Chinese Whispers!

[danuslave]

Aunt Polly from Yorkshire who became the Mayoress of Washington DC.

Hi Pels

How about Washington in Co Durham (now Tyne & Wear).  Sounds a bit more promising 

Linda

[Lydart]

'Great Aunt Lizzie was a naughty girl and ran away to Canada, but she married the mayor and made good' !!

Well, she DID go to Canada, and she DID marry a mayor, sort of ... he was temporary mayor for six months in the small town they lived in ... but its the 'naughty girl' bit I'd love to be able to prove !



Then there's the one about great, great (however many greats you care to add) grandfather who was George Stephenson of Rocket fame and who drove it in 1829 ...

I do have family from Stockton ... so maybe ... one to work on sometime !!

[gazania]

There is the same story from different branches of my family to say we are descended from the Archbishop of Canterbury who was the Archbishop when Henry the 8th was a boy.  Trouble is the Archbishop was celibate (or should have been) as it was still Catholic England - before Henry the 8th grew up.  Still my Dad used to say the portrait of the Archbishop showed he had the large family nose.

Another story in another family proved to be true. I poohed  poohed the story that there was money in chancery especially as the family were all ag labs, until I found a record of a probate & distribution in the record office.  One of the ag labs had married an older wealthy widow and he died intestate.  Our branch of the family could not be legally traced because of migration to OZ, although they knew they were entitled to inherit - enough to buy a horse and cart.  Gazania

[kizmiaz]

Anyone have any clues how I could prove or disprove another family rumour? I've been told by a distant cousin that one of my great-grandmothers was a female wrestler! I don't have the foggiest notion how to even begin to find out about that!!! (But her photos do make it look at least physically possible, if you know what I mean!)

[Lydart]

There is the same story from different branches of my family to say we are descended from the Archbishop of Canterbury who was the Archbishop when Henry the 8th was a boy.  Trouble is the Archbishop was celibate (or should have been) as it was still Catholic England - before Henry the 8th grew up.  Still my Dad used to say the portrait of the Archbishop showed he had the large family nose.

That would be Archbishop Cranmer, and he was married before he became a priest ! 

See   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer#Early_years_.281489.E2.80.931527.29

So it could just be a possibility !

[reverie]

Family legend has it that we are descended from the Wolf of Badenoch (Alexander Stewart) who was the 4th son of King Robert 11 of Scotland.   My GG mother was a Stewart from that area.  However maybe best best to let sleeping dogs (or wolves) lie as he was a notorious ruffian.  He is also reputed to have had 40 illegitimate grandchildren.

It does give the family history a bit of spice though.
Reverie

[gazania]

That would be Archbishop Cranmer, and he was married before he became a priest ! 

See   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer#Early_years_.281489.E2.80.931527.29

Not Cranmer but the one before - Archbishop William Warham - notice the nose:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Warham

Archbishop Warham was from a Hampshire family; my family are still stuck in Surrey/London as their last known whereabouts are in an unreadable parish register!

Thanks for your interest.  Gazania

[Lydart]

Archbp. Warham married in 1509 ... so being a descendent is possible ... especially if you have his nose !   

[*sparkle*]

Lots in our family:

Whisper: The 'Rammells' came across from France to Scotland during the Jacobite uprising of 1745... and something about setting in Dumfries (port town) due to the abundance of lovely lassies (well Rabbie Burns did...)

Truth: Rammells are firmly rooted in rural Worcestershire, after a suicide by the father, the three children uprooted themselves and moevd to different areas in Britain. My Rammell moved the furthest to work in one of the most forward thinking mental institutions in the Country which was in a small town in Scotland called Dumfries....

Whisper: The 'Sperrys' emigrated from the US

Truth: They always have been from and never moved far from rural Leicestershire. But there have been several prominent American Sperry inventions, such as shoes, flying guages, calculators etc which is probably where the whisper started.

Whisper: We are related to the 'Mandersons' of Manderston House in Berwickshire with an illegitimate connection.

Truth: I have got my Manderson family reasonably far back, to nearby Duns in the mid 18th century, however Manderston House is an Edwardian House and was built in by William Miller in abt 1871..... (was an earlier house built 1790s, but still doesn't tie in). So no thread of truth to this...)