Category: Census
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Turning an absence into a presence
Tracing Alice Neal’s family No old photos on today’s item. In fact a photo absence is where it starts. Alice Neal was the only one of the 11 children of Robert Smith Neal and Ellen Elizabeth Watts not to appear in the 1902 family photograph featuring elsewhere on Cutlock and Co. But the very helpful caption, added later by gran (Emily Neal), says “No 3 Alice in Canada”. (Alice was the third child, Emily 9th.) Alice had so far proved elusive to pin down, so » »
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Theophilus Farrall shipping agent and electrical inventor
One family connection I hadn’t previously pursued very far was that of my cousin Geoffrey and aunt Irene (Watkins). Their father/husband was Charles O’Brien, revealed to have a middle name of Theophilus on his wife’s death certificate – I have a feeling he hated this name. I had only got a little info on place of birth and parents for Charles. It was likely that a birth registered in 1912, mother Farrell, was his but that was not enough data to go on in » »
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No curfew on finding the right birthplace
Here’s one of those ‘fun’ transcription errors, but in this case its more down to the original census official. William Woodland, a grandfather of the husband of a great great aunt (Osborne family) – yes that close – was born on the island of Corfu where his father was serving in the military (about 1821). The 1881 census gives this as ‘Ireland, Cerfuw’! Obviously the latter doesn’t exist but given that his mother was from Ireland I had found a town, Carlow, which was » »
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Oak River sledge ride to school
A little snow in Manitoba
A little snow in Manitoba Posted earlier on Ancestry message board for Manitoba, and now updated with scans of photos: An old family photo album came out for the first time (for me anyway) this Christmas, with a few snaps from our Neal relatives who had emigrated to Manitoba. Bob, Harry?, Stan, Nellie One photo was labelled ‘School-van Oak River’ – a sledge cart with high sides pulled by 2 horses, with Oak River (and some less legible writing) written on the side. On the same » »
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Finding that elusive Jewish connection
The joys of the chase! I’ve cracked a conundrum on the family’s Jewish connection. I’d at one time thought that granddad’s first name of Levi (which he hated) had a Jewish connection. While both his grandfather and a cousin had the same name (if sometimes spelt differently, most often Levy), there is no other hint of such a link. What has been more certain is great great aunt Lily Osborne married Jonny Brookstone, of Jewish origin and probably from Poland. I found no trace of him » »
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Cutlock or Laddiman most exclusive in 1891?
I’m reminded that Cutlock isn’t the only rare name in the family tree, at least as judged by the Ancestry website surname look-up feature. This uses the 1891 census records (England and Wales), showing a distribution map at county level (of people, not families as it states). Cutlock – 10 people, all in Norfolk. The one who was born in London has married in. Laddiman – 9 people, all in Norfolk.* I have the impression that there are now more Laddimans than Cutlocks, given the prevalence » »