Category Archives: History
Great-aunt Lillian
I knew little about my great-aunt Lillian, born 140 years ago today, and to be honest, still don’t really know anything beyond the bare research, which underlines the need to talk to family about family, and more importantly, to listen … Continue reading
Birthday memories
Always a family day to remember as my dad and his sister, born two years apart, shared a birthday. Remembering both of them today, I thought I’d scan a couple more photos from the family albums to mark the occasion. … Continue reading
Remembering Rachel
Ancestry popped up a birthday reminder the other day for my paternal great-grandmother, Rachel, which prompted me to collate the slightly sparse story I’ve been able to collate for her. She was born in Pontefract to Harriet and Peter Heptinstall … Continue reading
Lily, for remembrance…
Not that I do, actually. Remember Lily, that is. She was one of my lovely great-aunts and she died suddenly, aged 62, when I was just 3. Lily was born 128 years ago today to Sarah (née Helliwell) and Frank … Continue reading
On this day…
I had an email from a cousin a few days ago with the following message about a little discovery he’d made. “Now we know where our parents were 66 years ago! See attached picture of a signed beer mat from … Continue reading
Season of Remembrance
An anniversary post for this season of remembrance. John Edgar Hardy was born to my great-great-grandparents, John, a fishmonger, and Mary Ann, in 1883 in Halifax, one of several siblings. They lived at 5 Briar Court. (I say ‘several’ rather … Continue reading
Tracks and traces
Just another inconsequential but somehow satisfying and serendipitous little find from my genealogy meanderings. You have been warned. I was doing some transcription work for a family history society and while checking records in the 1939 register, came across Arthur … Continue reading
On the Brink
I was transcribing some school log information for a family history society and needed to check an address in Hebden Bridge. I hadn’t been sure if it was Brink or Bank but a quick search turned up Buttress Brink in … Continue reading
Little Discoveries, Bigger Picture…
I dabble in genealogy and suddenly remembered tonight that Find My Past had offered free access to their newspaper archives over the long weekend. There wasn’t time left for any major research, so I contented myself with a slightly manic … Continue reading
Not bad…
…for a lad from the back streets of Halifax who spent half his childhood (as did his sister) in a children’s home/orphanage, as I’ve touched on elsewhere. Their mum was a seamstress and in the Depression years work was hard … Continue reading
Random Thoughts 