Finding stuff out about your family

Not as interesting as other posts but....

My grandfather (dad's side) was married to one of two sisters, she died, so he married the other one.

Bit weird I thought.

That was quite common. Economic necessity. Dad left with kids but couldnt not go to work-usually the local pit. So married most eligible family member of his wife.
 


My great great grandfather was Colour Sergeant in the 25th Regiment of Foot in which he served between 1840 and 1863. He was stationed in India from 1842 to 1856. He was Court Martialled in 1852 given 6 months and broken to the ranks for going AOL . He wasn't whipped (which was part of the standard punishment) and on release his record says "Good Conduct Pay restored by authority of the War Department" although a few days later an senior officer stops it. I have no idea what any of that was about.

He rose back to the rank of Sergeant within five years . He returned home in 1856 his Regiment just missing the very bloody Indian Mutiny by a few months. After a couple of years in England his regiment was posted to Gibraltar and there he stayed until he finished his service with the Army. He had been born in Northern Ireland but went to Sunderland with his family to live and work as an engineer in the shipyards.

It seems that although Irish born his ties with the North East were very strong. The 25th Regiment of Foot was the Kings Own Borderers later the KOSB'ies . We were always brought up believing were were 100% North Easterner. Our family name is a Border name in fact its a Reiver family name. I think that there is very good possibility that my family was exiled to Ireland on pain of death around 1605 along with other Reiver families and that in 1868 after serving in the Army for 23 years my great great grandfather took the opportunity to return home.
 
Sister did the family genealogy and it was run of the mill stuff until she got a call from someone in Birmingham asking if she was related to our gran. Long story short, turns out our gran and grandad eloped to Scotland after WW2 (he was still married to another woman) and told everyone they were married. Carried the secret to their graves and left us debating whether we should tell our mother and uncle who it turns out had no idea.
 
Found out my great grand uncle aged 18 Northumberland fusseliers won a Military medal in Belgium.Buried at railway cuttings cemetery somewhere French Belgium border.
 
Found out about two years ago that my great great granddad was Ted Ditchurn, the former Sunderland Chairman during the 50's when we got an astromical fine for his troubles as well as being the Mayor of Sunderland at one stage . So I'd like to apologise for the bent bazza getting Sunderland a world record fine and plunging us into a state that we've arguably never recovered from😂
What happened to his furniture shops/factories?
Haha I was about to post something similar. Added the story, My Great-Grandmother also (at the age of 70) had to bring up her 3 Grandchildren (including my Mother) after they were left on her doorstep. Kids aged 18 months, 5 and 7....
They were propa wimmen back then marra. Even in these times we should be thankful.
 
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Someone on my mam’s side did their family tree and basically we’ve been in Sunderland for about 200 years. :lol:

Relatives of my Granda moved from Deptford to Morgan Street, Southwick after the 1841 census and he was still living there in 1940 when my Mam was born.

After the war the family moved to Red House and my Granda lived there until his death about 20 years ago. I reckon they'd moved about 2 miles in 160 years :)
 
Within this last week I learned that my Grandad, who died in France 1918, had an older brother who died 1st July 1916. On June 30th, the day before the Battle of the Somme, he volunteered to be part of a reconnaissance / raiding party to assess the damage of the barbed wire in front of the German's defences. They were eventually spotted and basically mown down by machine gun fire. He returned to his lines ,wounded, with a wounded officer but went back to retrieve more of his comrades. He died the following day. For his gallantry he was awarded the DCM, next one down to the VC. His name is on the Theipval Memorial. This is all in David Raw's excellent book The Bradford Pals.
 
My Aunt, a WRNS, worked at Bletchley Park in the war. This didnt come out until it was mentioned at her funeral. Somebodys brain went click and said hang on, didn't she bring another WRNS back home for a weekend leave one time who went on to court and marry her brother? Eyes went around the room to the Aunt and Uncle concerned and they had to admit it was true. So I didn't just have one Aunt who worked there but two. :D
 
Started doing mine last week after my mam died. Have made excellent progress and got back to 997 and have found it amazing.

A key figures which leads back to Elizabeth 1st and other royals which I need to work out correctly

Jacquetta of Luxembourg -16th great grandmother who Ieads to some amazing places.
 
My dad told me that his grandad (on his mams side) therefore my great-grandad was a soldier in WW1. This much I knew. From Ryhope, he enlisted pretty much on the outbreak of the war and ended up in the 8th battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. He did his fair share of fighting and was mentioned in dispatches on a couple of occasions. He was also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, second only to the VC. He rose through the ranks and was eventually commissioned as a lieutenant. He resigned it a day later. Not bad for a miner from a pit village.

My dad has all his medals/citations and stuff mounted. Due to a bit of an argument within the family as to who my great-grandad left his medals to I’ve made the decision that when they are mine, I’m giving them to whatever regiment his variation of The Yorkshire Regiment has now become.
 
Anyone have relations in the DLI? My grandad was in 17th Battalion
Yes, Grandad in the 11th, other Grandad in the 1st Northumbrian Fusiliers and a Great Uncle who was killed at Fricourt on the first day of the Somme with the 10th Green Howards.
My dad told me that his grandad (on his mams side) therefore my great-grandad was a soldier in WW1. This much I knew. From Ryhope, he enlisted pretty much on the outbreak of the war and ended up in the 8th battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. He did his fair share of fighting and was mentioned in dispatches on a couple of occasions. He was also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, second only to the VC. He rose through the ranks and was eventually commissioned as a lieutenant. He resigned it a day later. Not bad for a miner from a pit village.

My dad has all his medals/citations and stuff mounted. Due to a bit of an argument within the family as to who my great-grandad left his medals to I’ve made the decision that when they are mine, I’m giving them to whatever regiment his variation of The Yorkshire Regiment has now become.
The Green Howard's museum in Richmond is a great place. I'm sure they would be over the moon to receive them.
 
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Did a bit last year on my side and the wife’s. Most of our lot lived in and around Sunderland, my dads great great grandfather was from London, need to do a bit more research on that though.

My mams grandad was killed in action in the WW2 in Norway.

The wife’s great grandparents were killed when their pub was bombed down the east end during the war. Luckily her grandads who was only a young lad survived. We had our first child last week and named her after our lasses great grandmother.
 
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My granda was prisoner of war and made to work in the salt mines. He used to always show us the bullet wound in his leg that he got whilst trying to escape
 
Bit more research this morning and I got the Luxembourg part wrong. Anyway, the key dude appears to arthur champernon (various spellings). He married a lady norris whose mother was mary Fiennes.

Her grandmother was elizabeth tilney who was the grandmother of ann boylen and katherine Howard. She is also my 14th great grandmother.

Her mother was Elizabeth Cheney who was the great grandmother of Jane Seymour.

So in a nutshell 4 queens and a king so far.

Really need to do some work now.
 

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