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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: JoJoBuggins on Friday 11 May 07 16:54 BST (UK)
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Spent ages trying to find a marriage for my Dad's parents we were all beginning to wonder if they did ever marry.
According to an Aunt,
"I'm sure they did marry, they went away one time and came back saying they had got married." this was always her reply, even 30 years ago!!
Received Grandma and Grandads Wedding certificate today, and guess who was a Witness, the same Aunt who wasnt 100% sure that they ever married
Just made me laugh and they didnt go very far to get married, the Village Church ;D
Jo
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LOL, I love it ;D
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True, you can't always believe what they tell you. My aunt still insists that her father was a little boy when his father died, which isn't quite accurate: he was twenty-two!
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Don't you just love them
I would love to show her the certificate, but sadly she died just before Christmas
I'm sure she's having a laugh about it, bless her :)
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As I posted to another member the other day.....................................
"Do you think they said these things deliberately just to drive us all nuts in the future??????????"
Seems your Aunt may have had the last laugh, LOL. Just priceless! ;D
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;D Must say, tickles me when I think about it
She was so adamant though
Sure there are plenty ancestors up there, having a real laugh at us all ;D ;D
It was only thanks to another Rootschatter that I found the marriage at all
Jo
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My auntie, writing about her parents and their families for me, mentioned her uncle who was killed in WW1 on the Somme. "He was only 18, but he had to go". Fortunately my mother, who was older, had told me more about him, and through my own research I already knew that a) he was a volunteer, and b) he was 26!
Sometimes bits of half-heard tales make people jump to conclusions, putting 2 and 2 together to make 5, and that's how a family tale starts.
Somebody on the beeb board had an ancestor who was 'killed by a sniper at Ypres'. EXCEPT........... his name was on the Thiepval memorial, which means, as most of you will know, that he was killed on the Somme. Different battlefield, different country. Goodness knows where the sniper came from!
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Hi all
I know exactly what you Rancegal, when I started doing my FH my mother told me about an Uncle of hers who had been shot and killed by a sniper in WW1, definately between 1914-18 Sure enough on checking, found a chap on memorial in France, right regiment, right age everything matched, sent for DC, wrong person :'( !! I then spent a month searching for this chap on all Military sites everywhere. Yes you guessed it, finally find him (more by luck than judgement) He died in 1929, Cause of Death : Abcess on his a**se :-[ !!
When confronted, all my mother could say was " Well that's what I was told "
Mothers, don't you just love 'em
Quiller
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My family rumour was that there was money in the Culverhouse family but it didn't come our way.
This turned out to be anger about a widow who married again after her husband's death whose new husband eventually inherited the remains of her small inheritance
David
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my dad is known as Harry to everyone and anyone but his real name is John! not sure where the Harry came from at least with my uncle who is known as Rex to all Rex is his middle name.
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My grandfather was known to everyone including his children as Frederick Emmanuel, when my mother needed a visa to go to the USA she had to obtain his death certificate, guess what ??? Emmanuel Frederick :o
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When my uncle Jack died, my mother (his S-I-L) who had known him all her married life, was astounded to find his name was Horace! My dad's brother was also often called Jack, although his name was Arthur. Really, it's a wonder we can find any of them!
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my dad is known as Harry to everyone and anyone but his real name is John!
We have/had the same with my grandfather, who's name was Isaac but he went by the name of John. No idea where the John came from, as he never had a middle name at birth, marriage or death. ???
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My great grandfather was called Jacob but changed it to John, even on his death certificate. :o
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My family rumour...
My mum was told by her grandad that he had a brother called Septimus (came from Latin for "Seven") who was the 7th son to be born and he drowned when he was seven!
The truth...
JOSHUA Septimus was the seventh son to be born to the family, but he grew up and married! Reuben the youngest drowned in the River Trent in his 20's.
Guess great grandad was having fun pulling Mum's leg!!
Beverley
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The Great Family Myth........................................
My Grandfather was on the first boat to land on Gallipoli during WW1 in 1915.
Hmmmm, never one to take things at face value I decided to research this interesting story but alas many years and $$$$ later I discovered from his WW1 papers that his battalion did not land in Gallipoli until the August offensive.
Dissapointed? NO! His papers and further research proved he was on the very last boat to be evacuated off Gallipoli in December of that year. So it seems my family myth has a certain amount of truth to it. Just a little wayward, lol. ;)
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These stories are brilliant, makes you wonder what they are thinking when they are telling us these things.
Its a wonder we can find anything ;)
Beverley B, my grgr grandmother's father was called Septimus, very unusual name, thanks for explaining the meaning. I've had some fun finding him on the census ;D
Jo
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My gran always told me that her father had a brother called Dominic who died at Ypres - but I can't find any record of this chap ever being born. My great grandfather did have a brother John who served in WW1, but he survived and married in 1919. I'm now working on the theory that maybe Dominic was a cousin.
I also have a grandad who didn't use his own name first name. He was always known as Tom, but supposedly his name was Leo. In fact his name was Philip Leo. And yes, I could imagine him having a chuckle as I tried to find that out LOL
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Most times, family stories or legends are simply that. Just like Chinese whispers that you played at school, it starts off with something and gets embroidered as it passes along and ends up with perhaps the very very smidgeon of truth and the majority was myth and legend or downright fibs.
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My dad had a very deep scar on his back, about 9 inches long just below his shoulder blade.
Whenever we asked about it we got various stories but the commonest one was that he was stabbed in the back with a bayonet in WW2.
When he died, the coroner noted that his scar was the result of a botched operation when he was quite young.
To be honest, I preferred the bayonet story, but the 'attacked by a tiger' one was good, and the 'this is what happens to children that ask too many questions' one I am sure you've all heard. :)
Paul
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Further to all the messages about ancestors "known" names being different to those on birth certificates - my husband was christened Arthur (after a relative that had died shortly before his birth) but, from pre-teens acquired the nickname Mick, which is the only name he goes by nowadays - except with older members of his/my family. It is a nightmare when I write Christmas cards, trying to remember who calls him by which name!! One aunt on my side of the family thought we had divorced when I sent her a card from Mick & Carol - only found out her worry when she next visited my parents!!!
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My husband believed his mother's husband to be his father despite the guy being paralysed and in a wheel chair. Husband always remembered this man in a wheel chair but thought that his disability happened after his birth. Not so the guy had Muscular Dystrophy and had been paralysed from the chest down for 10 years before my husbands birth. There was no way in the late 1940s that this man could have been my husband's natural father. We have since found out that neither my husband nor his sister were this man's offspring. In fact they both have different fathers.
The sad thing is that my husband worried for years that he might end up in a wheel chair too as an hereditary thing, especially when he developed a serious back complaint.
Having said all that he still regards this man as his father.
Pennine
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My dad had a very deep scar on his back, about 9 inches long just below his shoulder blade.
Whenever we asked about it we got various stories but the commonest one was that he was stabbed in the back with a bayonet in WW2.
When he died, the coroner noted that his scar was the result of a botched operation when he was quite young.
To be honest, I preferred the bayonet story, but the 'attacked by a tiger' one was good, and the 'this is what happens to children that ask too many questions' one I am sure you've all heard. :)
Paul
My dad has a scar on his back too, which he told me he got from being attacked in the jungle by a "wild carbuncle". When I told my teacher that she said there was no such thing, but I insisted that my daddy knew better. Fathers! Who'd have 'em! :)
His mother, my grandmother, insisted that she was related to the Duke of Newcastle, but in all my searching, I've never found anything to substantiate that - only fruiterers, bakers and cordwainers and the like.
Mind you, when my son was little, some of his friends were talking about who they were named after, so he wanted to know too. He wasn't named after anyone - we just liked the name. But he wanted to be named after someone, so I told him he was named after his great great grandfather. Turned out to be true, too, luckily for me, when I actually got round to researching his father's ancestry!
Linda
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His mother, my grandmother, insisted that she was related to the Duke of Newcastle, but in all my searching, I've never found anything to substantiate that - only fruiterers, bakers and cordwainers and the like.
Linda
I had one of those. A great grandfather related to the Duke of Bedford. We eventually discovered it was the name of his local where it seems he spent far too much of his spare time.
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A great grandfather related to the Duke of Bedford. We eventually discovered it was the name of his local where it seems he spent far too much of his spare time.
;D ;D ;D That's really funny!!
Grandmother would be mortified by the very thought that such a thing could be attributed to her!
I'd just love to know the basis for her belief though. She brought up all her children to believe this was true, and behaved like a duchess all her life.
Linda
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I had one of those. A great grandfather related to the Duke of Bedford. We eventually discovered it was the name of his local where it seems he spent far too much of his spare time.
Hilarious!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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My dad was always known as George but his birth name was Harry William. On his headstone we had to have "George (Harry William) Davis" so that in future any decendants would be able to find him.
My husband's uncle is always called George but his name is actually Alan
Why do people do this?
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My brother was invited to go to Trinidad and take on a plantation but he was in the army and could not go. The story was one of the Grandads had stolen a horse and was transported there.
I have found a Gt Gt Grandad who had stolen some sheep and was transported to Australia! Nobody knows who went to Tasmaniam but a cousin who has passed away was in contact with Trididad and distant relatives there - but who they are nobody knows.
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These old family stories often bear investigation. One of ours was that we were related to minor nobility . . . I even have copies of begging letters written in victorian times to prove the legend has been in existence for many generations. I don't imagine they were successful . . . the addressee was a banker!
After extensive research I still haven't found anything conclusive, but it looks as if I might just be a 12th cousin to an extinct baronetcy . . . the possible common ancestor having died in 1581 . . . ::)
Mike.
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When I was a child I was to all intents and purposes an only child. Everyone else seemed to have someone except me. I lived with Granny and I was lonely. I longed for a brother or sister. Probably on the lines of the 'imaginary friend'. :(I told my friends that I had a secret much older brother. Because he was so important to Government overseas they must not ever mention him to Granny. I invented great stories about him being some kind of action hero. He had a name, Ralph pronouced Raif, a bright red sports car, a nice home, a penthouse flat in Londons' Kensington Area and he travelled about the world, that's why no one ever met him! He came to visit on high days and holidays and treated me to ice creams and days out at zoos and parks. When I got good marks for home work he had helped me! When I couldn't go out to play with friends, (when Granny said no) it was because my big brother was coming home!
When I got to 13 or 14 friends were asking more and more delving questions and I began making mistakes that they were picking up on so I was compelled to kill him off in a mountaineering accident as he struggled alone against all adversity to conquer the Eiger! He was awarded a medal for being a pioneering hero and buried in Westminster Abbey! ;D ;D ;D
Many years down the line I find I have one half brother, possibly full blood, two step brothers, two half sisters and two step sisters, and an adoptive sister!
How's that for self- fulfilling prophecy? I am even more confused than I was way back then!
Be careful what you wish for or you could end up like me. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Pennine
P.S. I AM VERY WELL ADJUSTED...... REALLY ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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What a wonderful story Pennine. You must have done really well at school in essay writing with such an imagination! ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D
This is a terrific thread, wish I had a story to contribute but I'm really enjoying reading everyone else's!
Caz
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Hi Caz I got a 1st Class Ba Honours degree at Manchester Uni as a mature student whilst bringing up five kids! It included English, English Lit, History and Psychology, that's why I can annalise myself now and not be defensive! Looking back I had lots of baggage but maybe it makes for an interesting life! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Pennine
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I did the same thing, a Commerce Degree except I only had one child....hats off to you doing it with 5!! :o
Something to be said for us "mature" ladies ;)
Caz
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Commerse? did that involve maths? I was rubbish at maths, failed o'level maths yet three of my children are wizzez at it it. Two follow me and are artistic and can write stories. Good on you!
Pennine
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Hi Jo,
when I started researching my husband's tree I was told that his great grandmother was called ALICE ALICIA ANDERSON. I spent ages trying to find her, because I hoped she would lead me to her husband, John Wilson.
There was no sign of her in Jamaica, where the couple lived. Then I found a letter, tucked away in a book, which belonged to my late father-in-law. It had been written by his grandfather, John Wilson.
Using the date and the name of the post town I managed to find him, and his wife.
Her name? AVIS CATHARINE TODD... ??? ???
Greenvalley
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Hi Jo,
when I started researching my husband's tree I was told that his great grandmother was called ALICE ALICIA ANDERSON. I spent ages trying to find her, because I hoped she would lead me to her husband, John Wilson.
There was no sign of her in Jamaica, where the couple lived. Then I found a letter, tucked away in a book, which belonged to my late father-in-law. It had been written by his grandfather, John Wilson.
Using the date and the name of the post town I managed to find him, and his wife.
Her name? AVIS CATHARINE TODD... ??? ???
Greenvalley
I think there is avery good chance that you will find that Alice was your husband's great great grandmother I found two similar examples of stories being a generation out in my family history.
David