for reasons of employment. This system was not adopted because the parish necessarily wanted to claim you as their own, and therefore help in times of distress, but rather the complete opposite was true. If they could possibly avoid the financial responsibility they would, with the individual or family in question often being physically removed to their legal place of settlement. Any early form of deportation if you like. It is these parish records that form the mainstay of all family history research, particularly in the pre-statutory registration and census period. Recently I was contacted by the company ‘Living DNA’, asking me if I would like to review their service and I jumped at the chance. For me, in addition to the global mapping, it was the ability to analyse my British DNA across 21 regions which I found most interesting.
However, the reality of the case with DNA is that there is no rule governing which genes we have inherited and from which parent and thus from which ancestor. For this reason my DNA signature may differ significantly to that of my brother. Given that all the families mentioned earlier come from one single branch of a tree that entered my genetic pool through my 2 x great grandfather’s wife Hannah Aynsley, the number of inherited genes from these specific families may be very small indeed. My father’s direct paternal line, I think has to be one of the boring and predictable, on paper at least. However, being a female of the species I do not possess the necessary ‘y’ chromosome to be able to map my father’s direct ancestry or ‘fatherline group’ genetically. For that I will need to employ the services of my brother. In a nutshell, this direct paternal paper line does not deviate or stray from Northumberland since circa 1650. Before 1864 they were all born in Norham, the earliest at neighbouring Cornhill and the furthest south they ventured was all of 50 miles south to West Chevington. This was obviously too far for comfort and the stay was therefore short lived, moving to Longhoughton in the mid 1870’s where they settled, and where I myself entered the world in 1967.  Copied from the Family Bible (Breeches) circa 1918, © 2017 Borders Ancestry Norham is within touching distance of Scotland, sitting as it does on the banks of the River Tweed, so it is possible that their forebears perhaps waded across the river at some point from the opposite bank. Of course it is also necessary to factor their wives into the genetic mix, and two are no more than one generation removed away from Scottish born parentage. One from the Borders and Lothians the other from Angus and Fife. My Father’s maternal, paternal line is Davison, fairly long-time residents of Northumberland, but with other names such as Ross and Ogilvy in the equation their more distant Scottish origins are certainly inferred. His maternal, maternal line is not long on British shores before it hops over the North Sea to Groningen in Holland where they can be traced for many generations. The British element is Dixon from Sunderland, and then back over the border once again to the east coast of Scotland to a family by the name of Greig. When it comes to my mother’s family this might add a bit of colour to the map for sure. Here I would be expecting to see a dollop of Yorkshire, through the Naylor line and an even larger dose Warwickshire through Burgess and Hodgetts. However, we have the Hewitt family which once again trotted south across the Scottish Border to Tyneside. Her maternal family is a bit of an enigma to say the least, with the unusual surname of Capill crossed with a very ‘Scottish’ Watson. I will be most interested indeed to see if I have inherited any of the Capill ‘DNA’. This is a line that is shrouded in myth and legend but somewhat lacking in evidence. Very little is known much before a birth in London in 1820. Suffice it to say I anticipate the colour it will add to my regional map will take me a long way from Northumberland!  Map from Living DNA showing the 21 regional DNA Groups. The only Company that offers this service. (CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION) I suppose the burning question here is, will my results when they come through make me not only think differently about myself, but how I view others? The whole ethos behind Living DNA is that ‘We are all made up of all us’ which is a powerful message with a profound resonance. Of course our DNA is unique to all of us, but we share many of its component parts with many others of different social, economic, regional and ethnic groups. Should therefore, our sense of ‘identity’ and belonging not extend beyond the parameters of our place of birth, over which, let’s face it, we had no control, and beyond the cultural and religious groups to which we have become aligned. How much can we honestly say we know about our history and heritage? By this I mean, beyond what we have been taught through education or read in books. Someone has written these books, and the Department for Education determines what makes the English school curriculum and what crucially does not. The history we are taught, and that is being taught to our children is therefore predetermined, and highly selective. (The current curriculum can be found on the Government website at https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study/) This is not a new phenomenon nor is it the only means by which our sense of who we are is manipulated or defined. Nostalgia for the past is a tool that is too often overplayed, remembering the past in an over-sentimentalised cloud of romantic ephemera may be entertaining to watch or read, but it is often a one-sided view of the time, lives and event they depict. Of course cultural heritage, tangible or otherwise, such as language and tradition is important to preserve. But over-identification of a cultural memory which is factually incorrect can be as destructive as it is positive. This is particularly true when it comes to ‘Nationalism’ as an identity. Margaret Macmillan in her book ‘The Uses and Abuses of History’ has much to say on the subject. ‘The shared celebration of the nation’s great achievements – and the shared sorrow at its defeats sustain and foster it’. But for every victory there is a vanquished, and when accompanied with passion of hatred it can lead to social intolerance, racial tension, victimisation and bloodshed. I wonder therefore, whether more emphasis should be placed in our classrooms on our ‘commonality’ with others, both at home and around the globe, than our differences. Differences are what separate us, what we share in common brings us together and unites us, and this can be found in our genes. David Nicholson, MD at Living DNA reiterates similar sentiments: It only takes a short read of the daily newspaper to see the amount of conflict that goes on across the world. A large amount of this comes down to political, religious or racial animosity. Yet within our DNA is the fact we are all connected, we are all in essence, one big family. The more people get to appreciate the fact we are one, the less wars and conflicts may possibly occur. Even the way we feel about another person we pass on the street or read about can change, as we start to see everyone as equal and not different. Having seen the change in the children that have taken part in our anti-racism educations programs, it's clear that understanding your own DNA breakdown really does support a change in perception, and helps breakdown the illusion of race. Therefore, the answer to the question I set myself earlier is a resounding ‘yes’ and in a very positive way.  Based on the two close family members who have compared their feet to the chart. The answer is also 2 The family ancestry results can show a breakdown of your recent ancestry going back approximately 5-6 generations, however, we are not able to tell you if these results came from your mother's or father's side, nor can we tell from which generation you inherited certain percentages The DNA analysis won’t be able to attribute regions I match with, to particular lines or individuals in my tree. It will however, illustrate the areas in which I share common ancestry, both within the British Isles, and further back in time from a global perspective. If this voyage into my genetic heritage has grabbed your interest, Living DNA have offered one lucky individual the chance to win exactly the same test absolutely free of charge. All you have to do is have a guess at what percentage of my total DNA result falls within Living DNA’s geographical definition of ‘Northumbria’. No-one can help on this I am afraid – as yet no-one knows the answer, not even Living DNA let alone myself. The competition closes on 31st March 2017. I shall receive my results and the winner will be announced during the ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ Live event at the NEC in Birmingham which runs from the 6-8th April. Find out more about David Nicholson and his team at Living-DNA
www.livingdna.com/en-gb/uk-regional-breakdown Folllow them on Twitter @Living_DNA and join us on a Tues evening from 7pm GMT for #AncestryHour where one the Living DNA team will be on hand to answer your questions live,  Fry's Advertising Poster The Festive Period is a time of year that has become synonymous with ‘merry making’ and over indulgence, particularly in tasty treats. We all have our favourites and my particular weakness, along with countless others, is chocolate! For me, the darker and more bitter that chocolate is the better, and it was whilst ‘humouring’ this particular weakness I began wondering just when and how chocolate came to prominence in ‘western society’. This, and an interesting chat during #AncestryHour with renowned genealogist, historian and author Chris Paton, concerning encouraging researchers to write their family histories in factual narrative form, got me to wondering why more people didn’t do so. I daresay there are many reasons behind this relative absence, but one that sprang to mind was a lack of historical knowledge, hindering the ability to place ancestors in a social, economic and political context. A subject in which chocolate, both directly and indirectly, played an interesting role. Whilst ‘cacao’ had long been revered in pre-Christian South America as gift from their God of Wisdom, it was not until 1502 that Christopher Columbus first brought it to Europe. However, the commercial value of chocolate, then consumed as a drink did not catch on until circa 1585 when it was adopted by the Spanish Court. Its’ popularity then spread throughout Europe reaching England in around 1652. One of the first written accounts in English appears in the diary of Samuel Pepys, who in 1661, wrote of its virtues as a cure for a hangover. The popularity of chocolate spread rapidly and in Georgian London, chocolate houses sat side by side with those of coffee and tea. Coffee, it is reported had only hit the London ‘scene’ some five years previous. At the height of the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 a group of plotters were arrested whilst drinking chocolate at ‘Ozinda’s’ Chocolate House in St James’s Street, whilst a tunnel was later (1923) discovered at the ‘Cocoa Tree’ in Pall Mall by which means Jacobite conspirators could allegedly fashion their escape. Of course, as the above rather illustrates, chocolate was the preserve of those who could afford to purchase it, and although available mixed with other substances in the cheaper coffee houses of the city, it remained out of reach for the majority of the middle and lower orders of society.  William Hogarth - A Rake's Progress - At White's - an infamous Coffee, Chocolate and Gambling House in St James's Square. A Club whose debauched goings on earned it the title of "the most fashionable hell in London" As such, some of chocolates’ ‘beneficial’ properties, not least it’s purported attributes as a powerful aphrodisiac, led to outcries from middle-class moralists. Thus, chocolate became associated with both luxury and decadence. With an ever increasing demand for the drink by fashionable society, the production of cocoa came under pressure. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, plantations sprang up alongside those for sugar, creating a thriving market for the ‘slave traders’. Ironically, around the same time that cocoa made it to English shores, the non-conformist religious movement gave birth, in 1649 to a group led by George Fox whose balance of ‘belief and business’ would not only become synonymous with chocolate, but also with social reform. Now known as the ‘Society of Friends’ this group are more commonly referred to as Quakers. The families of Cadbury of Birmingham, Fry's of Bristol and Rowntree's and Terrys of York monopolised the industry for more than a century and remain household names in the field of confectionary to this day. “This achievement is all the more remarkable given the tiny numbers of Quakers. In 1851 they only accounted for about one in 1,400 of the population of 21 million in England, Scotland and Wales - less than 0.1%”. But why chocolate? Quaker Historian Helen Rowlandson explains in an article for BBC Magazine: “The move into chocolate began with cocoa drinks in the 19th Century as a reaction against the perceived misery and deprivation caused by alcohol… Quakers and other non-conformists at the time were concerned about levels of alcohol misuse in the population at large, they were part of the temperance movement…Cocoa was a way of providing cheap and available drink. It was healthy because you had to boil the water to make it when they didn't have good water supplies."...  (A Rowntrees Chocolate Tin from the 1920's showing Northumbrian Heroine Grace Darling. Keep your eyes peeled for her new biography coming soon from the pen of Gary Dolman.) Notable Chocolatiers: Joseph Fry (1728 – 1787) John Cadbury (1801 - 1880) Joseph Rowntree (1836 – 1925) In addition, the ‘restoration’ of 1660 may well have reinstated a monarch as the Head of State, but it was quickly followed by laws that precluded members of the non-established Church, particularly those who would not swear an oath, such as Catholics and Quakers, from positions of authority. As the Universities also had close links to the Church, and it would be 1871 before they would open their doors to other religions, this also excluded them from professions requiring a university education. Their strong pacifist beliefs also ruled Quakers out of a career in the military, so instead they turned their hands to business, in which they excelled, chocolate being but one of many. Employees of these firms which manufactured chocolate on an industrial scale were the beneficiaries of the Quaker principles of equality (including women) and social justice. “Cadbury Brothers was the first firm to introduce the Saturday half-day holiday, and also pioneered in closing the factory on bank holidays. In 1918, Cadbury Brothers established democratically elected Works Councils, one for men and one for women. Departments elected representatives to these Councils by secret ballot. The Councils dealt with working conditions, health, safety, education, training, and the social life of the workers.” Although this short piece is concerned with chocolate, other Quaker owned businesses followed the pioneering examples set by the Cadbury family with working conditions regarded as superior to many others during the Victorian period. Huntley & Palmer and Carrs biscuits, Lloyds and Barclays Banks, Bryant & May matches and Clarks Shoes are a few other easily recognised household names.  Huntley & Palmers Biscuit tins such as this are now popular collectors items Quakers, although not alone, were also amongst the pioneers for much wider social reform such as the abolition of slavery, (even though their own plantations were reliant on slave labour) as early as the 17th century. Elizabeth Fry (nee Gurney) who appears on the reverse of the English paper £5 note is famous for prison reform and helping the homeless, William Penn founder of Pennsylvania, Richard Nixon, President of the USA, and you won’t have to look far to find many others both past and present. From a family history perspective Quakers kept meticulous records, and although broadly speaking a 'Christian' religion, they do not practice baptism. However, births, marriages and deaths were recorded in the Monthly or Quarterly Meeting Books. The marriage records can be a family historian's dream, often including extensive lists of relatives and other witnesses who were present at the Wedding. Along with Jews, Quakers were exempted from Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753, requiring couples to marry in the parish church, which makes them unlikely candidates for 'irregular' marriage. Quakers do not celebrate Christmas and Easter as religious festivals, prefering to carry the principles and messages throughout the year and to distance themselves from the associated Pagan elements. For the same reasons their dating system is a little different too. Days of the week are number 1-7, with Sunday being the first day of the week. The months follow similar suit being numbered rather than named. This is all pretty straight forward, but extra care should be taken in years before 1752. In 1752, Britain formally adopted the use of the ‘Gregorian’ calendar, and the New Year now started on January 1st, with January becoming the first month. Prior to this according to the Julian calendar the New Year fell on 25th March or Lady Day. Thus a birth, marriage or death recorded in Januar,y entered Quaker records prior to this date may well appear as month no 11, with what we would now recognise as the previous years date. For example 1.11.1720, may actually be 1.1.1721.  Of course the calendar change affected all, not just Quakers! Errors in current family history projects including events that took place prior to the calendar change are a common occurrence, often resulting in fruitless searching for a child that died in infancy. As the death 'appears' to have occurred before the birth or baptism, it is often presumed to be a different child entirely, the second of the same name. For example: John Smith, born 1st December 1740 and died 1st February 1740 may well be the same child who passed away at 2 months of age. Please take extra care, especially between the dates 1st January and 25th March in any year before 1752. Returning to the theme of chocolate, Fry’s were the first company to produce and market the chocolate bar in 1837. The non-perishability of chocolate made it popular with seamen, and in 1824 the ‘Cocoa Issue’ became a standard part of Navy rations, paving the way for other services to follow suit. During WW1 food parcels were sent from home, and often contained chocolate - a great morale boost for the troops. In 1914 the Mayor and Sheriff of York (Oscar F Rowntree) sent a tin of chocolates to every citizen of York serving on the front line.  Inscription on Rowntrees chocolate tin Christmas 1914 Elsewhere, others did their bit too, as reported in the Berwick Advertiser on 25th December 1914: “Chocolate Service – On Sunday afternoon the children’s service at the Parish Church took the nature of a chocolate service. The children were invited to bring packets of chocolate, which would be sent to the soldiers who had left the parish [Glendale]. As a result, over £3 worth of chocolate was received, which will allow of a parcel being sent as a Christmas gift to each soldier.” A timely reminder of the beneficial attributes of chocolate, which is still regarded as an indulgence and luxury today. Questionable practice surrounding methods of production also remains an issue, with fluctuating prices of cocoa forcing some once again towards slave labour. In some cases it has been estimated that only 70% of cocoa futures traded is actually grown. The ‘Fairtrade Foundation’ ensures against human exploitation in all products sold by partners companies. Cadbury, and their Dairy Milk products have been Fairtrade partners since 2009, although no longer a Quaker run organisation, the ethos of human rights remains. Who would have thought that such simple thing as chocolate could be at the centre of so much social history! LinksQuakerinfo.com
http://www.quakerinfo.com/quak_cad.shtml University of Leeds, Special Collections recomeded by 'Family Tree' Magasine https://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections/collection/718 BBC Magazine http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8467833.stm  Norham Castle Last month I touched upon the issue of collaborative working and how, when approached with respect and caution, it can be extremely rewarding and beneficial, not to mention fun, piecing together the past of your mutual ancestors. A perfect example at work is the research into the ancestors and descendants of Alexander Smith (1786-1871) and Agnes Young (1788-1864) of Norham. Of their eight children, two were taken by the cholera epidemic of 1832 aged 14 & 15, one was killed following a fall from his horse in 1845 aged 32, and another, a Medical Doctor died in 1848 aged 23. Of the four remaining children, two Alexander jnr and George emigrated to New Zealand, where George died unmarried and Alexander jnr and his wife Isabella Pentland (also a native of Norham), founded the dynasty of the Smith family of One Tree Point and Norham Park. Heather Culling-Smith a descendant of this particular branch is my contact in New Zealand.  The seventh child of Alexander Smith and Agnes Young was Septimus Harper-Smith, who tops the branch of the tree now represented in the south of England by Patrick Harper-Smith whose ‘significant’ birthday this year, saw the family paying a visit to their ancestral homeland ‘up north’, and sparked a resurgence in interest in the family history. In particular the whereabouts of a certain sword, which had seen action in the Napoleonic War. The sword had belonged to Alexander Smith snr, and was known to be hanging in a hallway of a house in Castle Terrace, Berwick upon Tweed, circa 1920. This house belonged to the descendants of the fourth surviving son of Alexander and Agnes – William Smith who on the 26th March 1846 married Mary Nicholson of the Nicholson family of Thornton, near Norham in Northumberland.  Children of William Smith and Mary Nicholson of Thornton Park & Windywalls. (Daughter Rosalie Florence b. 1856 d. 1857) A series of wills written by the unmarried members of this family in Castle Terrace, in the 1940’s detailed specific items and named various nieces and nephews as beneficiaries. These were potential relatives that were unknown to any of us up until this point, and as all the beneficiaries were also living in either New Zealand or Australia, I set ‘cousin’ Heather the task of tracking them down. In her own words Heather says of this trans-global collaboration: When I got the wills I had little hope of finding family. After two months of doing nothing and preparing to go to Auckland and Research Centre and Archives, my guilty conscience made me take those wills with me. How thrilled I have been to get immersed in this wider family - historically and current. Drive me harder Susie. Heather has proved to be a super sleuth indeed, not only tracking down the descendants of both Aaron Young Smith and Arthur Alexander Smith, but also the bequests that were shipped to New Zealand in 1947, together with a scrap book full of interesting ‘snippets’. However as is often the case with family history, it poses more questions than it answers. The family portraits itemised in the wills and on the customs documents, were certainly not who they purported to be – that is of William Smith and his wife Mary Nicholson. Suggestions as to who these young gentlemen may actually be, will be gratefully received!
As the scrapbook in particular, contains information largely based on oral tradition, it has I fear, deviated rather from the path of fact towards that of fiction. It also focuses on the extensive Nicholson family, who although are extremely interesting, and particularly adept in the art of advantageous marriages, have been accounted for elsewhere. I can however, categorically state that ‘Nicholson St’ in Edinburgh was not named, or renamed, as has been suggested, for Captain Ralph Nicholson of Thornton, who died in Edinburgh in 1853 when a dislodged musket ball he received in 1811 reached his heart! Indeed these two Nicholson families would appear to be entirely unrelated. Therefore this month’s blog is a brief look at some of the ‘Borders’ ancestry which applies directly to this branch of the family. I hope they find it of interest and adds a bit more to the information they already have in their possession. Indeed this account will take a brief overview of the means by which the aforementioned Ralph came to be styled of Thornton Park in the first place, namely through his wife Mary Wood. Mary Wood was born in 1783, the 4th of eight children and the 1st to live beyond infancy to William Wood of Pressen, Downham, Eccles and Thornton Park, and his wife Elizabeth (Betty) Wallis. Betty was the daughter of the Rev Richard Wallis vicar of Carham, and his wife Elizabeth Rotherham from Haydon Bridge further south in Northumberland. Both ‘Wallis’ and ‘Rotherham’ feature as Christian names in subsequent generations and this small piece of information explains their origin. It comes as somewhat of a surprise that this has not been picked up by Nicholson researchers before, as the Wood family pedigree features in several Northumberland county histories as well as in ‘The Genealogist’ Volume II published in 1878. For this reason I shall not delve into the family too much here, but shall provide the relevant links at the end of the post. Suffice it to say that there are close familial connections through various intermarriages, inheritance and blood, with the landed county families of; Grey of Falloden and Howick, (Hannah Wood d. 1764, through whom Falloden came to the Grey family); The Craster family of Craster Tower (Thomas Wood who assumed the name Craster in 1838 on succeeding to the estate from his Uncle Shafto Craster in 1837). Closer still (1st cousins) were the Comptons of Carham Hall and the Younghusbands of Budle & Elwick whose links to Northumberland pre-date the Norman Conquest!  Mary Younghusband, nee Wood, Guardian of the Smith children from 1803 Mary’s parents Betty Wallis and William Wood died in 1801 and 1803 respectively. Although the eldest, and 20 years old at the time, Mary was still not ‘of age’ in the eyes of law. The probate documents relating to her father’s death in 1803 placed all the children in the guardianship of their paternal aunt Mary Younghusband (nee Wood) until they reached the age of 21. Mary’s siblings with their ages at the time of their father’s death in brackets:
 Richard’s affinity and love of horse racing was inherited by his great nephew William Rotherham Smith jnr., (1858 – 1934) the second generation of Smiths to farm at Windywalls, near Kelso. William enjoyed particular success with his horse ‘Heronslea’ who won the Wokingham Stakes at Ascot in 1931 and enjoyed back to back victories in the Ayr Gold Cup in 1930 & 31. Another of his horses ‘Berestoi’ originally entered for the 1934 Derby, but who then scratched, exacted his revenge to beat the winner ‘Windsor Lad’ to win the King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot later that year. Sadly, less than a month later William was dead. The tenancy of the farm of Windywalls on the Roxburgh Estate was being advertised in October, Berestoi was sold in December to Sir Hugh Dennison and was shipped to Australia, where he died in October 1936 before going to stud. All in all a rather abrupt finale, executed by his wife of six years and 28 years his junior. To round it all off, the horses’ legendary trainer Matthew Dobson Peacock, of Manor House, Middleham, passed away himself in 1935. However, his legacy in the world of racing lives on to this day.  Hence, by the time of her marriage to Ralph Nicholson in 1820, Mary Wood was the sole survivor and heiress not only to her own portion of her father’s estate but also those of her siblings who had died unmarried. Together Ralph and Mary had three daughters, before she died eight years later in 1828 aged just 45:
 William, Thomas, John Wood & John, four of the sons of Mary Younghusband nee Wood, and 1st cousins of Mary Nicholson nee Wood. Memorial in St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh. One particular family connected to the ‘Wood’ pedigree is that of Younghusband. With a history dating back to Saxon Northumberland, it is packed with so many stories it would fill an encyclopedia. However my eye was drawn to a couple of 'incidents' in particular. The first concerns Thomas Younghusband of Budle, ‘the last gentleman in that part of the county who kept a family piper’. The piper had accompanied Thomas on a trip to the Farne Islands in 1749. On the return trip the boat overturned and all aboard, but one were drowned. All the bodies were subsequently recovered except for that of the piper. ‘It was reported among the villagers that he was the Devil in person who had come for “the wicked squire” and had now got him! The ghost of his unfortunate master was said to haunt Budle and there are several “authentic” accounts of his appearance in the old house shortly before it was pulled down at the beginning of this century.’ [19th century. The present Budle Hall was built for Grieve Smith in 1810.] The second is the bizarre case of two brothers John and Lancelot Younghusband baptised at Bamburgh in 1748 & 1754 respectively, 1st cousins to the Thomas above, who appear to have partaken in an ‘unprecedented' joint suicide pact at Heckley Grange on 10th November 1818. On the tragic morning, while one of them was giving instructions to a ploughboy, in one of their fields, the other brother approached, and asked “are you ready?”. Being answered in the affirmative, they left the field together, and were shortly afterwards discovered within a few yards of each other, having their throats cut and razors lying near their bodies From the pocket watch that was also found lying between the pair, they had timed the event to exactly the same moment. The brothers were buried in Alnwick Parish Churchyard but following a subsequent court ruling of ‘felo de se’ - felony of the self, they were exhumed and reburied at the nearby crossroads as was the custom for suicides at that time. If this is not weird enough, there then followed what would seem today to be an extraordinarily macabre legal case, whereby the Duke of Northumberland exercised his customary right of ‘deodand’ to acquire, by means forfeiture from the brothers’ estates, the two razors they had used to commit suicide. Deodand was an ancient custom whereby the instrument, animal or object that had inflicted ‘untimely’ death became forfeit to the crown or in latter years, to the lord of the manner. Deodand – has its origins in Latin too ‘Deo dandum’ or ‘given to God’, whereby the offending ‘article’ was taken and sold and funds raised used for good causes. This serves as an illustration of the classification of felony as a crime, being inextricably linked to the word, and principle of forfeiture - in a similar way that goods and chattels acquired by ‘ill-gotten gains’ are sold, and proceeds handed to the Treasury today.  Burial at a crossroads at midnight was abolished in 1823. The burial of the Younghusband brothers is reported to have been witnessed by a large crowd from Alnwick. Deodand, gave an object 'moral agency' i.e an ‘accursed’ object or animal could be blamed for a person’s death, and potentially face trial or execution. The need for its repeal coincided with the evolution of mechanisation, in particular as a result of fatalities on the railways. It was abolished in 1846 and replaced by the ‘Fatal Accidents Act 1846’. Deodand therefore, can surely be seen as the forerunner of the compensation mad society we live in today. As for the Duke, he managed to collect a further two razors, one in 1831 with the dried blood still on it and another in 1834. He also added a velvet covered rope which a man had used to strangle his wife, and no doubt countless other objects to his collection before the practice was abolished. LinksThe Genealogist Vol II 1878 https://archive.org/stream/genealogist00mars#page/6/mode/2up History of Northumberland Vol I, Parish of Bamburgh, Bateson 1893 https://archive.org/stream/historyofnorthum01nort#page/n9/mode/2up History of Northumberland Vol II, Embleton, Ellingham, Howick, Longhoughton & Lesbury. Bateson 1895 https://archive.org/stream/historyofnorthum02nort#page/n7/mode/2up My blogs featuring other branches of this family:
The Wornum and Nicholsons http://www.bordersancestry.co.uk/blog/kissing-cousins Other Smith of Galagate Relatives http://www.bordersancestry.co.uk/blog/hasties-and-a-home-coming |
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