One of our family stories is about the name 'Tennyson' in the family. In the early 1990's, I began to get interested in Genealogy and 'round-robined' my elder relatives, one cousin in particular was very forthcoming and among many gems, mentioned that 'we had a Tennyson connection - with the rider that it was a wrong side of the blanket relationship'
Due to the need to eat, I had to carry on working until about 2000, when I then re-started my searches, now with the benefit of computer and internet and the gaps began to fill in.
My first surprise was that there was a Tennyson generation, with each of seven children having the middle name Tennyson, all between 1813 and 1823. As things developed, it turned out that each of the seven produced offspring who became widespread, here, in USA and Australia (at least) and that more or less each branch had a version of the story - either the wrong side of the blanket version or the a disowned son after a disapproved marriage.
So far, no one version can be proved, but there are tantalizing hints, clues and blind alleys.
The childrens' father was a master mariner called John Williams (something of a mystery man, no age at marriage, no provable antecedants, no provable place of birth and no provable date or cause of death - but family possibles). What is proved is, he was married in Grimsby to Elizabeth Harrison of Aylesby and all seven children were christened in Grimsby.
In the relevant period at their marriage in 1811, there were Williams and Tennysons on both sides of the Humber in Lincs and East Yorks.
George Clayton Tennyson, a well as being rector of Somerby and Bag Enderby, also had the living of Grimsby.
His father George was a solicitor and founding source for the construction of Grimsby Docks by way of the Haven Company. One of the other founding shareholders, called Brandstrom, a merchant, had a son who married John Williams' eldest daughter.
A John Tennyson, born 1758 in Preston/Hedon in Yorks whose father was Ralph Tennyson, married a Mary Bennington in 1780 and had two sons, one, another John, born in 1784 has (so far) disappeared from the record.
A John Williams, master mariner is recorde on memorial inscriptions in St Mary' church, Lowgate, Hull where his wife ids recorded as dying age 54 in 1781, also, their daughter who died 1770 age 21 - could there have been a brother of the daughter, called John, or could the father have remarried late in life, perhaps?
Or could it simply be a case that John Williams, when naming his children, opted either to call them after the Rev having the living of Grimsby (although they were christened by a Rev Stockdale), or after the philanthropist/employer? building Grimsby docks?
One day an answer may emerge!!!
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