Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - rocala

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5
1
The Common Room / Unwelcome Visitor.
« on: Saturday 11 May 24 17:55 BST (UK)  »
Some time back, I received a message on my Ancestry account from a man who thought we might be related. This was based on the fact that he had the same surname as my great-grandmother, nothing more than that. I replied that I did not know of any connection between us.

A week went by, and then he appeared on my doorstep. I was taken aback to say the least. I said that it was a very bad time and that if I found anything relevant I would get in touch. He does not even live in my city.

I found the experience rather disturbing, and most people that I have spoken to agree. One however said that "it's not as if I am some frail old lady" and suggeted that I might have been more friendly.

What do people think, has anybody else experienced anything like this?

2
Derbyshire / Mystery Church
« on: Saturday 10 June 23 13:16 BST (UK)  »
 In the Settlement Examination books of St Martin-in-the-Fields, it is stated that Thomas Pemberton married Lydia about 1717. This marriage was said to be at "Loaden Steeple, Ilston, Derbyshire.
I presume that this is Ilkeston. Wikipedia states that the local dialect pronounced it as 'Ilson', which may explain the confusion.

The problem is I cannot find any church with a name remotely like "Loaden Steeple". Neither can I find such a marriage. The only thing that I can think of is that it was a local nickname, perhaps referring to Leaden?

 

3
The Common Room / Roots Magic?
« on: Sunday 12 February 23 11:17 GMT (UK)  »
I saw a lady on futurelearn writing that she uses Roots Magic alongside her Ancestry account.
Does anybody here have experience of this?

4
Occupation Interests / Question about a Customs House Officer
« on: Sunday 05 February 23 15:48 GMT (UK)  »
My ancestor, Henry Fox first appears in Tax records for the St George the Martyr area of Southwark in 1803-1812. In 1813 he gets married and at some point moves to Limehouse.
He fathers four known children and in the Christening records he is in 1816 a carpenter, 1818 a joiner, 1819 a Customs House Officer, 1821 an Excise Officer.

I have from TNA the paperwork for his 1820 application to the Excise dept. It mentions his fourteen years service with the Customs? I am very curious about this discrepancy. Perhaps he did follow a trade as a part time activity, but why deny his real job?

I wondered if perhaps living in rough areas of a port customs officers may have been intimidated. Were they unpopular?

5
Essex / Zeppelin over West Ham
« on: Sunday 05 February 23 08:22 GMT (UK)  »
My grandmother often told me that her father was close to the site of the first Zeppelin attack on the area. She said that bombs hit the Maryland Point area of Stratford and that he was in the area visiting relatives. He had a brother in Louise Road.

I think this would have been the raid by LZ37 On the  31st of May 1915. As far as I can tell the raid started in Stoke Newington and then went through Hackney, Stratford and finally Leytonstone.

I would like to know where exactly in Stratford the bombs fell. Any info would be very appreciated.

6
The Common Room / The Fox brickwall - Help needed
« on: Thursday 02 February 23 15:50 GMT (UK)  »
My ancester is Henry Fox, abt 1778-1829.

Tax records show him living in the St George the Martyr area of Southwark 1803-12. In 1813 at St George the Martyr, he marries Ann Fox originally from Northamptonshire. They then move to Limehouse, Middlesex.

Baptism records then show Henry as a carpenter 1814 &16. A joiner in 1818. A customs house officer in 1819 and an excise officer in 1821. He died 1829.

I have found no proof of Henry's origins anywhere. I do however suspect that he is of a Fox family from Dover.
Henry's marriage was witnessed by William and Mary Fox. One of the Dover family was William Fox b.1768. In 1795 he married Mary Greatrex in Southwark, where Henry was to live.

Robert Fox the youngest of the Dover family also married a Mary Greatrex and lived in Southwark too.

Finally, there is a gap in the Dover births from 1775 to 1781, so Henry b. abt 1778 fits nicely in.

However this is all circumstantial, I cannot actually prove a thing. Anybody got any ideas?

7
Armed Forces / RAF recruiting in WWI
« on: Wednesday 22 June 22 14:36 BST (UK)  »
From its foundation in April 1918, did the RAF begin recruiting from the civilian population straight away, or did it rely for a while on those who transferred from the Royal Navy and British Army?

When and where did the first RAF recruits begin training?

8
The Common Room / Marriage of minors
« on: Wednesday 22 June 22 12:23 BST (UK)  »
In this example, I am referring to an 1842 English marriage.
When both parties are known to be minors, I would presume that permission to marry has to be given. Normally this would be a parent or guardian?

In such an event, would the name, and perhaps relationship of the person giving permission be recorded anywhere? If so, is such a record obligatory?

9
Armed Forces / Military encampment at Warley Common, Essex
« on: Sunday 12 June 22 15:37 BST (UK)  »
My Ancestor John Crofts c1779-1853, was, according to the 1851 census, born on Warley Commons, Essex. Beyond that John seems to have spent his life in Cambridgeshire, as the family had done for generations.

I have discovered a painting, 'The Encampment at Warley Common (Essex) in 1778.' An online article has quite a lot of information https://www.rct.uk/collection/734037/the-encampment-at-warley-common-essex-in-1778.

I am left to wonder if John's father. John Crofts 1751-1796 was a militia man at the camp. Is there any way that I can find out?

I am sure that wives could and did pay visits but I am wondering if longer stays were permitted as seems to be the case with regular troops at times.

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5