Real Life Stories
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A Father, a Son and Two World Wars: The Military Lives of Francis Bertie and Leslie Edgar Martin
Read more: A Father, a Son and Two World Wars: The Military Lives of Francis Bertie and Leslie Edgar MartinFamily research revealed that Francis Bertie Martin served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the First World War, later settling into civilian life in Birmingham. His son, Leslie, served over seven years with the Royal Corps of Signals during and after the Second World War, including campaigns in North Africa, Italy, North-West Europe and…
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King Charles: A Royal Reprise
Read more: King Charles: A Royal RepriseIn revisiting the life of my fifth great-grandfather, King Charles, a Gloucestershire labourer, I uncovered significant details about his family and life challenges. Key findings include his imprisonment for neglecting family support, unexplained parentage issues for some children, and discrepancies in marriage records. These discoveries highlight the complexities of genealogical research.
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The Genealogy Road Trip: Results from the (Literal) Field
Read more: The Genealogy Road Trip: Results from the (Literal) FieldA couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my plans to take the family on a genealogy road trip. My husband had a week off work, the children were still on their summer holidays, and rather than disappearing on my own to investigate dead relatives, I decided it would be much more sociable to take…
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The Genealogy Road Trip: Taking the Investigation into the (Literal) Field
Read more: The Genealogy Road Trip: Taking the Investigation into the (Literal) FieldTomorrow, I’m taking my genealogy research on the road. Normally, this is exactly the sort of expedition I would undertake alone. Earlier this summer I took myself camping at Roundhill in the New Forest and, inevitably, used the opportunity to visit Buckler’s Hard for a little Georgian and Regency-era history. Give me an old map,…
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The Harriet Watts Investigation: Part One
Read more: The Harriet Watts Investigation: Part OnePeople often ask me whether I’ve uncovered any family secrets whilst researching my ancestors. The answer is yes. Not the sort of secrets that television programmes promise, with aristocratic scandals and royal mistresses lurking around every corner, but quieter discoveries that nevertheless make you stop and look at an ancestor in an entirely different way.…
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The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (c.1755 – c.1826) – Part Three
Read more: The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (c.1755 – c.1826) – Part ThreeThe search for my 4th great grandmother Elizabeth Harris has gradually evolved from what appeared to be an entirely ordinary piece of family history research into something resembling a Regency detective novel. What began with a straightforward baptism in Wymering quickly unravelled into a web of missing marriages, suspiciously timed deaths, an exciseman called John…
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Behind the Research: Revisiting John Hardwicke through an Evidence Matrix
Read more: Behind the Research: Revisiting John Hardwicke through an Evidence MatrixWhen I published The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke, readers were introduced to a man who sits at the centre of one of my current family history investigations. By the time I finished writing, I felt I had untangled enough of the evidence to tell a coherent story while being honest about the questions…
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The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (1760-1826) – Part Two
Read more: The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (1760-1826) – Part TwoAn Adventure at The National Archives This week I made my first visit to The National Archives at Kew. My mission was straightforward enough. I wanted to find out when my ancestor John Hardwicke joined the Excise, where he was posted, and when he eventually left the role. Like most family historians, I began the…
