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I have been trawling through old posts and spotted a few where people are baffled by their ethnicity results as they don't identify with, for example, a European connection.

I thought I would just share my scenario in the hope that it might help others. Many years ago an elderly Aunt threw out in conversation "Well of course you know that we have a lapsed Jewess in the family don't you?" .... I remember feeling quite shocked at the time, it seemed like a racist comment ........ and I didnt give it much more thought. However it got me wondering - I am fair skinned (and freckly) and take after my father in complexion. My mother had a more olive skin, and dark hair and so did her brother. We always thought that they resembled her father who had similar colouring. Granny was grey haired and pale skinned so we didnt put her into the equation as we only had black and white photos and couldnt see what here colouring was.

AFter a while I started exploring my mother's family tree in more detail..... and discovered that her mother's father had married Caroline Leah Rubey ........ that started ringing bells - Leah is a Jewish name, and so is Rubey ...... further investigation revealed that it was SHE who had married outside of her Jewish faith and I eventually discovered other family trees which listed her mother's family tree and it seemed to go back to Spain/Italy and even Morocco. How could I be sure? I left it for years, but had my DNA tested just before Christmas. Back came the results ..... I am 40 percent British, 23 per cent Irish (still looking for that link!) and 32 per cent European West - the map showed exactly the right area in the paper trail, so for me it has confirmed that I do actually have the right person in my tree. And then I realised ...... what I thought was a racist remark by my Aunt wasnt racist at all...... she was much older than my Mum and had apparently paid for her to be evacuated early on in the war..... because of course they all had Jewish blood ...... and she was downright scared. Makes so much sense now.

Now I just have to unravel the Irish connection - my father always thought there was one but I cannot find it - interesting though that when I visited Dublin about 18 months ago the man next to me in the theatre asked which part of Ireland I came from, and would not have it that I was English!! He just kept saying "Are you sure you are not Irish?" Lol! Isnt this exciting?

One of my ancestors was a patient at St Thomas Lunatic Asylum, Exeter in the 1860's and died in 1864. Does anyone know of any records available for this building for that time? She turned up there on the 1861 census but I don't know where to start looking for her grave, if she had one. We visited the area over Easter but couldn't find any trace of her in her home village or surrounding area (Milton Abbott, Chudleigh etc) and couldn't even find a proper address on Satnav for St Thomas Asylum even though we found on the internet that it still exists.

Anyone have any ideas?

Does anyone have access to Dr Campbell's Index please?

I am looking for Jane Bailey, born c 1790 in Merriott, Somerset.  (she  was married to John James Thorn whose death is registered at Sherborne, Dorset, and their son's birth was registered Marston Magna. However I have found them in 1841 living in Bruton, Somerset).

If anyone has Dr C's Index, I would be really grateful if they could have a look to see if she is there as I cannot find her parents.

Many thanks in anticipation!

eta- Apologies - just realised that I have posted this in Look Up offers instead of Look Up Requests. Perhaps a moderator could move it for me? Bow, scrape, bow, scrape ...... 

I am not really sure where to post this so, moderators, please move it where you will!!

There was always a story in my family about my mother's grandmother who was a lapsed Jewess and married outside of her faith, so I have been trying to trace her back. Her name was Caroline Leah Ruby born in 1830 in Shoreditch and married to Charles Eaton (b 1829 approx). I have managed to trace her mother's ancestors back to the 17th century and think this ties in with the Spanish inquisition as it seems her family fled Spain/Portugal and settled in London. (her mother was Rachel Vanano).

I am totally stuck on the Ruby side of the family though. I have found Joseph Ruby (born 1796, occupation chimney sweep) married to Rachel Vanano and his brother Thomas (also a sweep and born around 1800). I THINK his parents were Joseph Ruby and Elisabeth but I have no more information than that. No birth or death dates and my only clue is that his son Joseph married Rachel Vanano in Middlesex so I guess they were already settled.

My question is this - where is the best place to look now? I have found some Jewish synagogue records which have helped with Rachel Vanano, but nothing turned up for "Ruby". Is it likely that this name was actually something else, like Ruben, or Reuben but was changed on entry to England?

This is becoming increasingly interesting and now makes sense of why my mother had skin which went as brown as a berry in the sun (whilst I stayed pale and interesting!), and had blue black hair (as did her brother, and one of my cousins). I have obviously taken after my father's side of the family with pale skin and freckles! My daughter has a combination of the two and is often asked which country she comes from! (Watford, England!!!)

Can anyone point me in the right direction?