My Ancestors!

Tuesday. 8.05 a.m. Yet another bright and sunny morning. The digital thermometer is reading a far more comfortable 25ºc.

I have mentioned that I was doing family research on Ancestry. Well, it continues, with over 35,000 people on my tree! I have to admit that it's somewhat addictive. Once you start, you have to keep going. I can get back to well before the Norman Conquest of 1066, which is quite amazing.

My late mother kept on saying that 'we have Dick Whittington as an ancestor.' That is, obviously, on my maternal side. As Whittington had no children, I can't get a direct connection with him. The connection comes through his wife, Alice Witzwaryn. A connection nevertheless. I'm glad I've found it.

My mother also said that we were also supposed to be connected to Lord Nuffield. William Morris, set up and ran the Morris motor car business in Cowley in Oxford. I have done a lot of research and I cannot see any sort of connection, although I will keep on trying. I am glad that I might not be associated with him because I found out he had fascist leanings and helped to support Oswald Mosley in the 1930s.

I have also discovered the Gilkes family, who lived in and around the village of Deddington in Oxfordshire. Thomas Gilkes was a Quaker, as were many others of my ancestors. They weren't allowed, as Quakers, to go to university, or join any of the professions, such as law (and other professions.) As a result, they turned to clock-making. This was during the 18th Century. Some of these clocks are now valuable antiques, and, at auction, can sell for several thousand pounds.

Next on my list of discovered ancestors is  Thomas Early. (1734-1809). His family lived in Witney and were involved in blanket-weaving. Thomas Early was the first person to use the flying shuttle in the weaving process.

As we have just had the Olympic Games in Paris, I'm quite excited to discover that I have an Olympic medal winner in my family tree. His name was Charles Moss (1882-1963) and he won a Silver medal for cycling (Team Trial Race, Men) at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.

Now, for my most exciting discovery. I have had to check thoroughly that this is correct, and as far as I can find out, it is. I have a connection to William Shakespeare, not actually to him, because his family line died out, several generations after he died. My connection is to his wife, Anne Hathaway. (c1582-1623) Although I'm not DIRECTLY related to Shakespeare, the connection to Anne Hathaway is enough for me!

No for my paternal side. I have found Mungo Park (1771-1806) who was an explorer, who discovered the source of the River Niger in West Africa and died there. I had heard of him, but never imagined he could be an ancestor.