Author Topic: Tall tales or truth?  (Read 4246 times)

Offline barmaid1971

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #45 on: Tuesday 25 August 20 15:21 BST (UK) »
There was a family rumour that my gg grandmother was a French countess. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that she was the daughter of a farmer from Peterborough who left her husband and small children to remarry to a soldier, then a farmer, then a coke dealer (the stuff for fires, for the avoidance of doubt).  Her husband eventually caught up with her and there was a scandalous divorce. She did marry once again legally after that to her last husband.  I think she really liked wedding cake.

I think she may also have had a daliance with the french master at the school where her husband was the Head.

I can imagine it gave her husband a bit of a headache since his school promised to educate young gentlemen with moral virtues!
Plant - Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire
Bothamley, Pateman, Roffe,  - Northamptonshire
Thurlby, Baker, Kilbon - Lincolnshire
Hurry, Bishop - Cambridgeshire
Pretty, Coulson - Rutland
Shaw - Nottinghamshire
De Rippe - Rutland, Middlesex, Carlow

Offline Stanwix England

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #46 on: Tuesday 25 August 20 19:42 BST (UK) »
Flipping heck! Mind you, I think that's more fun than a duchess.  ;D
;D Doing my best, but frequently wrong ;D
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Offline barmaid1971

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #47 on: Tuesday 25 August 20 23:27 BST (UK) »
I think so.  I'm rather fond of her.  Wish I had met her.  I refer to her as "Naughty Joyce".

I wrote her life story (and with apologies to Charlotte Bronte) I titled it "Reader, I married him.  And him.  And him. And him"......
Plant - Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire
Bothamley, Pateman, Roffe,  - Northamptonshire
Thurlby, Baker, Kilbon - Lincolnshire
Hurry, Bishop - Cambridgeshire
Pretty, Coulson - Rutland
Shaw - Nottinghamshire
De Rippe - Rutland, Middlesex, Carlow

Offline iluleah

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #48 on: Wednesday 26 August 20 18:54 BST (UK) »
I think so.  I'm rather fond of her.  Wish I had met her.  I refer to her as "Naughty Joyce".

I wrote her life story (and with apologies to Charlotte Bronte) I titled it "Reader, I married him.  And him.  And him. And him"......

All the things I was told or overheard when I was growing up I wrote down once I began FH, I was pleased I did as once I told the family I was researchng they all wouldn't tell me anything and even deliberately lied, only my great aunt would talk and I wrote all her ( what I thought) was tall tales down...those 'stories' do tell me lots about my family the more human side, the way that living people still hold on and hide the 'shame' of previous generations.... "nowt so funny as folk"! As my Granddad used to say.
Leicestershire:Chamberlain, Dakin, Wilkinson, Moss, Cook, Welland, Dobson, Roper,Palfreman, Squires, Hames, Goddard, Topliss, Twells,Bacon.
Northamps:Sykes, Harris, Rice,Knowles.
Rutland:Clements, Dalby, Osbourne, Durance, Smith,Christian, Royce, Richardson,Oakham, Dewey,Newbold,Cox,Chamberlaine,Brow, Cooper, Bloodworth,Clarke
Durham/Yorks:Woodend, Watson,Parker, Dowser
Suffolk/Norfolk:Groom, Coleman, Kemp, Barnard, Alden,Blomfield,Smith,Howes,Knight,Kett,Fryston
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Offline Mimble

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #49 on: Tuesday 01 September 20 20:53 BST (UK) »
My South African 1820 settlers from the UK were inclined to 'reinvent' themselves as they were unlikely to be found out so far from home. Also, the locals tended to think of them as wastrels as they had come out to South Africa on a sponsored scheme, and they were keen to establish (and embellish) their credentials in their new society. My grandfather was convinced that his family ancestors were swordmakers and came from a 'great house' with a coat of arms as this is what he had been told. In fact according to the censuses they were humble peasant cutlerers! Also that his grandfather had fought at the Battle of Waterloo, whereas his military record shows he was never near the place. There was also a story about a family inheritance that had been 'lost in Chancery'...

However, I have discovered that grandpa's grandfather's mother was actually descended from nobility and royalty through the Montgomery family, and his grandmother was descended from Mary Queen of Scots through her Moodie Scottish laird grandfather, and to Edward II of England through her Van Zyl Dutch mother! As farmers in South Africa they seemingly never knew that, but how they would have loved to have known!
Morgan, Wilcox, Hulbert, Olive - Gloucestershire; Diggines, Gill, Rivers, Bull, Powell, Howell - Bristol; Hulley, Cawood - Yorkshire and South Africa; Stedman,  Hamar, Luther - Shropshire; Staddon, Rawle, Richards, Kemp -  West Somerset; Jones - Bettws, Montgomeryshire and Mainstone, Shropshire; Williams - Beguildy, Radnorshire; Coleman - Kent; Gradwell, Strickland - Lancashire;  Moodie -  Orkneys; Montgomery - Armagh, Down and Kildare; Parke - Kildare and Wicklow; Brangan - Bandon, Cork.

Offline DianaCanada

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Re: Tall tales or truth?
« Reply #50 on: Tuesday 01 September 20 21:59 BST (UK) »
My great-grandfather told my mother that his grandfather had fought at Waterloo as well and she passed that on to me.  Turns out he was too young for Waterloo but had spent 20 years in the army in India and Afghanistan, then went home, married his first cousin, fathered seven children, tripped over a tree root one night (drunk) and was found dead in a field the next morning.  An interesting story in the end!