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This charming photo belonged to my aunt, now dead, so we don't know for certain who the family is - it doesn't quite match anyone we can think of in terms of the age spread of the children.
Apparently it's attached to thick card that appears original.

Any thoughts about the date, or other clues I may have missed would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Caroline.

Having just found a large number of 'lost' family members buried in the City of London cemetery, I was disturbed to read they are re-using graves that have been inactive for 75 years or more.

This could potentially include my family graves, and I see in the numerous newspaper articles that you can object, assuming you know that your family has a grave affected by this new policy. Apparently the individual graves are marked, so visitors can see, but as I live in New Zealand, this is not feasible for me right now.
Does anyone know if there is a list published anywhere - the cemetery website is very vague, it mainly refers to how to purchase one of these new low cost plots 

If anyone is interested in searching the newly available records, it is by date only, so can take some time, but is well worth it.

https://col-burialregisters.uk/

Caroline.

I have been hunting for days, for the death or mysterious disappearance of William Butfoy in the Hackney/Bethnal Green area.
He married Charlotte Everett in 1836 at St Matthew, Bethnal Green, fathered a child or two (Emma Butfoy, Harriet Butfoy) then Charlotte shows up as a widow in the 1841 census, and their daughter Eliza Butfoy married in 1840, noting her father as William Butfoy, deceased.
I have searched the 3 main sites for his death with no luck but given the number of different variations the name Butfoy is transcribed as, I think I need a fresh set of eyes!
There is the possibility that he ran off and left the family, as Charlotte appears to have given birth in the Bethnal Green workhouse 3 times before their marriage using her maiden name (she may have died there in 1844 as well) and was possibly not a great family man...
Any thoughts or ideas would be gratefully accepted.

Oh, and he was born in 1798 - parents William and Ann..


Caroline.

I've attached 2 merchant navy records for Raphael Church 1819-1891, cropped to make them easier to see.

The date columns at the top of the first page that relate to him are 1845 and 1846. I'm trying to work out how and when he ended up in Melbourne, Australia, where he seems to have had an interesting time! His first appearance there is in 1849. Any help with interpreting the record would be appreciated.

The second, I have deduced he sailed back to London from Melbourne on the Gil Blas in December 1855, but would appreciate confirmation that I'm on the right track. It seems the Gil Blas did the postal run between Melbourne and Dunedin around that time.

I've just found a new coastal shipping record on FindMyPast showing him on the Wonga Wonga, bound from Sydney to Melbourne in June 1855, presumably about to sail home, which got me interested again. He is listed as a miner, so either did well or badly in the goldfields...

The other thing that interests me, but I expect I am plumb out of luck, is any additional information about his 4 year career in the Royal Navy, and how he went to sea aged 11 in 1830. I know his father was a sailor, so would he most likely have gone along with him?

So many questions, sorry...

Caroline.