Family rumours have they turned out to be true?

[janescroft]

 
Have enjoyed reading all these. Mine rumour was not really a rumour, more a fact. We had a relative who was not brought up with the rest of her family and my gran always said that she was sent away from the family when she was 9 as her mother could not cope with all the children.
We found postcards sent from her brothers and sisters with messages on the back telling her they had got married, but they hadn't invited her to the wedding. She was even informed of the birth of new brothers and sisters this way.
I have been researching her family and came across a census entry which has her living with her grandfather when she was 3,  and her grandfather's daughter who was 17. The other thing was, her second christian name was also a surname.
I got out my deerstalker and magnifying glass and started to delve and sure enough, just up the road was an entry for a family with the same surname as her middle name and their youngest son was 18 at the time of the census.
I may be putting 2+2 together but it does seem a bit of a coincidence. Also, I also found out that her original family had a farm of significant size and servants!
Sad that she was kept from everyone though.

[wileman 121]

when i got in touch with my father last yar i was asking him about the family history ect well my grandfather died in 2002 age 62 my grandmother on that side died in 1998 aged 48 they were travelers and divorced in about 1970.

i asketd my father why his parents divorced and he told me my grandfather came home to the caravan drunk one night after going to work he spent all of his wages on drink.

on my grandmas side they werent travelers and my grandmas mum and grandma lived together in a house the other side of the town.

my grandad arived back at the caravan and found my gran had gone out and he was that drunk he went mad.
he stormed across the town with his brothers and kicked down the door to his mother inlaws house then he waited outside and shouted JEAN ! (my grandma ) she came outside to see what was wrong and my grandad started shouting at her.
when my grandmas grandma came out to see what was wrong she had a go at my grandad calling him a discrace he grabbed her head and threw it into the concrete she was about 70 at the time and her face was coverd in blood.
1 week later after returning home she died from gangrene infection.

well no wonder my gran divoced my grandfather and the worst thing was everyone was too scared to say anything against him because of all the family so he never even went to court everyone said my gt gt gran tripped over the door step !

i didnt believe it untill my mum and me were talking the other day and i thought i would mention it to ther and she said thats strange come to think of it i remember your gt grandma telling me that your grandad killed her mum.

[MarieC]

Gosh!!!!

That's really dramatic, Wileman!! 

MarieC

[wileman 121]

i know i was really confused when i found out i thought my loving grandad the person that used to sit me on his knee and tell me stories did that 

i suppose i can order my gt gt grandmas death cert and see if there is any truth to it that she died from gangrene infection

however i am in touch with my grandad's mum and dad my gt grandparents and i said  to her one day i am thinking of putting an ad in the local paper where you live ask for  information on the wileman family and she was adimant that i didnt like she is trying to hide something but i am not going to tell her i know as it might upset her.

[MarieC]

You've got a real dilemma there, Wileman!! 

Do you wait till you ggrandparents are dead, and then do some more digging?  Or do you do it now and just keep it quiet?  I bet you are really keen to find out more!

MarieC

[Beatle]

My grandmothers boasts were one of the main reasons for me starting on researching my family history. Needless to say all have proved to be false although there's some extremely tenuous connections. I presume its some sort of snobbery, to try and elevate your stations by claiming one thing or another.

My GGGrandfather was supposed to be a crowned bard in the Welsh Eisteddfod, Editor of the Herald Cymraeg and had paintings hung in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

However, he was from North Wales and coloured b/w photographs in Liverpool.

[Tephra]

Didn't they come out with some real porkers . . . .   you wouldn't make it up yourself would you!!!


Barbara                    

[wileman 121]

I know MarieC i am not sure what to do i dont think i will ask my gt grandparents as i dont want to upset them and i think i will quietly research my grandads crime behind my gt grandparents back so i will hopefully have some solid evidence.

however my only problem is finding my gt gt grandmas death i cant find it anywhere i think she would have died between 1968 and 1973 and her name was Hilda Gilliver she would have died in Nuneaton and she IS buried in nuneaton acording to my father but that is where my gt grandparents live 119 miles away

regards Jason

[cristeen]

My father in law has always maintained that his side of the family were descended from William the Conquerer! There are several family trees for his side, some recent and some drawn up in the 1850s, none of which shed any light on the rumour. Just recently I was contacted by a distant relative on his side telling me that he had found some old papers and trees dating from the early 1800s. A letter stated that the lineage had been proved and mentioned various names, marriages and dates. Of course I immediately checked these out, starting with familysearch, though not expecting any success. Lo and behold, a huge tree, going back to William the Conquerer and beyond to French aristocracy, Charlemagne etc. I have found other evidence to corroborate this and altough the link is through marriages it was lovely to be able to show my father in law the information.