Robert Neville Grenville via The National Motor Museum Trust

Saw this vehicle yesterday and the name rang a bell with me. I took a photo of the information so I could look it up.

And behold, it looks like we're distant cousins. Our nearest ancestor being John NEVILLE b1328 in Durham.

List of Vehicles - The National Motor Museum Trust: "The Grenville steam carriage is believed to be the oldest self-propelled passenger-carrying road vehicle still in working order. It was designed about 1875 by Robert Grenville with some assistance from his friend, George Churchward – later Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway. It is thought that the carriage took around fifteen years to complete. The vertical boiler, a type used on steam fire engines, is understood to have originally been supplied by Shand Mason & Co., a well-known fire engine builder. It consumed about five gallons of water and 6 lbs of coal per mile. The driver had control of the throttle and cut-off levers, a foot-operated whistle and the brake pedal. On the driver's left and in charge of the tiller sat the steersman. Behind, there was seating for four passengers. The fireman had a small seat in the engine compartment and was responsible for firing the boiler and maintaining its water level. On the flat, the carriage could attain a speed of just under 20mph/32.19kph."

I'm in a whole different part of the tree right now, so I'll have to tag this for later mapping via:
http://www.thepeerage.com/p10164.htm#i101634

Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland was born circa 1364 at Raby Castle, Durham, County Durham, England.3,4 He was the son of John de Neville, 3rd Lord Neville and Maud de Percy.2 He married by contract, firstly, Lady Margaret de Stafford, daughter of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford and Philippa Beauchamp, before 1370.2 He married Lady Margaret de Stafford, daughter of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford and Philippa Beauchamp, circa 1382 at Stafford, Staffordshire, England.4 He married, secondly, Lady Joan de Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Roët, before 29 November 1396 at Château de Beaufort, Maine-et-Loire, Anjou, France.5,4 He died on 21 October 1425 at Raby Castle, Durham, County Durham, England.6 He was buried at Staindrop, County Durham, England.6 He was buried in October 1425 at Staindrop, County Durham, England.4 His will (dated 18 October 1424) was probated.6

Millicent Hall Marriage

Stumbled across this record whilst searching for another Millicent Hall. Place and father's name match elsewhere. Must come back later to investigate.

Search Results—FamilySearch.org — Free Family History and Genealogy Records:
groom's name: John Gregory
groom's birth date: 1858
groom's birthplace:
groom's age: 23
bride's name: Millicent Hall
bride's birth date: 1858
bride's birthplace:
bride's age: 23
marriage date: 22 Oct 1881
marriage place: St. Mary'S, Cromford, Derbyshire, England
groom's father's name: John Gregory
groom's mother's name:
bride's father's name: Gamaliel Hall

Charles William Worsley and the Croix de Guerre

Charles William WORSLEY
b July 1869 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England to
William WORSLEY and Eliza Jane WEBB

Thanks to Google indexing old documents, I've discovered a supplement to the London Gazette from 18 July 1918 which notes that Charles was awarded the "Croix de Guerre", conferred upon him by His Majesty the King of Belgium (Albert I of Belgium).

The World War I Croix de Guerre was an award for bravery or other military virtue on the battlefield and was only awarded to individuals. It was modelled on the French Croix de Guerre, the ribbon is red with three vertical green stripes in the center and one vertical green stripe nearer the edges. 

The Croix de Guerre was not only awarded for bravery but also for three years or more of service on the front line, or for good conduct on the battlefield. It was also awarded to volunteers older than 40 (like Charles William WORSLEY) or younger than 16 after a minimum of 18 months of service, to escaped prisoners of war rejoining the armed forces, and to military personnel who were placed on inactive duty because of injury.

Pretty amazing that I'm related to both Charles William Worsley (4th cousin, 4 times removed) and Albert I (29th cousin, 6 times removed), though it would have been even more amazing had the been related to one another!

Bravo Charles. What a good egg.

Charles Auty - Painter

How cool. An artist in the family!

My fourth cousin, four times removed ended up a sculptor and then a painter living with wife May on the Isle of Man. Produced some pretty awesome oil paintings, it seems.

A far cry from working in a Shoddy Mill like some of this not-too-distant cousins. Life throws you dice eh?

Fred Auty - A Cornet Player in the tree

Nice to get a little "flesh on the bone" of some distant relatives. In amongst the usual wool weavers and general labourers, noble trades I'm sure, I found Fred Auty (4th cousin, 4 times removed), listed as a Cornet Player or later a "Cornettist"!

Auty Genealogy :: Auty Family Genealogy: "When Fred moved back to Yorkshire he left behind a son, Charles F Auty. Charlie had been well trained by his father who I am told also trained his two daughters and his wife, to play the cornet.
Apart from playing with the Borough Band he would often conduct the band when required to do so, but like his father, Charles also interested in orchestral work and formed and conducted his own orchestra, very well known as the "Bohemians". This type of band or orchestra would often be engaged by travelling pantomimes and plays appearing at the local theatres but also played for public dances and private parties held by the gentry."

Go Fred!

Cloth Percher

Historic occupation #3 in one evening: CLOTH PERCHER

The job seems to be a quality control role, checking for imperfections and stains in the material.

Occupations: Piecener

Another old occupation stumbled across: PIECENER: one who worked in a spinning mill, employed to piece together any threads which broke (usually a child or woman).

Shoddy Mill

Stumbled across a job title I'd never heard before: Teamer at Shoddy Mill.

A SHODDY MILL appears to be a Mill which produced clothing made from material created by grinding old rags (I guess today this would be called recycling!). This seems to be responsible in part for the term "shoddy" as in "shoddy workmanship".

A TEAMER seems to be an occupation relating to driving or organising teams of horses.

Eliza Twort (nee Pinnick)

WB:

I was wondering how you have Eliza on the 1901, I cant seem to locate her. I cannot find Ernest on any census either.

Me:

In 1901, I have Eliza, William, Robert and Ernest at:

42 Clarendon Road, Shirley, Hampshire, England

I just tried to find it again, but no joy - almost certainly a transcription error in there somewhere.

WB:

Found them at the address you said under the name Pivoot and came from Beanlisn (Beaulieu) it seems Bernard George has changed his name to Ernest, on the 1911 William is on the Isle of Wight with his family and Robert is overseas in the military 

 

George Willey

George Willey, b c1880, Hull, Yorkshire, England
son of Charles Willey and Annie Elizabeth.

George Willey, b c1880, Hull, Yorkshire, England
son of Henry Willey and Ann

So, lucky guess which is which, or what?

Scandal: Annie Gamwell Ashwell

Ooh, potential scandal:

1911 England Census - Ancestry.co.uk: "Annie Gamwell Ashwell"

Young Annie is 4 months old.

Head of the household is Herbert Gamwell, born c1881 in Hull, Yorkshire. MARRIED.

Also in the household, Gertrude Emily Ashwell, Housekeeper, born c1884 in Hull, Yorkshire. SINGLE.

I guess I'll have to wait for the 1921 Census :/

UPDATE:

Discovered Herbert's wife across town housekeeping and she has their child with her:
Hannah Elizabeth Turner, born c1883 in London, England.
Daughter: Nancy Helen Gamwell, born c1906 in Hull, Yorkshire, England

A Bird in the Hand

Researching BIRD in Fiskerton, Nottinghamshire; Woordborough, Nottinghamshire:

Samuel BIRD
b c1807 Fiskerton, Nottinghamshire, England
(1851 Census)

Yet to find a record for Samuel in 1861.

UNCONFIRMED death, Samuel Parker Bird Apr-May-Jun 1857, Basford, Nottinghamshire, England

Wife:
Elizabeth
b c1819, Stow, Cambridgeshire, England (1861 Census)
b c1816 Fiskerton, Nottinghamshire, England (1851 Census)
b c1796 Nottinghamshire, England (1841 Census)

Elizabeth Bird listed as married in the 1861 census, but Samuel is not present in the same dwelling.
UNCONFIRMED birth: Elizabeth Ann Bird Died Oct-Nov-Dec 1864 in Basford, Nottinghamshire.

UNCONFIRMED marriage:
Elizabeth NEWBUTT, Oct-Nov-Dec 1845, Basford, Nottinghamshire - location is accurate, but unable to locate a birth record for Elizabeth Newbutt.

UNCONFIRMED Christening, Elizabeth NEWBUT, 09 NOV 1823, Basford, Nottingham, England (IGI)
Father George, Mother Mary



Parents of

George BIRD
b c1842 Woodborough, Nottinghamshire, England
(1881 Census)

Maud Bird - There you are, Flo!

After hoping for three years, access to the 1911 Census has indeed revealed the connection I've been seeking.

Maud Bird, my great grandmother, is actually:

Florence Maud Bird b. c1898 in Counthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
Father, John William Bird b. c1867 in St Peter At Gowts, Lincoln, England, a Railway Signalman as he is on the marriage certificate I have.

So why just plain Maud on the Marriage Certificate?

Back to the trail...

There's My Horse!

Wow! Hadn't realised it had been so long since I posted. So busy building UK Digital Marketing Agency, Tillison Consulting, that I've had little time for Genealogy.

If you've sent me messages via any forums, I apologise. I'll get to them and respond as soon as I can. I've been spending any Gene-time piecing together ancestors and their descendants over at http://www.familysearch.org/ for the most part - no small task.

For now, I'm deep in Holstein's, Furstenberg's and Rantzau's, among many other aristocratic lines across Europe in the 16th-19th centuries. See you on the other side.