Inspired by all the wonderful Genealogists on Substack, I have finally taken up the ‘Sixteen’ challenge and collated the stories of all my ‘Sixteen’ 2x Great-Grandparents into one convenient location. I don’t expect you to read them all, that is a big ask, but if you read just one of them, then I will be extremely grateful. There are a few teasers there to hopefully draw you in and please let me know which story you enjoyed the most.
The Paternal 2x Great-Grandparents
Matthew Chiddicks was born 26th February 1844, in South Ockendon, Essex and Baptised at The South Ockendon Independent Chapel on 31st March 1844. He was the fourth of the nine children born to James Chiddicks and Eliza Chiddicks nee Brewer. Matthew is my 2 x Great Grandfather and he led a relatively plain and uneventful life, or maybe he didn’t?
Elizabeth Lake was born 14th May 1845 in the Norfolk village of Attleborough, she was eldest of six children born to John Lake and Rebecca Lake nee Dixon. She was baptised in the beautiful village church of St. Mary’s, in Attleborough on 19th April 1846, the informant at the time of the Baptism was her Mother Rebecca Lake. Read the remainder of her story below.
Joseph Keyes was born 12th January 1852 in Prittlewell, Essex and he was baptised on 8th February 1852 at St. Mary the Virgin Parish Church, Prittlewell, in Essex. With the advent of The First World War, just around the corner, like millions of other families across the Country the Keyes family felt the full consequences of War. Three of the Keyes boys went off to War, but sadly only two of the boys returned, find out more here.
Elizabeth Bishop was one of those difficult and frustrating Ancestors to research and one that caused me lots of sleepless nights falling down rabbit holes. The Bishop family were one of those families that appeared in various records, but there was always an element of doubt and uncertainty with a lot of the early records and even now, some of my theories are only that, theories. Was she really a Bishop or a King find out here.
My lasting impression of Thomas Elisha Day was that he was an astute businessman, able to grasp opportunities and take chances to try and better himself. I also believe that he was very much a family orientated man and a man of solid values and morals, one of those Ancestor’s that its been a privilege to research and be connected to. Read more about Thomas’s life here.
I have always had a special feeling about ‘Louisa’, I have never been able to put my finger on the reason why, but she has always been an Ancestor that I have felt a ‘connection’ too, more than some of my other Ancestors, is that Ancestral memory or a deeper connection that I have yet to find, either way, Louisa will always have an extra special place in my heart. Find out more about Louisa Hallsey’s life here.
We all have that one elusive ancestor on our trees that is difficult to find and for many different reasons, they just don’t want to be found. For as long as I can remember, one of my 2 x Great-Grandparents identities has been unknown to me, the father’s name of Marguerite Longland Lukes was ‘missing’ from her birth certificate. The task of finding the father of an illegitimate child seemed impossible, but thanks to the wonders of DNA, the missing piece to the jigsaw was completed in 2020 and you can read how I made that discovery here;
In this blog, I will tell you a little more about the life of my ‘newest’ ancestor, my 2 x Great-Grandfather, John William Longland, plus you can see how I was able to ‘Dig’ that bit deeper into my ‘Roots’ to tell his story.
Sometimes we get an instinct, or even a gut feeling about one of our Ancestors, sometimes there is a feeling that goes beyond the paper records and in this case, I have always felt that poor Emma led a troubled and difficult life.
Let me share with you her story…….
The Maternal 2x Great-Grandparents
Find out why Thomas Wootton decided to change his religion just before he died at the ripe old age of 70.
Find out all about my Italian Ancestry with my 2 x great-grandmother Nicolina Elizabeth Stampa. Nicolina was the youngest of eight children born to Italian born Father Dominicio Stampa and Mary Hair, she was born on 14th May 1822 at High Calton, Edinburgh. She was baptised 25th June 1822 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh and she was actually baptised as Nicholasa, although on all other documentation she called herself Nicolina.
Henry James Dodd was a man forever connected to the Docklands and waterways of London find out more here.
Now this next story will intrigue you as family legend has it we owned some cotton mills in Lancashire; The legend as told by my cousin Eleanor:
“Your ancestors, the Butterworths, owned cotton mills in Lancashire, the mills were passed down the family. Your 3 x Great-grandfather Butterworth was the next in line to inherit the mills and the money (the family was quite rich), but he refused to travel to Lancashire because he was afraid of highway men. In the end the mills were sold to Coates. A 3 x Great Aunt was so annoyed she burnt all the birth and marriage certificates so that no one knew she was related to him.” Was there any truth in the story? There’s only one way to find out
This is the tale of a honest and hardworking man, Henry Barnes, who lived and worked in one of the toughest areas of London and worked in one of the harshest industries at the time, the London Docks. A man that worked hard all his life to provide for his family at a time long before there was a welfare state.
Martha Harvey’s life was cut tragically, short at the age of just 41 years, she died from Phthisis Syncope, commonly known as Tuberculosis, on 28th July 1905 at the Union Infirmary in North Leyton. Because Martha’s life was cut so short, it’s difficult to get to know her more, from the available records. She is one of those elusive Ancestor’s, who manages to slip through the records, making only the briefest of appearances. Read her story here.
I am a great believer in instinct and I previously wrote about the sad life of Emma Sophia Lukes and I mentioned about an instinct that we can get about a particular Ancestor, almost a gut feeling, something that the records might not always particularly reflect, this time my instinct tells me that my 2x Great-Grandfather John Daniels was not a very nice man, but I will let you be the judge of that……
The very fact that Elizabeth McCormack is the very last one, will tell you that Elizabeth’s story was maybe a little harder to tell, than some of the others, primarily because she was born and lived in Dublin at a time when records were few and far between. Although there were no census returns for Elizabeth, the fact that her and her family were regular visitors to the workhouse, enabled me to piece together what was a rather difficult and at times harrowing life. The important part for me is that she is remembered and however limited the records might be, the fact that I am able to tell her story is the most important part.
If you have got this far then I thank you for both your stamina and patience. My sixteen 2 x Great-Grandparents will be forever remembered. I hope that you found their stories interesting and I hope this inspires you to research and document the lives of your own ‘Sixteen’.
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I love this idea and am totally borrowing this. And I can’t pick a favorite. I just like reading, and I love teasers and cliff hangers. :-D. Thank you!
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Thanks Valarie I’m glad you loved the idea and feel free to use it of course
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