Villett and similar (Villet, Vilette etc.) as a variation of Willett were excluded from my ongoing “Willetts in Essex” analysis. Villett and variants does often appear in discussion of Huguenot Families, and given the suggestion that the Willetts may be of Huguenot origin, it is accepted that research may have to be expanded. This post looks at the distribution of “Villett” and similar in Essex.
(more…)10 January, 2025
16 April, 2024
27 December, 2022
24 October, 2022
15 September, 2021
Williamson: Current Research
Currently a number of events have brought my focus back to the Williamson Family – my maternal grandmother’s family (through my mother’s adoption).
The purpose of this post is to summarise the current areas of research and what is being done (September 2021) in order to help others and via search engines to catch the attention of people currently unknown to me who may be researching the same family.
Currently we know of the Williamsons in Cork in the first half of the 19th Century, later emerging in Worcester in England in the 1861 Census. That same census indicates that there was a branch of the family in New Jersey United States.
(more…)7 September, 2021
The Blizard Name
My mother’s adoptive mother’s paternal grandfather (my Grandmother’s Grandfather) was William Blizard Williamson (born Cork, Ireland 1811, died Worcester, England 1878). He had two sons: William Blizard Williamson (the younger) and George Henry Williamson – my grandmother’s father.
I have written previously about them. This post ponders the origin of the Blizard name in our family tree and whether knowing that helps identify further ancestors or the geographical origin of the Williamsons. (There is a rumour that they may have originated in England and another that they originated in Londonderry.)
This post summarises what I know about the name (not much) and what I would like to know. It is a work-in-progress both in terms of research and content editing. Suggestions are very welcome!
This post also details the genealogy of Sir William Blizard (1743-1835), a surgeon and founder of the first medical school attached to a hospital, The London Hospital. It may be that William Blizard Williamson was named after this famous person, but if anyone reading this identifies a genealogical link between the two of them … .
On the other hand, perhaps he was born during a blizzard?
(more…)12 July, 2021
The Family of James Keighley (1805-1888)
James Keighley was my Great Great Great Grandfather. His daughter Martha (1834-1920) married Robert Fell (1924-1910) and their eldest child, Elizabeth Fell (1856-1929) was the mother of my paternal Grandmother, Marjorie Fell Lendrum (1887-1963).
Reconstructing James’s family or families is of interest not just because he is at the time of writing the most distant Keighley relative but also because of two outstanding genealogical itches:
- The identity of “Granny’s sister and her bridesmaid” – an elderly woman standing behind Martha Fell in Robert and Martha’s Golden Wedding Photograph at Somerville, Hungerford Road, Huddersfield – the annotation written from the perspective of someone of the same generation as my Grandmother Marjorie Lendrum.
- A suspicion that the recently acquired Carte de Visite of Martha Fell shows her in mourning dress – who was she mourning?
As a “read” it is probably only of interest to Keighley, Fell and Ramsden relatives and those wanting to find out a bit more about the two posts referenced in the paragraphs above.
genealogy7 April, 2021
Carte de visite – Martha Fell (née Keighley)
I have recently acquired a Carte de visite (CDV) of my Great Great Grandmother, Martha Fell. The purpose of this post is to record some details of it and see whether others who find this post can offer any thoughts on the card’s origin.
Carte de visites are small cards 2⅛ x 3½ inches (about 55mm x 9mm) in size. Typically they were made in the mid Victorian era by photographers. They consisted of a piece of cardboard – usually with the photographer’s details on the back with a thin albumen print pasted to the front. The process was patented in 1854 by André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri, and their usage continued until the early 1870’s when they were superseded by Cabinet Cards (about the size of a modern post card). [Ref: Wikipedia: Carte de visite, accessed 7 April 2021].
5 April, 2021
On This Day; 5 April 1981 – Census
On 5 April 1981 the 1981 UK Census was taken. Normally this is not a particular issue but for my mother it was. She was adopted but had traced her birth mother. On the approach to Census night she realised that she would be staying with her birth mother that night so would be listed as a “visitor” on her mother’s household census form.
This meant her mother would have to record their relationship. In 1981 this was “a secret” and left my mother in a quandary; knowing her mother had promised her (later) husband that she would keep my mother’s existence a secret but also knowing she wanted to be honest – how could she complete the form?
(more…)