#genealogy — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #genealogy, aggregated by home.social.
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Today's #grandma recording was the second part the last recording from a visit of April 14th, 2023. It was still a bit about her wanting to die, then she repeated stories of the hardships of living (partially alone) on a farm that is situated five kilometers from the village:
- frozen water pipes leading to her having to carry the water for the cows inside and they wouldn't stop drinking
- very rocky roads often damaging the cars
- a lot of snow and the post man allegedly lying about not having received the newspaper, so he wouldn't need to go all the way to the farm on ski/by foot.
- having to pick up somebody, getting stuck in the snow, putting the boots to dry and still having to wear the wet boots the next day
Ultimately, we ended up at the siblings of her uncle's ex-wife, which will probably help one day to extend my data further than the available church books allow.There are still 94 records from 21 visits left.
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Today's #grandma recording was the second part the last recording from a visit of April 14th, 2023. It was still a bit about her wanting to die, then she repeated stories of the hardships of living (partially alone) on a farm that is situated five kilometers from the village:
- frozen water pipes leading to her having to carry the water for the cows inside and they wouldn't stop drinking
- very rocky roads often damaging the cars
- a lot of snow and the post man allegedly lying about not having received the newspaper, so he wouldn't need to go all the way to the farm on ski/by foot.
- having to pick up somebody, getting stuck in the snow, putting the boots to dry and still having to wear the wet boots the next day
Ultimately, we ended up at the siblings of her uncle's ex-wife, which will probably help one day to extend my data further than the available church books allow.There are still 94 records from 21 visits left.
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Today's #grandma recording was the second part the last recording from a visit of April 14th, 2023. It was still a bit about her wanting to die, then she repeated stories of the hardships of living (partially alone) on a farm that is situated five kilometers from the village:
- frozen water pipes leading to her having to carry the water for the cows inside and they wouldn't stop drinking
- very rocky roads often damaging the cars
- a lot of snow and the post man allegedly lying about not having received the newspaper, so he wouldn't need to go all the way to the farm on ski/by foot.
- having to pick up somebody, getting stuck in the snow, putting the boots to dry and still having to wear the wet boots the next day
Ultimately, we ended up at the siblings of her uncle's ex-wife, which will probably help one day to extend my data further than the available church books allow.There are still 94 records from 21 visits left.
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Today's #grandma recording was the second part the last recording from a visit of April 14th, 2023. It was still a bit about her wanting to die, then she repeated stories of the hardships of living (partially alone) on a farm that is situated five kilometers from the village:
- frozen water pipes leading to her having to carry the water for the cows inside and they wouldn't stop drinking
- very rocky roads often damaging the cars
- a lot of snow and the post man allegedly lying about not having received the newspaper, so he wouldn't need to go all the way to the farm on ski/by foot.
- having to pick up somebody, getting stuck in the snow, putting the boots to dry and still having to wear the wet boots the next day
Ultimately, we ended up at the siblings of her uncle's ex-wife, which will probably help one day to extend my data further than the available church books allow.There are still 94 records from 21 visits left.
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Ka Wai Ola: The Oʻahu Cemetery Project Preserved on Papakilo. “In 1986, Nanette Napoleon surveyed gravesites across 46 Oʻahu cemeteries, documenting the information recorded on tombstones and grave markers. These cemeteries were selected because they had no publicly accessible burial records at the time….The digitization of the Oʻahu Cemetery Project was a three-year endeavor that took a […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/04/ka-wai-ola-the-o%ca%bbahu-cemetery-project-preserved-on-papakilo/ -
Ka Wai Ola: The Oʻahu Cemetery Project Preserved on Papakilo. “In 1986, Nanette Napoleon surveyed gravesites across 46 Oʻahu cemeteries, documenting the information recorded on tombstones and grave markers. These cemeteries were selected because they had no publicly accessible burial records at the time….The digitization of the Oʻahu Cemetery Project was a three-year endeavor that took a […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/04/ka-wai-ola-the-o%ca%bbahu-cemetery-project-preserved-on-papakilo/ -
Ka Wai Ola: The Oʻahu Cemetery Project Preserved on Papakilo. “In 1986, Nanette Napoleon surveyed gravesites across 46 Oʻahu cemeteries, documenting the information recorded on tombstones and grave markers. These cemeteries were selected because they had no publicly accessible burial records at the time….The digitization of the Oʻahu Cemetery Project was a three-year endeavor that took a […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/04/ka-wai-ola-the-o%ca%bbahu-cemetery-project-preserved-on-papakilo/ -
Ka Wai Ola: The Oʻahu Cemetery Project Preserved on Papakilo. “In 1986, Nanette Napoleon surveyed gravesites across 46 Oʻahu cemeteries, documenting the information recorded on tombstones and grave markers. These cemeteries were selected because they had no publicly accessible burial records at the time….The digitization of the Oʻahu Cemetery Project was a three-year endeavor that took a […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/04/ka-wai-ola-the-o%ca%bbahu-cemetery-project-preserved-on-papakilo/ -
And once that connection to the Big Tree is done, I can see the connections to all kinds of historic personalities (not in direct line but through marriage), e.g. I am only 29 degrees removed from Napoleon.
The implications are simple but equally staggering when one realises that truly everyone alive today is connected to pretty much everyone else from history.
There truly is no Them but just Us.
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And once that connection to the Big Tree is done, I can see the connections to all kinds of historic personalities (not in direct line but through marriage), e.g. I am only 29 degrees removed from Napoleon.
The implications are simple but equally staggering when one realises that truly everyone alive today is connected to pretty much everyone else from history.
There truly is no Them but just Us.
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Might occasionally share some of my genealogical findings here...
The last couple of weeks I got hooked on @wikitree and courtesy of Johann Christopher Seebeck (1713-1796 from Wedel, near Hamburg) and his brother Johann Hinrich Seebeck (1714-1788) am now connected to their Big Tree, i.e. to most of their 45 Million or so profiles.
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Might occasionally share some of my genealogical findings here...
The last couple of weeks I got hooked on @wikitree and courtesy of Johann Christopher Seebeck (1713-1796 from Wedel, near Hamburg) and his brother Johann Hinrich Seebeck (1714-1788) am now connected to their Big Tree, i.e. to most of their 45 Million or so profiles.
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On this day in 1873, Septimus Parker Hewson died two months shy of his 100th birthday. The Journals show his gravestone inscription at Kilkeedy, Co. Limerick, which includes details of his son and his ancestors: https://tinyurl.com/hews1873
Learn about the Journals at https://MemsDead.com
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On this day in 1873, Septimus Parker Hewson died two months shy of his 100th birthday. The Journals show his gravestone inscription at Kilkeedy, Co. Limerick, which includes details of his son and his ancestors: https://tinyurl.com/hews1873
Learn about the Journals at https://MemsDead.com
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On this day in 1873, Septimus Parker Hewson died two months shy of his 100th birthday. The Journals show his gravestone inscription at Kilkeedy, Co. Limerick, which includes details of his son and his ancestors: https://tinyurl.com/hews1873
Learn about the Journals at https://MemsDead.com
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RE: https://en.osm.town/@seav/117372213490233596
Even if you don't create maps follow along with #30DayMapChallenge for some inspiration and fun! Telling stories with maps. #histodons #mapping @map_enthusiasts @histodons @genealogy #genealogy
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RE: https://en.osm.town/@seav/117372213490233596
Even if you don't create maps follow along with #30DayMapChallenge for some inspiration and fun! Telling stories with maps. #histodons #mapping @map_enthusiasts @histodons @genealogy #genealogy
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RE: https://en.osm.town/@seav/117372213490233596
Even if you don't create maps follow along with #30DayMapChallenge for some inspiration and fun! Telling stories with maps. #histodons #mapping @map_enthusiasts @histodons @genealogy #genealogy
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RE: https://en.osm.town/@seav/117372213490233596
Even if you don't create maps follow along with #30DayMapChallenge for some inspiration and fun! Telling stories with maps. #histodons #mapping @map_enthusiasts @histodons @genealogy #genealogy
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Received news about another exact match for my Y chromosome, a fellow whose earliest identified male ancestor was born in Virginia. We're both in one of the R1b Bell Beaker groups, R-M269. My best matches cluster in the UK and along the US East Coast. Some randy Englishman has moved to Sweden in the mid-2nd millennium and had sons here.
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Received news about another exact match for my Y chromosome, a fellow whose earliest identified male ancestor was born in Virginia. We're both in one of the R1b Bell Beaker groups, R-M269. My best matches cluster in the UK and along the US East Coast. Some randy Englishman has moved to Sweden in the mid-2nd millennium and had sons here.
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Received news about another exact match for my Y chromosome, a fellow whose earliest identified male ancestor was born in Virginia. We're both in one of the R1b Bell Beaker groups, R-M269. My best matches cluster in the UK and along the US East Coast. Some randy Englishman has moved to Sweden in the mid-2nd millennium and had sons here.
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Received news about another exact match for my Y chromosome, a fellow whose earliest identified male ancestor was born in Virginia. We're both in one of the R1b Bell Beaker groups, R-M269. My best matches cluster in the UK and along the US East Coast. Some randy Englishman has moved to Sweden in the mid-2nd millennium and had sons here.
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#OTD 2 October 1895, Daisy Myrtle Maddox, 17, married Clark Earl Crispen, 33, in Enid, Oklahoma Territory. Daisy, a farmer's daughter, found herself not only taking care of home and children, but also teaching Clark, a blacksmith, how to farm. He eventually gave up and leased the farm to his brother-in-law. The family relocated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Clark worked in manufacturing. They had three daughters and divorced in 1922. They were my great-grandparents.
#genealogy
https://scrappinmyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/52-weeks-of-abundant-genealogy-week-6.html -
#OTD 2 October 1895, Daisy Myrtle Maddox, 17, married Clark Earl Crispen, 33, in Enid, Oklahoma Territory. Daisy, a farmer's daughter, found herself not only taking care of home and children, but also teaching Clark, a blacksmith, how to farm. He eventually gave up and leased the farm to his brother-in-law. The family relocated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Clark worked in manufacturing. They had three daughters and divorced in 1922. They were my great-grandparents.
#genealogy
https://scrappinmyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/52-weeks-of-abundant-genealogy-week-6.html -
#OTD 2 October 1895, Daisy Myrtle Maddox, 17, married Clark Earl Crispen, 33, in Enid, Oklahoma Territory. Daisy, a farmer's daughter, found herself not only taking care of home and children, but also teaching Clark, a blacksmith, how to farm. He eventually gave up and leased the farm to his brother-in-law. The family relocated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Clark worked in manufacturing. They had three daughters and divorced in 1922. They were my great-grandparents.
#genealogy
https://scrappinmyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/52-weeks-of-abundant-genealogy-week-6.html -
#OTD 2 October 1895, Daisy Myrtle Maddox, 17, married Clark Earl Crispen, 33, in Enid, Oklahoma Territory. Daisy, a farmer's daughter, found herself not only taking care of home and children, but also teaching Clark, a blacksmith, how to farm. He eventually gave up and leased the farm to his brother-in-law. The family relocated to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Clark worked in manufacturing. They had three daughters and divorced in 1922. They were my great-grandparents.
#genealogy
https://scrappinmyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/02/52-weeks-of-abundant-genealogy-week-6.html -
William Humphrey – Keeper of horses
By Christine Swan
When I began top publish this blog, I made the decision to tell everybody’s story, despite how unremarkable that may appear. He was my great great grandfather, so I have a vested interest in his story, but, what is interesting from a social historian’s point of view is that I have a complete set of census records for him which provide a checkpoint for every ten years of his life.
This week, my husband attended a family funeral in Hadstock, just a few miles away in North Essex. The churchyard is full of his family, with a surname of various spellings, and he met with the school friends of his youth, who remained in the village for their entire lives. Such is the way sometimes of tight-knit rural communities.
During the nineteenth century, horses were the mainstay of agriculture. For ploughing and transport, they were vital for heavy work in rural areas. As I have documented previously, my maternal grandmother’s family came from Helions Bumpstead, a small village close to Haverhill. Other members of her family lived in Castle Camps, a short distance away, but in the county of Cambridgeshire. Today, this remains a rural district, with wide open fields covering the landscape.
The Humphrey menfolk were agricultural labourers, and the women worked in trades and crafts such as making bonnets and clothing. In 1871, my great grandfather, Charles, and his wife Martha, were living with his father in law Stephen Malyon, in Helions Bumpstead. Just a few years later, Charles moved with the family, along with Stephen, closer to London – Walthamstow first, and then Leyton from about 1877. Upon researching the route, the family would most likely have travelled through Epping Forest and would not have passed through any major cities and would most likely have completed the forty-five mile journey by horse and cart. Stephen died in 1875, and was buried in Queen’s Road cemetery. At that time, Leyton was still quite a rural area.
As a tip to other amateur genealogists, prepare to be fluid in your acceptance of the spelling of a surname. My grandmother used Humphreys, but her father used Humphrey. His father used Humphry, and I have seen two different spellings on one marriage record – one from the curate, and one from the groom. As long as it sounded correct, it seems that phonetic spelling, of any combination, was accepted.
Charles’s father, William Humphrey, was born in 1828 and remained living on the Essex – Cambridgeshire border for his entire life. Researching Essex parish records, the same family names appear again and again. People were born, married and died all within a few square miles, and doubtless did not have the means to travel further afield.
St Andrews Church, Helions Bumpstead
In 1841, William was thirteen years old and living with his parents, Thomas and Mary, and four other siblings, at Boarded Barn Farm. Although William was not listed as having an occupation, it is likely that he too worked as an agricultural labourer. I believe that the location is the current Board Barn Farm, on Camps Road. They lived with another family, the Mynotts, in the same location.
William married Mary Mizen in 1848 when he was twenty years old and his bride was nineteen. Mary’s occupation was a braider, which was a role carried out at home, weaving together straw to make a braid used for the manufacture of straw bonnets and hats. Charles, my great grandfather, was born in 1850, and in the 1851 census, Mary had graduated to the role of bonnet maker which would have provided a supplementary income to the family. Tragedy struck when in 1855, aged just twenty seven years, Mary died.
William Humphrey marries Mary Mizen in 1848
William was now widowed with two very young children but still needing to work. The 1861 census provided the solution that William found. His niece, Ann Mizen, was his eighteen year old housekeeper. Young Charles, now eleven years old, was also working as an agricultural labourer and William, for the first time, is listed as a horse keeper.
A horse keeper and a housekeeper in 1861
One year later, William found love again and married Rebecca Barber, one year his junior. Rebecca is listed as a spinster when she married aged thirty three which would have been unusually late in the nineteenth century, The 1871 census provides an intriguing insight. Henry Barber is listed as William’s step son which implies that Henry was Rebecca’s illegitimate son. The couple also had four more children – my great grandfather Charles’s half siblings.
William marries again in 1862
One more child, daughter Edith, had arrived by 1881, and in 1891, the family appear to have moved closer to Castle Camps. The couple were living in a property with four rooms – relative luxury compared to the cramped conditions experienced by my London ancestors in the same census. They had one grandchild staying with them when the census was taken, little Ada, aged eight.
In 1901, William and Rebecca, now in their seventies, had moved into Castle Camps village. Aged seventy three, William was still listed as a “horse keeper of farm”. At this point, William would have been working with agricultural horses for forty years. These were most probably the gigantic shire horses, essential powerhouses of agricultural machinery, pulling heavy ploughs and other equipment. These gentle giants were William’s charges. I would like to believe that he understood them, cared for them – even loved them.
Shire horse By Garth Newton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9121987
William died in 1912, aged eighty four years, four years after his wife Rebecca. He was living in Linton but was buried in Castle Camps.
The Humphreys were very much part of the nineteenth century community of this little corner of the border between Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The shire horses may have gone, but, in the time of rising fuel prices, maybe there will be horse keepers again?
#ancestry #FamilyHistory #genealogy #history #localHistory -
William Humphrey – Keeper of horses
By Christine Swan
When I began top publish this blog, I made the decision to tell everybody’s story, despite how unremarkable that may appear. He was my great great grandfather, so I have a vested interest in his story, but, what is interesting from a social historian’s point of view is that I have a complete set of census records for him which provide a checkpoint for every ten years of his life.
This week, my husband attended a family funeral in Hadstock, just a few miles away in North Essex. The churchyard is full of his family, with a surname of various spellings, and he met with the school friends of his youth, who remained in the village for their entire lives. Such is the way sometimes of tight-knit rural communities.
During the nineteenth century, horses were the mainstay of agriculture. For ploughing and transport, they were vital for heavy work in rural areas. As I have documented previously, my maternal grandmother’s family came from Helions Bumpstead, a small village close to Haverhill. Other members of her family lived in Castle Camps, a short distance away, but in the county of Cambridgeshire. Today, this remains a rural district, with wide open fields covering the landscape.
The Humphrey menfolk were agricultural labourers, and the women worked in trades and crafts such as making bonnets and clothing. In 1871, my great grandfather, Charles, and his wife Martha, were living with his father in law Stephen Malyon, in Helions Bumpstead. Just a few years later, Charles moved with the family, along with Stephen, closer to London – Walthamstow first, and then Leyton from about 1877. Upon researching the route, the family would most likely have travelled through Epping Forest and would not have passed through any major cities and would most likely have completed the forty-five mile journey by horse and cart. Stephen died in 1875, and was buried in Queen’s Road cemetery. At that time, Leyton was still quite a rural area.
As a tip to other amateur genealogists, prepare to be fluid in your acceptance of the spelling of a surname. My grandmother used Humphreys, but her father used Humphrey. His father used Humphry, and I have seen two different spellings on one marriage record – one from the curate, and one from the groom. As long as it sounded correct, it seems that phonetic spelling, of any combination, was accepted.
Charles’s father, William Humphrey, was born in 1828 and remained living on the Essex – Cambridgeshire border for his entire life. Researching Essex parish records, the same family names appear again and again. People were born, married and died all within a few square miles, and doubtless did not have the means to travel further afield.
St Andrews Church, Helions Bumpstead
In 1841, William was thirteen years old and living with his parents, Thomas and Mary, and four other siblings, at Boarded Barn Farm. Although William was not listed as having an occupation, it is likely that he too worked as an agricultural labourer. I believe that the location is the current Board Barn Farm, on Camps Road. They lived with another family, the Mynotts, in the same location.
William married Mary Mizen in 1848 when he was twenty years old and his bride was nineteen. Mary’s occupation was a braider, which was a role carried out at home, weaving together straw to make a braid used for the manufacture of straw bonnets and hats. Charles, my great grandfather, was born in 1850, and in the 1851 census, Mary had graduated to the role of bonnet maker which would have provided a supplementary income to the family. Tragedy struck when in 1855, aged just twenty seven years, Mary died.
William Humphrey marries Mary Mizen in 1848
William was now widowed with two very young children but still needing to work. The 1861 census provided the solution that William found. His niece, Ann Mizen, was his eighteen year old housekeeper. Young Charles, now eleven years old, was also working as an agricultural labourer and William, for the first time, is listed as a horse keeper.
A horse keeper and a housekeeper in 1861
One year later, William found love again and married Rebecca Barber, one year his junior. Rebecca is listed as a spinster when she married aged thirty three which would have been unusually late in the nineteenth century, The 1871 census provides an intriguing insight. Henry Barber is listed as William’s step son which implies that Henry was Rebecca’s illegitimate son. The couple also had four more children – my great grandfather Charles’s half siblings.
William marries again in 1862
One more child, daughter Edith, had arrived by 1881, and in 1891, the family appear to have moved closer to Castle Camps. The couple were living in a property with four rooms – relative luxury compared to the cramped conditions experienced by my London ancestors in the same census. They had one grandchild staying with them when the census was taken, little Ada, aged eight.
In 1901, William and Rebecca, now in their seventies, had moved into Castle Camps village. Aged seventy three, William was still listed as a “horse keeper of farm”. At this point, William would have been working with agricultural horses for forty years. These were most probably the gigantic shire horses, essential powerhouses of agricultural machinery, pulling heavy ploughs and other equipment. These gentle giants were William’s charges. I would like to believe that he understood them, cared for them – even loved them.
Shire horse By Garth Newton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9121987
William died in 1912, aged eighty four years, four years after his wife Rebecca. He was living in Linton but was buried in Castle Camps.
The Humphreys were very much part of the nineteenth century community of this little corner of the border between Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The shire horses may have gone, but, in the time of rising fuel prices, maybe there will be horse keepers again?
#ancestry #FamilyHistory #genealogy #history #localHistory -
William Humphrey – Keeper of horses
By Christine Swan
When I began top publish this blog, I made the decision to tell everybody’s story, despite how unremarkable that may appear. He was my great great grandfather, so I have a vested interest in his story, but, what is interesting from a social historian’s point of view is that I have a complete set of census records for him which provide a checkpoint for every ten years of his life.
This week, my husband attended a family funeral in Hadstock, just a few miles away in North Essex. The churchyard is full of his family, with a surname of various spellings, and he met with the school friends of his youth, who remained in the village for their entire lives. Such is the way sometimes of tight-knit rural communities.
During the nineteenth century, horses were the mainstay of agriculture. For ploughing and transport, they were vital for heavy work in rural areas. As I have documented previously, my maternal grandmother’s family came from Helions Bumpstead, a small village close to Haverhill. Other members of her family lived in Castle Camps, a short distance away, but in the county of Cambridgeshire. Today, this remains a rural district, with wide open fields covering the landscape.
The Humphrey menfolk were agricultural labourers, and the women worked in trades and crafts such as making bonnets and clothing. In 1871, my great grandfather, Charles, and his wife Martha, were living with his father in law Stephen Malyon, in Helions Bumpstead. Just a few years later, Charles moved with the family, along with Stephen, closer to London – Walthamstow first, and then Leyton from about 1877. Upon researching the route, the family would most likely have travelled through Epping Forest and would not have passed through any major cities and would most likely have completed the forty-five mile journey by horse and cart. Stephen died in 1875, and was buried in Queen’s Road cemetery. At that time, Leyton was still quite a rural area.
As a tip to other amateur genealogists, prepare to be fluid in your acceptance of the spelling of a surname. My grandmother used Humphreys, but her father used Humphrey. His father used Humphry, and I have seen two different spellings on one marriage record – one from the curate, and one from the groom. As long as it sounded correct, it seems that phonetic spelling, of any combination, was accepted.
Charles’s father, William Humphrey, was born in 1828 and remained living on the Essex – Cambridgeshire border for his entire life. Researching Essex parish records, the same family names appear again and again. People were born, married and died all within a few square miles, and doubtless did not have the means to travel further afield.
St Andrews Church, Helions Bumpstead
In 1841, William was thirteen years old and living with his parents, Thomas and Mary, and four other siblings, at Boarded Barn Farm. Although William was not listed as having an occupation, it is likely that he too worked as an agricultural labourer. I believe that the location is the current Board Barn Farm, on Camps Road. They lived with another family, the Mynotts, in the same location.
William married Mary Mizen in 1848 when he was twenty years old and his bride was nineteen. Mary’s occupation was a braider, which was a role carried out at home, weaving together straw to make a braid used for the manufacture of straw bonnets and hats. Charles, my great grandfather, was born in 1850, and in the 1851 census, Mary had graduated to the role of bonnet maker which would have provided a supplementary income to the family. Tragedy struck when in 1855, aged just twenty seven years, Mary died.
William Humphrey marries Mary Mizen in 1848
William was now widowed with two very young children but still needing to work. The 1861 census provided the solution that William found. His niece, Ann Mizen, was his eighteen year old housekeeper. Young Charles, now eleven years old, was also working as an agricultural labourer and William, for the first time, is listed as a horse keeper.
A horse keeper and a housekeeper in 1861
One year later, William found love again and married Rebecca Barber, one year his junior. Rebecca is listed as a spinster when she married aged thirty three which would have been unusually late in the nineteenth century, The 1871 census provides an intriguing insight. Henry Barber is listed as William’s step son which implies that Henry was Rebecca’s illegitimate son. The couple also had four more children – my great grandfather Charles’s half siblings.
William marries again in 1862
One more child, daughter Edith, had arrived by 1881, and in 1891, the family appear to have moved closer to Castle Camps. The couple were living in a property with four rooms – relative luxury compared to the cramped conditions experienced by my London ancestors in the same census. They had one grandchild staying with them when the census was taken, little Ada, aged eight.
In 1901, William and Rebecca, now in their seventies, had moved into Castle Camps village. Aged seventy three, William was still listed as a “horse keeper of farm”. At this point, William would have been working with agricultural horses for forty years. These were most probably the gigantic shire horses, essential powerhouses of agricultural machinery, pulling heavy ploughs and other equipment. These gentle giants were William’s charges. I would like to believe that he understood them, cared for them – even loved them.
Shire horse By Garth Newton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9121987
William died in 1912, aged eighty four years, four years after his wife Rebecca. He was living in Linton but was buried in Castle Camps.
The Humphreys were very much part of the nineteenth century community of this little corner of the border between Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The shire horses may have gone, but, in the time of rising fuel prices, maybe there will be horse keepers again?
#ancestry #FamilyHistory #genealogy #history #localHistory -
William Humphrey – Keeper of horses
By Christine Swan
When I began top publish this blog, I made the decision to tell everybody’s story, despite how unremarkable that may appear. He was my great great grandfather, so I have a vested interest in his story, but, what is interesting from a social historian’s point of view is that I have a complete set of census records for him which provide a checkpoint for every ten years of his life.
This week, my husband attended a family funeral in Hadstock, just a few miles away in North Essex. The churchyard is full of his family, with a surname of various spellings, and he met with the school friends of his youth, who remained in the village for their entire lives. Such is the way sometimes of tight-knit rural communities.
During the nineteenth century, horses were the mainstay of agriculture. For ploughing and transport, they were vital for heavy work in rural areas. As I have documented previously, my maternal grandmother’s family came from Helions Bumpstead, a small village close to Haverhill. Other members of her family lived in Castle Camps, a short distance away, but in the county of Cambridgeshire. Today, this remains a rural district, with wide open fields covering the landscape.
The Humphrey menfolk were agricultural labourers, and the women worked in trades and crafts such as making bonnets and clothing. In 1871, my great grandfather, Charles, and his wife Martha, were living with his father in law Stephen Malyon, in Helions Bumpstead. Just a few years later, Charles moved with the family, along with Stephen, closer to London – Walthamstow first, and then Leyton from about 1877. Upon researching the route, the family would most likely have travelled through Epping Forest and would not have passed through any major cities and would most likely have completed the forty-five mile journey by horse and cart. Stephen died in 1875, and was buried in Queen’s Road cemetery. At that time, Leyton was still quite a rural area.
As a tip to other amateur genealogists, prepare to be fluid in your acceptance of the spelling of a surname. My grandmother used Humphreys, but her father used Humphrey. His father used Humphry, and I have seen two different spellings on one marriage record – one from the curate, and one from the groom. As long as it sounded correct, it seems that phonetic spelling, of any combination, was accepted.
Charles’s father, William Humphrey, was born in 1828 and remained living on the Essex – Cambridgeshire border for his entire life. Researching Essex parish records, the same family names appear again and again. People were born, married and died all within a few square miles, and doubtless did not have the means to travel further afield.
St Andrews Church, Helions Bumpstead
In 1841, William was thirteen years old and living with his parents, Thomas and Mary, and four other siblings, at Boarded Barn Farm. Although William was not listed as having an occupation, it is likely that he too worked as an agricultural labourer. I believe that the location is the current Board Barn Farm, on Camps Road. They lived with another family, the Mynotts, in the same location.
William married Mary Mizen in 1848 when he was twenty years old and his bride was nineteen. Mary’s occupation was a braider, which was a role carried out at home, weaving together straw to make a braid used for the manufacture of straw bonnets and hats. Charles, my great grandfather, was born in 1850, and in the 1851 census, Mary had graduated to the role of bonnet maker which would have provided a supplementary income to the family. Tragedy struck when in 1855, aged just twenty seven years, Mary died.
William Humphrey marries Mary Mizen in 1848
William was now widowed with two very young children but still needing to work. The 1861 census provided the solution that William found. His niece, Ann Mizen, was his eighteen year old housekeeper. Young Charles, now eleven years old, was also working as an agricultural labourer and William, for the first time, is listed as a horse keeper.
A horse keeper and a housekeeper in 1861
One year later, William found love again and married Rebecca Barber, one year his junior. Rebecca is listed as a spinster when she married aged thirty three which would have been unusually late in the nineteenth century, The 1871 census provides an intriguing insight. Henry Barber is listed as William’s step son which implies that Henry was Rebecca’s illegitimate son. The couple also had four more children – my great grandfather Charles’s half siblings.
William marries again in 1862
One more child, daughter Edith, had arrived by 1881, and in 1891, the family appear to have moved closer to Castle Camps. The couple were living in a property with four rooms – relative luxury compared to the cramped conditions experienced by my London ancestors in the same census. They had one grandchild staying with them when the census was taken, little Ada, aged eight.
In 1901, William and Rebecca, now in their seventies, had moved into Castle Camps village. Aged seventy three, William was still listed as a “horse keeper of farm”. At this point, William would have been working with agricultural horses for forty years. These were most probably the gigantic shire horses, essential powerhouses of agricultural machinery, pulling heavy ploughs and other equipment. These gentle giants were William’s charges. I would like to believe that he understood them, cared for them – even loved them.
Shire horse By Garth Newton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9121987
William died in 1912, aged eighty four years, four years after his wife Rebecca. He was living in Linton but was buried in Castle Camps.
The Humphreys were very much part of the nineteenth century community of this little corner of the border between Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The shire horses may have gone, but, in the time of rising fuel prices, maybe there will be horse keepers again?
#ancestry #FamilyHistory #genealogy #history #localHistory -
Manx Radio: Concern as online access to digital newspaper archive to cease. The way local historians, and family researchers, access the digital collection of Isle of Man newspapers is soon to change. From 12 October online access to the database – which holds more than 150 years’ worth of archives – will cease.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/02/manx-radio-concern-as-online-access-to-digital-newspaper-archive-to-cease/ -
Manx Radio: Concern as online access to digital newspaper archive to cease. The way local historians, and family researchers, access the digital collection of Isle of Man newspapers is soon to change. From 12 October online access to the database – which holds more than 150 years’ worth of archives – will cease.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/02/manx-radio-concern-as-online-access-to-digital-newspaper-archive-to-cease/ -
Manx Radio: Concern as online access to digital newspaper archive to cease. The way local historians, and family researchers, access the digital collection of Isle of Man newspapers is soon to change. From 12 October online access to the database – which holds more than 150 years’ worth of archives – will cease.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/02/manx-radio-concern-as-online-access-to-digital-newspaper-archive-to-cease/ -
Manx Radio: Concern as online access to digital newspaper archive to cease. The way local historians, and family researchers, access the digital collection of Isle of Man newspapers is soon to change. From 12 October online access to the database – which holds more than 150 years’ worth of archives – will cease.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/10/02/manx-radio-concern-as-online-access-to-digital-newspaper-archive-to-cease/
