RootsChat.Com

I'm speechless too, it's amazing how much we are finding out.

Hopefully, I'll find out more names and dates from my Grandma's book.

Hi Karen,

We are managing (with the help of EBN, much appreciated) to build up quite a family history. 

My mom has told me there were family rumours about some member of Grandma's family being illegitimate and half gentry,  so it must have been Ruth's son, Reginald, who would have been my Grandma's cousin.

My mom has also told me that both Grandma and Uncle Will, inherited some property in the 1960's.  That couldn't have come from the Gammonds, or the Powell's, because Thomas and Fanny would have inherited some too.

So I'm assuming the property must have come from the Hackfords.

I've done a bit more research on Richard and George Snr....same area of birth and also same names for parents (although mother Ann was spelt Anne on one record).    I suppose they could have had Richard in their early 20's and then had George Snr in their early 40's, I have noticed large age gaps, and children being born to parents in their 40's on all sides of my ancestry.


I'll pry a little more re Reginald, see if between us we can find some hard evidence. I suppose no-one could say our family history is boring.

I haven't been this absorbed in a subject since I graduated (many years ago) from uni.

Take care,

Best wishes, Sheryl

Hi EBN,

By putting in Elizabeth's first name, DOB and area I've managed to trace her family back to 1861.

Her maiden name was Powell and she was an only child, her father was a stone mason. He seemed to have spent his entire life in Little Dewchurch.

I'm off now to try and find out more about George.

Must update my list of family.

Thanks for all the info and help,
Regards,
Sheryl

Thanks EBN, I will try there,  it certainly is exciting to find out all this information.

Little wonder my Grandma kept me in the dark....

Prison, divorce, illigitimate births....not quite what I expected to find.

The past feels so much more 'real' to me now,  and how wierd I happened upon this chat forum and found Karen, who's Gt Grandma appears to be my Gt Gt Gt Aunt.

Hi Karen.

Thanks for the links, It really is so interesting to find out all this extra information.  I feel really 'in touch' with our ancestors now, especially as the Hackford side was kept so secretive for so many years.

I was chatting to my mom, and she has been going through my grandma's (Annie) 'diary' (a book of family births etc.,) and remembering snippets of info passed to us through the generations, I'm very lucky in that I spent most of my childhood with my Grandma (and Uncle Will lived with us) in Ross on Wye.

And from what we can glean, although we didn't know the Hackford surname before.  Thomas Henry (the 4 month old baby in the 1891 census) was actually the son of William Gammond, although my Grandma and Uncle Will were George's children.  So it looks as if George and Elizabeth were divorced (perhaps on her infidelity, or maybe he had already left her and then she got with William Gammond).

There seems to be a 6 year gap from Thomas Henry's conception/birth to when both Elizabeth and George remarried the others, perhaps they had to wait that long for a divorce?

As William Gammond, and the Gammond family, owned a few farms, and had servants, perhaps this is where the illigitimate child of master/servant rumour came from.  I know the story has come down our branch of the family, and it looks as if it has come down your side too.  I think we must have rather 'racy' ancestors.

I'll continue questioning my mom, and looking at all the sites I've joined, I've managed to view many birth/wedding/death records.  And last night I found Annie's husbands military record and his two brothers too (all three were killed in WW1).

I'll see what else I can find out about Ruth for you, and let you know.

I seem to be running into a dead end with Richard Hackford (Hereford Dick) perhaps he isn't on the census's as he was in prison quite a lot.


Take care and hope to find out more for you,
Sheryl