The Stacey Women The Story of the Many Wonderful Women who have Formed our Ancestry by Brian Stacey © 2013   Contents 1 Introduction 5 Ancestry 5 Family Trees 5 Thanks 6 2 Mothers, of mothers, of mothers 7 Marjory Stacey (nee Hackman) 7 Madge Hackman (nee Forsyth) 8 Isabel Forsyth (nee Carter) 10 Frances Carter (nee Johnson) 12 Frances Johnson (nee Bell) 15 Frances Bell (nee Holman) 15 3 Opening the New World 17 Margaret Carter (nee Jarvis) 17 Elizabeth Jarvis (nee Kinton) 18 Elizabeth Kinton (nee Ward) 18 Elizabeth Ward (nee Higgins) 19 Mary Higgins (nee Bayliss) 19 Anne Higgins 20 4 The Scottish Vintage 21 Marjory Forsyth (nee Dymock) 21 Janet Dymock (nee Macfarlane) 23 Opening the Pinprick 24 The Milesian Legends 24 Marjory MacFarlane (nee MacNab) 25 The MacFarlane Ancestors 27 Barbara MacFarlane (nee Stewart) 29 Mong Fionn 30 Mary Dymock (nee Blair) 30 Mary Forsyth (nee Falconer) 31 Helen Forsyth (nee Young) 31 5 Living in London 33 Elizabeth Hackman (nee Lewis) 33 Maria Lewis (nee Nocera) 34 Mary Hackman (nee Knight) 34 Martha Knight (nee Knight) 36 Sarah Knight (nee Parham) 36 Elizabeth Hackman (nee Hickmans) 37 6 Father’s mothers 38 Irene Stacey (nee Craig) 38 Rose Craig (nee Heming) 40 Ellen Hemming (nee Booth) 42 Judith How Booth (nee Green) 43 Elizabeth Green (nee How) 44 Elizabeth How (nee Courthope) 45 7 The Heming Line 46 Elizabeth Heming (nee Bosley) 46 Deborah Heming (nee Stott) 47 Anne Heming (nee Melsup) 47 Eleanor Heming 48 8 Generations in Leicestershire 50 Ann Sprigg Craig (nee Vann) 50 Frances Vann (nee Sprigg) 52 Elizabeth Vann (nee Blackwell) 52 Anne Vann (nee Foxon) 53 9 South-western Scotland 55 Isabella Craig (nee Murray) 55 10 The Stacey Line 57 Mary Stacey (nee Orgar) 57 Betsy Orgar (nee Martin) 60 Mary Ann Martin (nee Conroy) 62 Martha Orgar (nee Gould) 62 Susannah Gould (nee Livens) 63 Mary Leving (nee Joyce) 63 11 The Start of the Stacey Story 65 Bridget Stacey (nee Hussey) 65 Elizabeth Stacey (nee Culpack) 69 12 Special Stacey Women 70 My Stacey Family 70 Current Generations 70 My Aunts 70 The Family in London 71 An Earlier Generation 71 13 Conclusion 73   1 Introduction This is the story of a number of many of the wonderful women that form the Stacey Ancestry. As I developed my interest in genealogy, I became fascinated by the rich tapestry of life woven by those who came before us, and while compiling their stories, I have been most fortunate to learn much about so many of our forebears and the times in which they lived. My research into our family tree has revealed many, many names of our ancestors, and I have records of all the names identified, together with their relationships and legacies. However, I have restricted my writing to those for whom I have some details and stories of interest. I wish to pay homage to each one of them and their lives, for truly, without every one of them, we would not be here. Ancestry One of the disconcerting issues of writing about the women of our ancestry is that, due to the norms and conventions of our society, there is normally a change of name at the time of marriage, from the maiden name to their married surname. I have attempted to be consistent in my stories, using the name by which they would have been known at the time of the stories that I tell. Another issue when writing about ancestry is that it is sometimes difficult to maintain a continuous flow, as the stories traverse many different branches of the ancestry tree, and many of the stories are shared by more than one generation, or sibling. I have endeavoured to minimise any duplication, but there are some inevitable overlaps and repetition. For each of the women whose story I have told, I have represented their position in our ancestry with diagrams, and in the family hierarchy using the following code: • [M]: Mother • [MM]: Mother’s mother (grandmother) • [MMM]: Mother’s mother’s mother (great grandmother) • [FM]: Father’s mother (grandmother) • [MFM]: Mother’s father’s mother (great grandmother) • etc. Family Trees The family tree is a notoriously difficult diagram to interpret, and particularly so when there are so many relationships between parents, spouses and children that are shown. However, in order to aid in the navigation of the many different branches of our family, I have developed a simplified version of the tree that I use as the preamble to each section of the story. In the trees, I highlight the specific branch of the family that are featured in the section, showing the Stacey Women together with their spouses, and enable the relationships between the various branches of the family to be traced back to their known origins. Thanks There are a number of thanks to special people who have assisted me in this work. Firstly, to my wife, Jenny, and our daughters, Em and Nix, who have allowed me to work on my ancestry hobbies despite the many other calls on our time together. Secondly, thanks to my mother, Marjory, who, together with our father, Craig, formed a strong family unit that shows the relevance and importance of family bonds and knowledge of the history that has gone before us. Thanks are also due to my special aunt, Jeanne, who first kindled my interest in genealogy when she gave me a copy of an essay on our families past, written by my great-aunt Hilda, to whom also, my grateful thanks are due. Finally, thanks to all the rest of our family members who have contributed material and information that have been incorporated into this piece of work. Brian Stacey Johannesburg October 2013 Front Cover From top to bottom • Mary Stacey (nee Martin) • Irene Stacey (nee Craig) • Marjory Stacey (nee Hackman) 2 Mothers, of mothers, of mothers Our story begins with the maternal line of the family, with each previous generation being the mother of the next generation. Marjory Stacey (nee Hackman) [M] Mother, and grandmother to our children (Wife of Craig Stacey) Born on 16th October 1928 in Auckland, New Zealand Our story begins with Marjory Hackman. She was born in Auckland in October 1928, as the elder daughter of Jimmy and Madge Hackman, nee Forsyth [MM]. Jimmy, whose real name was Trevor, though he was always known by his nickname, was working for GEC, and had been transferred from Sydney to the Auckland office. There was a subsequent move to Wellington for the young family, then, shortly after the birth of her younger sister, Barbara, in 1932, the family returned to Sydney, where the Hackman family remained for many years. The complete story of the life of Marjory, together with Craig, is lovingly told in “Our History of Love and Life”, so I will not provide too much detail here, but I will provide a very brief synopsis of some key points. Marjory grew up in Mosman, a beautiful suburb of Sydney with views across the Harbour to the City. She first attended school at Soloriens, and then moved to Queenwood, where she completed her school education in 1945. She then enrolled at University of Sydney in the Science Faculty, achieving her majors were Botany and Physiology. Once she graduated, she spent some time teaching at Frensham College, followed by a period in the Pathology Department of the Out-Patients Clinic at the Repatriation Department in Sydney. However, it is Marjory’s travels that are most relevant to our story. In 1936 Marjory and Barbara travelled with Madge by train to Brisbane. There they met their great-grandmother, Frances Carter [MMMM], and celebrated her 90th birthday. Her home was on Kangaroo Point, directly across the Brisbane River from the Botanical Gardens, where she lived with her daughter Cecelia, and a companion. During the stay, both Barbara and Marjory were christened at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, where Madge had previously been christened and confirmed. In 1938, the Hackman family travelled by sea from Sydney to England, where Jimmy dealt with business matters at the GEC Head Office. During that fateful visit, Marjory met Craig, and their enduring relationship was initiated. In 1952, Marjory again travelled by sea to the UK, with the ‘pause’ in her journey when she stopped at Cape Town giving her the opportunity to confirm her relationship with Craig, resulting in the announcement of their engagement. Following the stay in Cape Town, she continued her journey to England, where she lived and worked for a period. Following the illness of her mother, she returned to Australia by air in February 1953, remaining there until November, when she returned to Cape Town. During this period, the wedding was being planned by correspondence, as Craig was also travelling extensively on business. With their marriage in January 1954, the Stacey family of South Africa was formed, for which we, as their descendants, are permanently thankful! Madge Hackman (nee Forsyth) [MM] Grandmother (wife of Jimmy Hackman) Born on 15th April 1900, in Brisbane, Australia; died on 26th April 1953 in Sydney, Australia. Frances Marjory Forsyth, was born in April 1900 in Brisbane, as the eldest child of William James and Isabel Forsyth, nee Carter [MMM]. She was always known as Madge to distinguish her from the many other similarly names members of her family. Together with her younger siblings, May and Jack, she grew up in Brisbane where both her father and grandfather held prestigious positions in both commercial and social circles in the city, which we shall see more of later. Her father, William Forsyth, was running the Queensland branch of the family business of A Forsyth & Co, under the name of the Kangaroo Rope Works. In August 1916, William Forsyth was promoted within the family business, and the family moved back to Sydney. Since William Forsyth was one of ten children, the Forsyth family was very extensive, with the result that Madge had five aunts and four uncles who, between them, produced twenty-six first cousins. It is through a family connection that Madge first met her future husband, Trevor Hackman. A cousin of Madge Forsyth, Marge Hirst (nee Stewart), was married to Edward Hirst, head of the British General Electric company (BGE) in Australia. Edward was the nephew of Sir Hugo Hirst, who founded the international General Electric Company (GEC) in the UK, and also took an active role in supporting young men who had been in the military during the Great War, and wished to take up a career in industry. One of those ex-servicemen was Trevor Hackman, always known as Jimmy, who had been a pilot with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and had been shot down and taken prisoner-of-war in Turkey in 1918. Jimmy Hackman worked for GEC in England, and was then transferred to Australia to work for Edward Hirst at BGE. Jimmy met Madge during one of his visits to the farm of Edward Hirst, where they had both been invited to the farm to join a tennis party. They became engaged, and were subsequently married on 10th November 1926 at St. Clement's Church of England, Mosman, Sydney. There is a most enlightening newspaper article published in The Brisbane Courier of the time, that tells of “A wedding of considerable interest to a large circle of friends in Brisbane …”. The article goes to great lengths to describe the wedding, with much detail about the wedding dress of Madge. “The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a gown of cream georgette mounted on satin. The long bodice revealed a panel of satin ornamented with gold ribbon work, and the full overskirt was finished with a deep scallop of gold lace bound with cream tulle, while the underskirt had a deep tulle horn. The wedding veil of Brussels lace was held in place with knots of orange blossom mounted on tulle, and was lent by Mrs. Roy von Steiglitz (cousin of the bride). The bride carried a sheaf of cream gladioli tied with gold ribbon.” Additionally, there are detailed descriptions of the dresses of both the bridesmaid, May Forsyth, and the mother of the bride, Isabel. The report on the wedding concludes with the note that “Later Mr. and Mrs. Hackman will leave for Auckland, New Zealand, where they will in future reside.” On their return from New Zealand, the family initially stayed with the Forsyths’ senior, at No 64, Raglan Street, Mosman, later moving to their own home at No. 13 Upper Avenue Road in Mosman, incidentally, within weeks of the opening of the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge. In 1939 the family moved again to No.2 Milton Avenue, also in Mosman. This was an interesting property being built on a steep slope with a single storey at the front and two stories with basement at the back. The view from the back verandah was spectacular, looking west from North Sydney, across the Harbour Bridge, the City itself and many of the upmarket suburbs to the South. The property was owned by the family for many more years, with Barbara and her husband Harry Macdonald raising their family of four children there, before it was finally sold. Sadly, Madge Hackman died prematurely at the age of 53 in Sydney, before her elder daughter, Marjory, immigrated to South Africa to marry Craig. Although she never met Craig, she wrote to the happy couple on the occasion of their engagement, expressing her "mixed feelings" but then in the same letter writing, "… but above all has been the feeling of happiness for you both, for you are so sure of your feelings for one another, and that is all that matters." Isabel Forsyth (nee Carter) [MMM] Great grandmother (wife of William Forsyth) Born on 3rd August, 1877, in Brisbane, Australia; died on 27th April, 1928 in Sydney, Australia. Isabel Carter was born in 1877 in Brisbane, as the eldest daughter of Arthur John and Frances Carter, nee Johnson [MMMM]. She was the third child in a family of five children, with brothers, Hubert, known as Bert, and Frank, and sisters, Winifred Mabel and Cecelia Margaret. During the time of her childhood and young adult life, the city of Brisbane was a booming commercial and industrial centre. Her father, Arthur Carter, held a variety senior business and political positions, including multiple terms as president of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, numerous committee and board memberships, and consular representative roles for Sweden, Norway and France. Due to his position, the Carter home at the end of the 19th century, Hatherton, was at the centre of Brisbane’s social circles. It is also very likely that the young Isabel, in her early 20’s at this time, would have been part of the social life of her father. Through her involvement, it is most likely that Isabel would have met young William James Forsyth, Manager of the Kangaroo Rope Works, who was also, no doubt, part of the Brisbane social circle. We can safely assume that they met and formed a relationship at one or more social events. As a pleasant consequence of their meeting, William and Isabel were married on 17th May 1899 in Brisbane, with Isabel being just 21 years old at the time of her wedding. The wedding was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the social calendar, with a full report appearing in The Brisbane Courier. The report covers all aspects of the wedding, the reception, the guests, and even a full list of all the wedding presents! “The pretty English Church of St. Mary's, Kangaroo Point, was the scene of an interesting wedding yesterday afternoon. The bride is a special favourite among her large circle of friends, and her father has for many years been a popular citizen of Brisbane. Long before 1 o'clock, at which time the ceremony was to take place, the church and grounds were filled with friends and guests; the organ, fresh and now after its recent repairs, was presided over by Mrs. Ohman. “The bride entered the church with her father, and was attended by four bridesmaids – Miss Forsyth (chief), sister of the bridegroom, Miss Louie Almond, and her two little sisters, Miss Mabel Winifred and Miss Cecilia Margret Carter. The regal-looking bridal-robe was carried most gracefully by the handsome bride. The court train depended from the left shoulder, and was of rich satin, brocaded with bow knots, the skirt was of plain duchesse satin. The French bodice, which was cut low, showing the white throat encircled by a pearl necklet with pendent pearls, was worn with a cross-over Queen Anne fichu of chiffon, edged with white blonde lace. The sleeves were of transparent chiffon, banded with silk and blonde insertion. The Limerick lace veil was arranged with a becoming little headdress of plumes, orange blossom, and chiffon. The bridal bouquet displayed a most artistic arrangement of snowflakes, eucharist lilies, niphetous roses, white bouvardias, interspersed with lycopol and fine maidenhair ferns, from which depended trails of asparagus fern interlaced with choice white creepers.” The article continues with more intricate detail of the bridesmaids’ dresses and the dresses of both the mothers of the bride and groom. Following the wedding ceremony, the guests returned to the family home, where they were greeted with a sumptuous spread. “After the ceremony the line of carriages wended its way to Coorparoo, where Mr. and Mrs. Carter entertained their guests at their residence, Hatherton, the beautiful house and grounds being admirably fitted for such a large and brilliant function. More than 130 guests were present, including Mr. Chapman, M.L.A., and Mr. Dymock, who had travelled from Sydney to be present at the wedding. A marquee was erected on the lawn, where the wedding breakfast was served with champagne; flags decorated the grounds and verandas. In the centre of the table stood the handsome wedding cake, which, amid the congratulations and toasts of the guests, was cut by the bride.” The article concludes with a detailed list of all the wedding presents give to the married couple by the guests. We are able to identify a certain number of family heirlooms among the list of gifts received. Following the marriage, the young Forsyth family spent a number of years in Brisbane, with William managing the family Rope Works, and Isabel bringing up her three young children. When, in August 1916, William Forsyth was promoted from his position in Brisbane to the position of Factory Superintendent at Waterloo, the family relocated back to Sydney, and moved into their home on Raglan St in Mosman, where they lived for many years. Isabel Forsyth died in 1928, sadly preceding her mother, who lived for a number of years in Brisbane with her family. Frances Carter (nee Johnson) [MMMM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Arthur Carter) Born in 1845 in Streatham, London; died on 31st August 1936 in Brisbane, Australia. Frances Eliza Elgin Johnson was born in 1845 in Kennington, in the area of Streatham, in the south-east of London. She was the eldest daughter of Joseph Finlayson and Frances Sarah Johnson, nee Bell [MMMMM]. The village Streatham has been inhabited since the Roman times, being on a main route from London to the coast. The family grew up in the area, as the 1851 Census records show that they lived in the village of Balham, and ten years later, they lived on Brixton Road in Lambeth. We believe that she immigrated to Australia in the 1860’s, but have no further information at this time. At the age of 21, Frances married Dr. Charles Robert Koch, a medical doctor, in 1866 in Brisbane. Tragically, the marriage was cut short, as Charles Koch died in Warwick, Queensland, in December 1869, at the young age of 34. In 1872, the widow Frances married again, to Arthur John Carter, who had also recently been widowed. Arthur had married in London in February 1867 and then immigrated to Australia in January 1871, reaching Brisbane by the Light Brigade with his young wife and three young sons. Tragically, his wife Jane died in May of that year, leaving him to support the three toddlers in his newly adopted country. Frances subsequently bore five children for Arthur, no doubt having to provide much support for her adopted children, the growing family and also her husband’s growing commercial and political interests. As Arthur Carter’s influence grew, there were many social occasions that would have been hosted by Frances, to provide support for her husband. We have already covered the ‘society’ wedding of Isabel, when she married William James Forsyth. The reception at ‘Hatherton’ was no doubt a spectacular function on the social calendar, hosted by the mother and father of the bride. It is most interesting to note that Hatherton, where the Carter family lived, is still standing in its close to original form. The building was first constructed in 1886 for Reuben Nicklin. The Carter family lived there for a period following the tragic death of the original owner at sea, leaving to move to their own home, Nunnington, in 1902. In 1911, the property was acquired by the Methodist church, and was used as a children’s home. The children's home facility was terminated in 1960, and the building was acquired by the state government. It fulfilled various state functions, and is now a community centre. There is also a report from The Brisbane Courier in 1911 of another social event, recording that “The Consul for Norway and Consular Agent for France (Hon. A. J. Carter) and Mrs. Carter entertained a large number of guests at a charmingly arranged at home at Nunnington, Kangaroo Point …” The article continues with the effusive introduction, “The host and hostess received their visitors at the entrance to the lawn, where numerous tea tables prettily ornamented with wattle blossom and nasturtiums were arranged, and a tea served by a bevy of waitresses from the Cafe Eachenhagen. A string band was stationed on the veranda and added to the pleasure of the afternoon.” Once again, there are intricate details of the dresses worn by the ladies of the host, describing the outfits of Frances, Cecilia and Isabel as follows. “Many beautiful gowns were worn and looked charming against the background of foliage and flowers. Mrs. A. J. Carter wore a handsome gown of black silk and small black bonnet. Miss Carter wore a becoming black velvet robe and a black picture hat with white feather. Mrs. W. J. Forsyth wore a graceful gown of amethyst cloth richly braided and an amethyst toque to harmonise.” The list of guests at the party contains numerous dignitaries and persons of influence in Brisbane. Attendees included consuls from Germany, Greece, Paraguay, Chile, Argentine, the Netherlands, Austro-Hungary, Russia, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland, and consular agents for Italy, the United States. The state Premier, the Mayor of Brisbane and the Commissioner of Police were also on the invitation list. In all cases, the gentlemen were accompanied by their wives, and in some cases, the guest list also includes the daughters, indicating that these social gatherings were considered as family affairs. Following the death of her husband in 1917, Frances Carter lived for many more years with her son, Bert, his family and her remaining daughter, Cecelia in the family home, Nunnington, in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. The lived in the home until the upheaval of the building of the Story Bridge, when they moved to smaller accommodation. The house was recognised as one of the Historic Homes of Brisbane, with an article in The Queenslander in 1930 giving a rare insight into its past glory days. “The exterior of this old brick house has been altered and slightly modernised by the Carters, and more rooms added to the lower part, also a garage; but the interior is little altered. As soon as one enters it one is taken away back to earlier days. Opening directly in front of one, off the almost square entrance hall, are two deeply set, tall cedar doors m their cedar settings. They lead into the long, high ceilinged dining and drawing rooms, separated by folding doors, and each with its own fireplace.” Most interesting is a reference to the furnishings in the house. “And, in keeping with the old home, is its furniture, some of it having come with the Carter family from England. We find old-time cabinets and china, a mirror and an old grandfather’s clock that knew the days of Queen Anne, …”. This is a specific reference to the grandfather clock which remains to this day as a family heirloom, being passed down from generation to generation through the eldest daughter in the family. By the 1930's, many of these stately homes had already been demolished in the name of progress - those that still stood had been enveloped by cottages and boarding houses as the population of Brisbane expanded rapidly. In the early stages of the Story Bridge's planning, it was apparent that property resumptions would be required along the Kangaroo Point peninsula - by May 1935, properties standing in the way of the bridge had been resumed, and all were placed under the control of the Bureau of Industry who held the responsibility of considering compensation claims. Most residences, given their nature of construction (stone, brick & concrete), were demolished on-site and salvaged for materials – however a few were removed for relocation. On 26th June 1935, the property Nunnington was auctioned off, with the family being compensated for the loss of their home, but having to move to much less opulent surroundings. Frances Carter passed away on 31st August 1936 at the venerable age of 91. Frances Johnson (nee Bell) [MMMMM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Joseph Johnson) Born on 7th August, 1811 in Leysdown Sheppey, Kent We do know a certain amount about Frances Sarah Bell, my great-great-great grandmother. She was born in Leysdown, Sheppey, Kent on 7 Aug 1811, as the youngest of a large family of James and Frances Bell, nee Holman [MMMMMM]. Leysdown is still a small coastal village on the east side of the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, at the south-eastern tip of England, nowadays functioning as a caravanning and holiday destination during the summer months. The Isle of Sheppey itself is a small island lying very close to the coast of Kent, separated from the mainland by a thin strip of water known as The Swale. Frances married Joseph Finlayson Johnson in 1844 in St Pancras, London, and bore him five children, my ancestor, Frances, a son, Wallace, and three further daughters, Lamartine, born in 1848, Beatrice in 1850 and Adelaide, in 1853. Frances Bell (nee Holman) [MMMMMM] Great-great-great-great grandmother (wife of James Bell) Born in 1758 in Germany; died in 1839 in Scarborough, Cumberland Frances Holman is our earliest known ancestor of the female line, being my great-great-great-great grandmother. According to the available research, she was born in 1767 in Herne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. We know very little about her early years, apart the name of her father, being Thomas Holman. She married James Bell (1763-1839) on 12th June, 1786, at Whitstable, a small seaside town in Northeast Kent, famous for its oysters, which have been collected in the area since at least Roman times. The town itself dates back to before the writing of the Domesday Book, and archaeological finds in the Whitstable area date from the Palaeolithic era which ended more than 10,000 years ago, meaning prehistoric man came, saw, and bought the metaphoric t-shirt! Together, they had a large family, with 6 recorded sons and 7 recorded daughters born over a period on 25 years from 1786 to 1811. Although one child is recorded as dying in infancy, a number of their offspring lived to adulthood. The elder children were all born in Whitstable, with William James born in 1786, James born in 1788, Elizabeth Ann born in 1790, Ann born in 1792, William born in 1794, Wallace born in 1795 and George born in 1796. After that, the family moved to Leysdown, Sheppy, where Mary Sophia was born in 1799, Sophia was born in 1802, Elizabeth was born in 1805, Edward was born in 1807, and the youngest, Frances Sarah, my direct ancestor, was born in 1811. The only other information that we have about Frances is that she passed away in 1839 in Scarborough. 3 Opening the New World Having completed our research into the fully female line of our ancestry, we now relate the stories of many of the other women who have been our ancestors through the Hackman and Forsyth line. Margaret Carter (nee Jarvis) [MMMFM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Charles Carter) Born in 1814 in Hammersmith, London Margaret Jarvis was born in 1814 in Hammersmith, London, to George and Elizabeth Jarvis, nee Kinton [MMMFMM]. She is listed as the fourth of a remarkable fourteen children born to the couple. She married Charles Carter in 1841 in the Kensington area, London. Charles Carter was a Methodist minister, and over the years of their marriage, they moved across the country to a number of different parishes. Their eldest child, Arthur Charles, my great-great-great grandfather, was born on 27 September 1847 at St. Ives in Huntingdonshire. Their second child, Margaret Elizabeth was born at Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1851, and Annie Julia was born at North Witchford, Chatteris, in Cambridgeshire, in 1852. By 1861, as recorded in the Census of that year, Charles Carter was Superintendent minister at the Kempston West Methodist Church and Wesleyan Minister of a large number of other chapels, and the family lived at 5 Harpur St, Bedford (near Silver St), in the civil parish of Bedford St Paul, in Bedfordshire. The 1871 Census shows that the family were living at 11 Stephenson Terrace, Preston, in Lancashire, with both Margaret and Annie still staying with their parents. The 1881 Census has a record of Charles and Margaret living on Chapel Street in Gomersal, Dewsbury, in Yorkshire, together with their daughter Annie. Elizabeth Jarvis (nee Kinton) [MMMFMM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of George Jarvis) Born in 1785 in London; died in Paddinswick Green, Kensington, on 25th February 1867 Elizabeth Kinton was born in 1785 in London to James and Elizabeth Kinton, nee Ward [MMMFMMM]. She was the second of four recorded children. She was married to George Jarvis in Fulham on 24th May 1807, at the age of 22. She gave birth to fourteen registered children over the period of 21 years, bearing eight girls and six boys. The eldest, Mary, was born in 1808, and the youngest, Ellen, was born in 1831. My direct ancestor, Margaret, was born in 1814, the fourth child to be born to the couple. There is insufficient detail of the various offspring to determine the exact number of children that survived. The records do show that the eldest, Mary, lived to be 86, and four other children lived to their senior years. One other child is noted as having died as a child, and two more of the siblings died soon after achieving adulthood. Through all her years, Elizabeth is recorded as living in Hammersmith in London. She passed away at the age of 82 in Paddinswick Green, Kensington, on 25th February 1867. Elizabeth Kinton (nee Ward) [MMMFMMM] Great*4 grandmother (wife of James Kinton) Born in 1757 in Munslow, Shropshire; died in 1846 Elizabeth Ward was born in 1757 in Munslow, Shropshire, England to John and Elizabeth Ward, nee Higgins [MMMFMMMM]. She married James Kinton, and they had four children, two boys and two girls. Thomas was the eldest son, born in 1776, then their daughter, Elizabeth, and two younger children, son Francis and daughter Mary, both born in 1788 – were they twins, we shall never know … Over the period from 1776 to 1788, she is recorded as living in Hammersmith, London. An interesting fact regarding her husband, James, is that his occupation is recorded as a Proprietor of Hackney Coaches at the Swan in Broad. In 1818, at the age of 61, she is again recorded as being in residence in Hammersmith, London. As with many of our ancestors, Elizabeth was destined for an extended lifespan. She finally passed away at almost 90 years of age, dying in 1846. Elizabeth Ward (nee Higgins) [MMMFMMMM] Great*5 grandmother (wife of John Ward) Born in Munslow, Shropshire on 2nd October, 1727; died in Munslow, Shropshire in 1784 Elizabeth Higgins was born in Munslow, Shropshire on 2nd October 1727, as the second child of William Higgins and Mary Bayliss [MMMFMMMMM]. She grew up and lived in the area of Munslow all her life. Munslow as a settlement has a history dating back nearly 1,000 years, with references to the village in the Domesday Book. The village is home to the local 12th century Parish church, which is dedicated to Saint Michael. The 'Hundred house' for Munslow hundred was originally located in Aston Munslow, but it has stood in Munslow since the Tudor times and is now a local pub known as 'The Crown'. At the age of 23, she married John Ward, on 20th October, 1750, in Munslow. Together they had a large family of six sons and five daughters over a period of 22 years from 1751 to 1777, with Elizabeth being their third child. She died in 1784, at the age of 57, barely 7 years after the birth of her last child. Mary Higgins (nee Bayliss) [MMMFMMMMM] Great*6 grandmother (wife of William Higgins) Born in Munslow, Shropshire in 1705 Mary Bayliss was born in Munslow, Shropshire in 1705. At the age of 21, she married William Higgins in Munslow on 6th September 1726. Together, they had three daughters, though it is likely that the first child, Mary, died at a young age, as they also named their third daughter as Mary. Their second daughter, Elizabeth, also lived in Munslow for her whole life. There are a number of ancestry.co.uk references to Mary Bayliss, including the Fowkes Family Tree, Dadsbrat tree, Wiese\Hunter Family Tree, BOREAN2 tree, Platt Family Tree and Sutton Family Tree. Anne Higgins [MMMFMMMMFM] Great*7 grandmother (wife of Thomas Higgins) Our earliest known ancestor in the Forsyth maternal line is Anne, who married Thomas Higgins, and bore him a son, William. She was born in the late 17th century, during the reign of King Charles II, who ruled over England from 1660 to 1685. 4 The Scottish Vintage We now return to the Australian-based family with Scottish roots, with stories of intrepid entrepreneurs who formed substantial industrial empires in that country. We also explore even further back into early Scottish dynasties, with some surprising results! Marjory Forsyth (nee Dymock) [MMFM] Great-great Grandmother (wife of John Forsyth) Born in 1853 in Glasgow, Scotland; died in 1924 in Woollahra, Sydney Marjory Dymock was born in 1853 in Glasgow, Scotland to Walter and Janet Dymock [MMFMM], the second of their eventual five children. The eldest son, James, was born in 1850. The young family migrated to Australia, probably in 1854, with young Marjory still a very small baby. Marjory married John Forsyth on 30th September 1870 at the residence of the bride’s father, Walter Dymock, situated in Bellevue Terrace, off Bourke Street, Redfern, Sydney. The service was conducted by a Congregational minister, Thomas Johnson. Two witnesses signed the certificate: James Dymock and Agnes Forsyth. James was presumably the bride’s elder brother while Agnes may have been the bridegroom’s cousin. An unusual feature of the marriage was that the bride, being only 17 years of age, required a certificate of consent. This was provided by her father and vouched for by the minister. John Forsyth had also emigrated from Scotland to join his uncle, Archibald Forsyth, who had formed a rope works company and was in need of a reliable second-in-command. John was evidently a personable young man of considerable initiative and promise to be offered this chance by his uncle. Perhaps earlier hardships had contributed to his development; for, as a teenager, he and a friend, John Cobb had “run away to sea”. Their first adventure was to make a round trip by sailing ship to China, serving before the mast. The young couple made their first home in Cleveland Street in a sizable house which stood in big grounds with a coach-house. This home had been built by Marjory’s father, as had several nearby cottages which he rented to tenants as an investment. The house which the family initially occupied later became part of a furniture factory. With improvement in John's position in the ropeworks and with an enlarging family they bought a larger home, "Peckham". There was plenty of space for the family there. The main floor comprised a hall, large drawing room, dining room with crystal chandeliers, study, pantry, conservatory with ferns, and a verandah with iron-lace railings. On the top floor there were numerous bedrooms, a bathroom and a verandah similar to the one below. A lower ground floor- half-storey contained the kitchen, a scullery, staff sitting room, two maids' bedrooms plus bathroom, a laundry and lift well, the lift being to facilitate transport of food and utensils to and from the dining room. Leading off the ground-floor verandah, and over the coachman-groom's quarters, was a large billiard room. This was indeed an impressive establishment requiring considerable affluence on John Forsyth's part to maintain; for not only were a "cook-general" and a house parlourmaid employed inside, but a live-in male servant was retained for out-door duties. This coachman-groom-gardener drove the coach, looked after its two well-matched brown horses, maintained the buggy in which John Forsyth drove to work, and tended the garden. Later on, John Forsyth bought one of the very early motor cars. However, following a trip the family made to Canada and England with Captain Gibb in 1913, John ordered a new limousine from England, as a surprise for his wife. As well as the usual front and rear seats it had two folding "dickie" seats. On each side of the spacious interior there was a crystal vase mounted in a silver bracket; one of the girls' tasks was to arrange flowers in these. The car was driven by their own chauffeur, always dressed in a fawn uniform with green trim, to match the car. On occasions, Marjory accompanied her husband on his overseas travels, as he went on several missions to seek modern machinery for the ropeworks business. John Forsyth, of Scottish birth, liked to have all the family around him for a traditional Scottish New Year's Eve celebration. Some of the spirited young boys preferred the company of their friends elsewhere, but their mother admonished them to be home before midnight and, if they looked like being late, she would put the clock back to avoid incurring their father's wrath! During these years, too, there was a continual round of family parties and visits. As often as not these would develop into family sing-songs round the piano. Marjory Forsyth was described by her daughter, Madge, as "a wonderful woman and a good manager". She bought the household supplies in bulk and most items were delivered to the house, though some vegetables were home grown. To accommodate the family and guests for meals she kept two dining tables in the large dining room. Thus when the older, married, members of the family came on visits with their children, both tables were used. Even after her husband died in May 1915, aged 69, the children's mother Marjory carried on the same traditions until illness came upon her and she resided with her married children. She died in 1924 at the age of 71. Janet Dymock (nee Macfarlane) [MMFMM] Great-great-great Grandmother (wife of Walter Dymock) Born in 25th January 1819 in Perthshire, Scotland; died on 4th September 1882 in Woollahra, Sydney Janet Macfarlane was born on 25th January 1819 at Brae Cottage in the village of Gartmore, Parish of Port of Menteith, Perthshire, Scotland, to parents Malcolm and Marjory Macfarlane (nee MacNab) [MMFMMM]. She was the fourth of eight children born to Malcolm and Marjory. Even today, Gartmore is a small village in the Stirling council area of Scotland, notable for the fact that there is only one shop in the village, which is owned by the community! Janet married Walter Dymock on 16th June 1848, at Torrance of Campsie, Stirlingshire, just a few miles outside Glasgow, with the service conducted by David Cunningham, Minister of the Free Church. At the time, her husband Walter’s address was Gorbals, Glasgow and Janet’s was Kippen, Stirlingshire. Janet and Walter had five children, with the eldest two, James and Marjory, being born in Scotland in 1851 and 1853 respectively. They immigrated to Australia in 1855, having each obtained a birth certificate from the Clerk of the Parish of Port of Monteith on 3rd August of the previous year. Shipping records show that they arrived in New South Wales on 15th March 1855 aboard the vessel, Nepaul, having originally departed from Dalgety, Fife, in Scotland. Their family grew once they lived in Australia, with three more sons, Malcolm, Walter and William being born during their time in Victoria. Their youngest son, William, was born in Melbourne in 1861. Although he only lived for 39 years he became a legendary figure of bookselling in Sydney, and the flourishing Dymock book empire still remains as a monument to him. On William’s death his estate passed to his sister, Marjory Forsyth, whom we have already included in our story. Janet died at the age of 63, on 4th September 1882, in Woollahra, Sydney. Opening the Pinprick As I have followed the many different branches of the family, I have found many interesting stories, and uncovered a number of ancestors that can be traced through many generations. However, it is through Janet MacFarlane that I opened up the smallest pinprick that expanded into the most amazing expanse of our earliest genealogy! On a whim, I ‘googled’ the address where Janet MacFarlane was born: “Brae Cottage Gartmore”. The search returned a number of interesting links, including the site that I had used to derive much of our ancestry, being clanforsythaustralia.org. However, there was also a link to another genealogy site, www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info, which I clicked on with interest. With this, I hit the mother-lode! The Clan MacFarlane Genealogy site contains the details of literally hundreds of MacFarlane and associated persons, including my direct ancestor Janet MacFarlane. Through the site, I have been able to trace our direct ancestry back over 100’s of years, and, if old legends are to be believed, over many more thousands of years!! During my journey through the site, I have explored many different threads of Scottish nobility, and traced our lineage back to the early rulers of Ireland, who, many hundreds of years ago, fought for dominance over the residents of Scotland, and then settled in the country. The Milesian Legends The legends that I referred to are known as The Milesian Legends, the old Irish tales that trace the descent of the Irish and Scots to a King Milesius of Spain, whose three sons invaded Ireland some 1,500 years before Christ. From Spain the tales go back to a sojourn in Egypt and an origin in Scythia. These tales are recounted in numerous books on Irish history; even the Four Masters saw fit to include them in their compendium of Irish annals in the 17th century. But there is no one Milesian legend; there are numerous versions, none of them agreeing completely with the others, some radically different. However, it is believed by historians that the Milesian legends were an invention from the very start, written and re-written by generations of Irish scribes who embellished the texts they found and re-wrote the genealogies and the accompanying story lines as well. I cannot contest the historical accuracy of the legends here, and I will not detail the incredibly complexity of the ancient history that the legends purport to follow. However, there are a couple of fascinating details that do make for most interesting reading, even if they may not be true! The legends revolve around a complex genealogical scheme tracing the various tribes of Ireland to descendants of the three sons of King Milesius. According to the legend, the Stem of the Irish Nation starts from Milesius of Spain, down to Aodh Dubh, King of Munster. The three sons of Milesius who left any issue were the eldest, Heber Fionn, Ir and Heremon. This Heber Fionn was the first Milesian Monarch of Ireland, who reigned conjointly with his brother Heremon. According to the legend, Heber was slain by Heremon, in the year BC 1698. However, the ancient legends actually delve even further back into the beginning of mankind, with the ancestral lineage of King Milesius being documents as following a direct line back, over 36 generations, to Adam! The MacFarlane line is traced back many generations though the direct paternal line to Corc, King of Munster, who lived in the 11th century. According to the ancient texts, Corc was a direct descendant of Heber Fionn, through 52 generations! Without attempting to test the veracity of the legends handed down over so many centuries, we can claim that we are directly descended through almost 120 generations from Adam, the first man on Earth. There are many fascinating stories that are told in the annals of the MacFarlane clan. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the tales are of the male line of the family, with accounts of battles fought, property taken and many success and failures in their pursuit of authority and power. For this story, however, I have picked out some of the stories told of the women who were part of the MacFarlane dynasty. Marjory MacFarlane (nee MacNab) [MMFMMM] Great*4 Grandmother (wife of Malcolm MacFarlane) Born in 1792 in Perthshire, Scotland Marjory MacNab was born in 1792 at Gray Street, Killin, Perthshire, to Donald and Elizabeth MacNab [MMFMMMM]. She is the only recorded child of the couple. When she was only 22 years of age, she married Malcolm MacFarlane on 3rd July 1814 at Port Of Menteith, Stirlingshire. Her husband was many years older than her, having been born in 1760, which made his 54 years old at the time of the wedding! Together the couple lived in the village of Gartmore and had eight children over a period of 16 years. The Port of Menteith is a still a rural, largely farming community, the heart of which is situated around the church and hotel on the shore of Scotland’s only lake, the Lake of Menteith. The village lies in the shadow of the Menteith Hills, which rise steeply to the north and are the very edge of the Highlands. Their eldest son, John, was born shortly after the marriage on 4th October 1814. He received the title “2nd of Glenhead”. Following on, a child, Elizabeth, is recorded as being born in 1815. Although the records are not available, we must assume that she died in infancy, as their third child, born in 1817, was another daughter, also named Elizabeth. Their fourth child, my direct ancestor, Janet, was born in 1819, followed by Hugh, born in 1821 and Alexander, born in 1824. Sadly, it is likely that Alexander also died very young, as their next child, another son born in 1826, was named Alexander Leitch. Their youngest child was another son, named Malcolm after his father, born in 1830. Although Malcolm MacFarlane was descended from the lineage of the MacFarlane clan, he had a very limited claim to the inheritance of his ancestors. His occupation in Gartmore is listed as Shoemaker. He passed away on the 18th September 1832 at the age of 73. He is buried in the kirkyard next door to Brae Cottage in Gartmore, together with the remains of his son, John, and other family members, with a tombstone still erected at the burial site. The village of Gartmore will feature more in our story later, as we investigate other lines of our family that came together over the generations. Marjory MacFarlane lived on for a number of years, as she is recorded in the 1851 Scottish Census as living at 4 Cumbemante Road, Barony, Lanarkshire, with the two youngest of her children, Alexander and Malcolm. By this time, her daughter, Janet, had married Walter Dymock, and they had started a family of their own. We have no record of the passing away of Marjory MacFarlane. Within the research of the Clan MacFarlane genealogy website, there is a large amount of ancestral detail about the forebears of the MacNabs. However, although their names are recorded, there is limited information available to tell of their exploits and achievements. Over the previous generations, there is a rich vein of Scottish heritage, with many of our ancestors having lived around the Killin Parish, Perthshire from the early 18th century. Included are many typical Scottish surnames, including MacLaren, MacIntyre, MacEwan and MacVourigh. Within prior generations of the MacNab line, there are also MacFarlane ancestors, where the various family lines crossed over. The MacFarlane Ancestors As I investigated more and more of our ancestry through the MacFarlane line, I found so many fascinating stories of the characters and events that took place many centuries ago. The vast majority of the tales are of the many, many skirmishes, battles and wars fought between the males of the many powerful clans who sought supremacy over their lands, and plundered those of their opponents. This fighting wrought a terrible toll on the many brave warriors who took part, with the vanquished frequently being executed following their loss in battle, as the victors sought to ensure that there might be no subsequent rebellion or retribution. Here is the record of the male line of the MacFarlane clan, all the way back to Corc, King of Munster. Malcolm McFarlane of Glenhead (1760 – 1832) married to Marjory MacNab (born 1792) John McFarlane, Tacksman of Boninty (born 1735) married to Janet McFarlane (born 1740) Malcolm MacFarlane, Tacksman of Boninty (born 1701) married to Agnes McFarlane (born 1715) Malcolm MacFarlane, 5th Baron of Gartartan (1623 – 1702) married to Christian Colquhoun (born 1680) Walter MacFarlane, 4th Baron of Gartartan (1596 – 1687) married to Janet Campbell (born 1600) Malcolm MacFarlane, 3rd Baron of Gartartan (1560 – 1636) married to Elizabeth MacFarlane (born 1572) Andrew Dubh MacFarlane, 2nd Baron of Gartartan (1525 – 1611) married to daughter of Campbell (born 1524) Walter MacFarlane, of Tarbet, Ardleish, 1st Baron of Gartartan (1507 – 1547) married to Janet Galbraith (1504 – 1540) John MacFarlane, 11th Baron of Arrochar, 8th Chief (1480 – 1515) married to daughter of Herries (born 1480) Andrew MacFarlane, 10th Baron of Arrochar, 7th Chief (1450 - 1493) married to Barbara Stewart (born 1455) Walter MacFarlane, 9th Baron of Arrochar, 6th Chief (1430 - 1488) married to Gertrude Livingstone (born 1430) Duncan MacFarlane, 8th Baron of Arrochar, 5th Chief (1410 - 1461) John MacFarlane, 7th Baron of Arrochar, 4th Chief (1395 - 1441) married to Jean Mure (born 1395) Duncan MacFarlane, 6th Baron of Arrochar, 3rd Chief (1370 - 1426) married to Christian Campbell (born about 1370) Malcolm MacParlan, 5th Baron of Arrochar, 2nd Chief (1320 - 1395) Parlan (Bartholomew) MacGilchrist, 4th Baron of Arrochar, 1st Chief (1290 - 1354) Malduin (Malcolm) MacGilchrist, of Arrochar, 3rd Baron (1260 - 1314) Duncan de Arrochar, 2nd Baron of Arrochar (1230 - 1297) married to Matilda de Levenax (born about 1245) Gilchrist de Levenax, 1st Baron of Arrochar (1186 - 1263) married to an heiress from the Lothians Alwyn "The Younger" de Levenax, 2nd Earl of Lennox (1150 - 1217) married to Eva de Menteith, Countess of Menteith (born about 1170) Alwyn Oge "The Elder" de Levenax, Last Mormaer, 1st Earl of Lennox (1130 - 1178) Muredach, Mormaer of Levenax (Lennox) (1100 - 1139) married to daughter of MacArkyl (born about 1110) Maeldovnaigh, Mormaer of Lennox (born 1075) Maine Leamna, Mormaer of Lennox (1050 - 1136) Corc, King of Munster (#89 in The Line of Heber) () married to Mong Fionn It is interesting to note the evolution, in the middle of the 14th century, of the surname MacFarlane. ‘Parlan’ MacGilchrist, 4th Baron of Arrochar, also known as Bartholomew, had a son who was named Malcolm MacParlan, with the new surname being derived from the first name of his parent, because of the manner by which he distinguished himself while fighting the English for King Robert I "the Bruce" at battle of Bannockburn June 1314 at just 15 years of age. Malcolm, himself, then named his son, Duncan MacFarlane, and it is from here on, at the end of the 14th century, that the surname of MacFarlane was retained. Barbara MacFarlane (nee Stewart) [MMFMMFFFFFFFFFM] Great*13 grandmother (wife of Andrew MacFarlane) Born about 1455 in Scotland Barbara Stewart [Stuart] was born to John Stuart [Stewart], 1st Lord Darnley, 10th (1st Stuart) Earl of Lennox and Margaret de Montgomerie. John Stewart was the son of Catherine Seton and Alan Stewart of Darnley, a direct descendant of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. His paternal grandmother was the daughter and co-heiress of Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox. Through his mother he was also a descendant of Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, nephew of King Robert I of Scotland. Through his son Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl, Stewart was the great-great-great-grandfather of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, husband of his first cousin Mary, Queen of Scots and father of James VI, King of Scotland, who became James I, King of England. Stewart's descendants have held the English throne ever since James I, as well as the royal houses of several European monarchies. Therefore, through John Stewart, our current family shares a common ancestral heritage with the Royal Family! However, since our common lineage passes through 16 generations, it is interesting to note that, in total, there are in excess of 130,000 of our direct ancestors, not accounting for inter-marriages, that have contributed to this heritage. The marriages of John Stewart have also been a source of genealogical confusion. He is recorded as having contracted to marry Margaret, the daughter of Alexander Montgomerie, 1st Lord Montgomerie, and Margaret Boyd, by indenture on 15 May 1438 as both parties were under age. She, however, appears to have died young. Based on the birth date of Barbara Stewart, it is likely that she was the daughter of this marriage. Ultimately, John Stewart is recorded as marrying Margaret Montgomerie in 1460, who was not the same individual, but her fraternal niece, daughter of Alexander, Master of Montgomerie, by his wife Elizabeth Hepburn. From this marriage, there are a further eight recorded children. Continuing the story of Barbara, Andrew MacFarlane, the Laird of MacFarlane & Arrochar, married his fourth cousin once removed, Lady Barbara Stewart. Earl John's succession as heir of line to Lennox had taken many years and required heavy payments to his rivals, in light of which he would have wanted to secure the support of Andrew as heir-male of the earldom by way of this marriage. Their only recorded child is John MacFarlane, who was born in 1480. He went on to hold the title of 11th Baron of Arrochar, 8th Chief, and to continue the dynasty of the MacFarlane clan. Mong Fionn [MMFMMMFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFM] Great*28 grandmother (wife of Corc) According to ancient ancestral research, Corc, to shun the unnatural love of his stepmother, fled in his youth to Scotland, where he married Mong-fionn, daughter of Feredach Fionn, otherwise called Fionn Cormac, King of the Picts (who, in Irish, are called Cruithneach or Cruithneans), by whom he had several sons. The following sons are recorded: Cronan, of Cuircneach, Nathfraoch, King of Munster, Cas, and Maine Leamna, Mormaer of Lennox, born about 1050. Cronan married Cairche, daughter of Leaghaire MacNiall, the 128th Monarch of Ireland, by whom he got territory in Westmeath, from her called "Cuircneach," now called Dillon's Country. Our direct ancestor, Main Leamhna, who remained in Scotland, was also the ancestor of "Mor Mhaor Leamhna", Great Stewards of Lennox, from whom were descended the Kings of Scotland and England of the Stewart or Stuart Dynasty, giving us another genealogical link to the current royals. And so, after travelling 30 generations back into the past, we conclude the fascinating story of our MacFarlane ancestry. More research will no doubt reveal many more historic tales, possibly woven with the excessive imagination of scholars of earlier times, but I hope that I have given some insight into times much earlier than our own. Mary Dymock (nee Blair) [MMFMFM] Great-great-great-great Grandmother (wife of James Dymock) Born about 1788 in Perth, Scotland As we delve further back into other lines of our Scottish ancestry, there is less detail of our forebears, but we have still been able to find out some interesting details. Mary Blair was born about 1788, and christened on 17th January 1789 at the Port of Menteith, Perth. She was the third daughter born to Duncan and Janet Blair [MMFMFM]. The eldest recorded child was Catharine, born in 1776, followed by Margaret, born in 1784, then Mary, and finally, a son, Walter, who was born in 1790. All the children were born in the area around of the Port of Monteith, with the village of Gartmore given as being close by. Mary married James Dymock on 27th December 1807, in the Port of Monteith. Together, they brought up their family in the village, with the eldest daughter, Mary, born in 1809, followed by Walter Dymock [MMFMF], my great-great-great grandfather, born some years later on the 18th May, 1818. More children were born to the family, with Janet born in 1820, Catharine born in 1823, and finally, Duncan born in 1827. The Port of Menteith is also the area where another branch of the family, Malcolm and Marjory Macfarlane [MMFMMM], lived, and where their daughter, Janet Macfarlane [MMFMM], was born in 1819. It is therefore a possibility that Walter and Janet were acquainted from a young age in the small Scottish village. Mary Forsyth (nee Falconer) [MMFFM] Great-great-great Grandmother (wife of William Forsyth) Lived in Scotland Mary Falconer married William Forsyth on 9th August 1834 at Speymouth, Moray, Scotland. Speymouth is a small parish in the extreme North East of Elginshire, at the mouth of the River Spey. According to historians, “As the ‘king's highway’ from Aberdeen northwards has passed through the parish from a very early date, Speymouth has been the scene of several events connected with the history of Scotland. It was here that in 1087 Malcolm Ceannmor's army crossed the Spey to attack the forces of Maelsnectan, `Ri Moreb' or King of Moray, and ‘won the mother of Maelslaeht and all his best men and all his treasure and cattle.’” Living in Speymouth, they had a large family of seven children, with daughter, Helen, being born in 1834, Jessie, born in 1838, Margaret, born in 1842, and Isabella, their youngest daughter, born in 1850. Their three sons were my great-great grandfather, John, born in 1846, James, born in 1848, and George, the baby of the family, born in 1854. It was John who followed his uncle, Archibald, to Australia, and together, they formed the Forsyth Rope company that flourished for over a century in that country. Helen Forsyth (nee Young) [MMFFFM] Great-great-great-great Grandmother (wife of John Forsyth) Born in Commonside, Rosshire; died on 24th November 1868 at Govan, Glasgow, Lanarkshire Helen Young was born in Commonside, Rosshire, Scotland. She married John Forsyth on 23rd June 1810 in Urquhart and Logie Wester, Ross And Cromarty, Scotland. Together, over a period of 14 years, they had a large family of nine children, of whom seven sons are recorded. The eldest son, William, my great-great-great grandfather, was born in 1811 in Urquhart and Logie Wester where the young couple had married. Then followed John, born in 1815, James, born in 1818, Alexander, born in 1822, Joseph, born in 1823, Colling, born in 1825, and the youngest, Archibald, born in 1826. John Forsyth was a ship’s carpenter and ship-builder. He grew up in Garmouth in the Parish of Speymouth, in the late 1700s. His wife Helen came from a seafaring and fishing family in the same village. Sadly, the father died quite young, Helen became a midwife to earn sufficient money to support her children. Archibald Forsyth was to immigrate to Australia as a young man and achieve great success in his adopted country. His story is told in detail in the historical record of the company that he founded, A. Forsyth & Co. Helen died on 24th November 1868 at Govan in Glasgow, having lived in Scotland her whole life. 5 Living in London We now move to another branch of the family, the women who were part of the Hackman line of our ancestry, represented by my maternal grandfather, Trevor Hackman. Elizabeth Hackman (nee Lewis) [MFM] Great grandmother (wife of Henry Pearson Hackman) Born on 19th March 1854 in St James, London, England; died in March 1931 in Wandsworth, London Elizabeth Parker Lewis was born on 19th March 1854, and christened on 7th July at St James, Westminster, London. She was the third child and only daughter of Robert and Maria Lewis, nee Nocera [MFMM]. She grew up in London, initially living at 15 St. James St, Westminster, and then in Fulham. At the age of 17, some of the family had returned to live in Westminster. She was living with her brother, Robert, and his wife, Emily. Her other brother, Henry, also lived with them at 20 St. James St. As a young lady, she met Henry Pearson Hackman, who was living at 33 Warwick Square, in the Borough of Westminster, and they were married on 14th August 1881. The young Hackman family first made their home in the area of Barnes, a suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The suburb is to the west of Fulham, the area when Henry had grown up with his family. Their three sons, Henry, known as Swinton, Robert, and Trevor, my grandfather, were all born while the family were living there. At the turn of the century, the family had moved again. The next Census, of 1901, records that they were living in a home called The Hollies, in Ashford, Staines. By this time, all three boys had reached school-going age. On the date of the Census, all the family, except for the eldest son, Henry Swinton, were at home. Sadly, Elizabeth lost her husband, Henry, at prematurely, as he died in Staines in 1904. The family then moved to Putney, where Elizabeth lived with her sons at 11a Borneo Street, Putney. When her sons started their own adult lives, she remained in the home in Putney. She lived for many more years, finally passing away at the age of 76, in 1931. Maria Lewis (nee Nocera) [MFMM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Robert Lewis) Born in 1823 in Mary-le-bone, London, England Maria Nocera was born in 1823 in Mary-le-bone, London, to Joseph and Elizabeth Nocera [MFMMM], and baptised in the parish on 13th March of that year. She was the younger of two children, with her elder brother, also Joseph, being born in 1818. Mary-le-bone got its name from a church dedicated to St Mary. The original church was built on the bank of a small stream or "bourne", called the Tybourne or Tyburn, which rose further north. The church and the surrounding area later became known as St Mary at the Bourne which, over time, became shortened to its present form, Marylebone. It is now most famous as the original home of the game of cricket, acknowledged by the name of the former governing body of the sport, the Marylebone Cricket Club, known as the MCC. She was married to Robert Lewis on 28th March, 1843, at St Marylebone, London, while still a minor. Together they had three children, Robert, born in 1844, Henry, born in 1846, and Elizabeth, my great grandmother, born in 1854. Robert Lewis was a tobacconist, and passed the business on to his sons. He died in 1869. Mary Hackman (nee Knight) [MFFM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Henry Hackman) Born in1816 in Fulham, London; died on 20th July 1885 in Fulham Mary Knight was born in 1816 to Thomas and Martha Knight [MFFMM]. She was the second of four daughters born to the couple in Fulham. At the time of the 1841 Census, Mary was living with her mother, Martha, in Fulham. Mary married Henry Hackman on the 24th February 1842, at the age of 26, at All Saints Church in Fulham. At the time of the 1851 England Census, the family were identified as a household, resident on High Street in Fulham. Mary had borne their first three children, ranging from 8 to just 7 months at the time of the Census, with Thomas, aged 8, Alfred, aged 6, and Henry Pearson [MFF], aged just 7 months at this time. Martha Knight, the mother of Mary, was living with the family, listed as a “dependent relative”. Mary Ann Garlick is recorded as being a General Servant, living with the family. Even at this time, the High Street seems to have been the commercial centre of the village, as the next door neighbours were the Grocer, and the Bookseller & Stationer. After another 10 years, the Census of 1861 shows that the family had grown in size, with three more children being born, still however, living in the same house on the High Street in the village of Fulham. Mary, aged 8, Robert, aged 6, and William, aged 2, had been born in the intervening years. The redoubtable grandmother, Martha Knight, was still living with the family, having reached the age of 74, and, as we shall see, still very much alive. It is also interesting to note that their neighbours on the High Street, being Mary Hulme, the Grocer, and John Lavis, the Stationer, had also been living in the same houses on High Street for the past ten years! At the time of the 1871 Census, the family, now headed by Mary Hackman, had moved to a different dwelling, but still remained in the village of Fulham. Mary was living with her adult sons, Thomas and Henry, who were both employed as Clerks. Her daughter, Mary, and son, William, were still scholars at this time, and living at home with their mother. Robert P was not recorded as living at home. Whether he had already left, or was away at school is not known. Martha Knight, having reached the age of 84, was still living with the family. The address is recorded as 6 Elysium Row, Fulham, which is not immediately visible on any of the maps of the time, but is referred to in the local history, as “…that Elysium Row has sprung into existence and grown old and venerable…”. Another interesting reference that I found to Elysium Row is of interest to musicologists, “About here, Elysium Street, at the junction of the Fulham Palace and New Kings Roads in one of a terrace called Elysium Row lived the family of Sir Arthur Sullivan. His brother, Frederick who was an actor celebrated in the role of the judge in Trial by Jury died here in 1877. This event is said to have been the inspiration for Sir Arthur's composition of the song 'The Lost Chord'.” The 1881 Census records that Mary was still living at the same address at 6 Elysium Row, together with two of her children, Mary and William. Mary died on 20th July 1885, still in Fulham where she had lived her whole life. Upon her passing away, she was interred in the same grave as her husband, Henry, who had passed away some 20 years earlier, at the age of 47, and Thomas and Elizabeth Hackman, at All Saints Church in Fulham. Martha Knight (nee Knight) [MFFMM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Thomas Yarrow Knight) Born on 10th July 1786 in Fulham, Middlesex; died on 18th February 1875 in Fulham, Middlesex Martha Knight was born on 10th July 1786 in Fulham, to John and Sarah Knight, nee Parham [MFFMMM]. She was the sixth of ten children in the family, though only five of the siblings are recorded as having survived to adulthood. Martha was married to Thomas Yarrow Knight on 18th July 1813, at the age of 27, at the All Saints Church in Fulham. It is not known whether her husband was a distant relative, or whether it was a coincidence that they had the same surname. Together, they had four daughters, with Martha, the eldest, born in 1814, but sadly passing away a year later, then Mary, my great-great grandmother, followed by Fanny in 1817 and Sarah in 1819. Her husband, Thomas, passed away in 1841, at the age of 55, but Martha lived for another 34 years with her daughter, Mary, and family in Fulham, as is recorded in a number of subsequent Census returns. She finally passed away at the great age of 88, on 18th February 1875 in Fulham. Sarah Knight (nee Parham) [MFFMMM] Great-great-great-great grandmother (wife of John Knight) Born on 15th August 1755 in Stepney, Middlesex; died on 19th March 1799 in Fulham Sarah Parham was born on 15th August 1755 at St Vincent Street, Stepney, the only recorded child of John and Rebecca Parham, nee Hayward [MFFMMMM], with her baptism being recorded at the Scotch Church in Stepney. She married John Knight in 1779, when she was about 24. Together, they had a large family of ten children, though some of their offspring died very young, and we have limited information about others. The eldest child, Ann, was born in 1780 and lived to be 85 before she passed away. The second child, Elizabeth, born in 1781, died at a young age. Mary, born in 1782, only lived to be 18 before she died. Sarah was born in 1784, and John was born a year later in 1785, but we have no further information on them. My great-great-great grandmother, Martha, was born in 1786, followed by Elizabeth, born in 1787, and William, born in 1788, Samuel, born in 1791, and the youngest , George, born in 1794, who lived for only 36 years before his death. Sadly, the strain of such a large family was too much for Sarah, and she passed away on 19th March 1799, at the very early age of 43, in Fulham. Elizabeth Hackman (nee Hickmans) [MFFFM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Thomas Hackman) Born about 1785 in Middlesex, died in April 1845 in Fulham We know little about our oldest Hackman ancestor, Elizabeth Hackman. She was born in about 1785 in Middlesex, and married Thomas Hackman. Together they had a large family of nine children, with the eldest son, Alfred, born in 1811, followed by Thomas, born in 1814, and Granville, born a year later in 1815. My great-great grandfather, Henry, was born in 1817, followed by Graham, born in 1819 and William, born in 1823. Their only daughter, Augusta, was born in 1824, followed by two more sons, Adolphus, born in 1827, and the youngest, Sydney Philip, born in 1831. Elizabeth died in April 1845 in Fulham, at the age of 60, shortly after her husband, Thomas, who had passed away the previous year, at the age of 62. She was interred in the same grave as her husband, at All Saints Church, in Fulham, where he had fulfilled the role of Vestry Clerk, as were her son, Henry, and his wife, Mary, on their deaths many years later. So we come to the end of the Hackman, Forsyth and Dymock dynasty. The story has ranged of multiple centuries, two continents and many families that have all contributed to our heritage. 6 Father’s mothers Having concluded the ancestry of my mother, we now reveal the stories of the many interesting Stacey women who form the ancestry of my father, and hence, our common paternal line. Irene Stacey (nee Craig) [FM] Grandmother (wife of George SJ Stacey) Born on 24th October 1893 in Port Elizabeth; died on 17th July 1974 in Cape Town Irene Craig was born on 24th October 1893 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She was the youngest daughter of George and Rose Craig [FMM]. The family consisted of six children, with four daughters and two sons, including the twins, Bert and Mabel. As a young lady in Port Elizabeth, she met a young commercial representative, George Stacey, who travelled across the world on behalf of the stationery company, A. Walker & Co. Young George’s business activities had brought him into contact with Robert Craig as early as 1911, having been given a letter of introduction by a London Director. He was invited to spend an evening with the Craig family and it was then that he met Irene, at 18 years of age. However, the perils of the First World War intervened, and though George travelled every year to South Africa to promote his range of wares, the formal relationship between the two was not completed for a number of years. Following the passing away of her mother, and the deterioration and subsequent passing away of her father six years later, in February, 1919, “Hamilton”, the family home in Port Elizabeth, was sold. The two sisters, Irene and Gertrude, always known as Truda, who were still living there moved to Cape Town where they were able to be closer to their married eldest sister, Emmeline. After many years of travels, George convinced his employers that the long delays of sea travel would be avoided by allowing him to take the role of resident representative in South Africa. This allowed Irene and George to finally come together. Their wedding took place in Cape Town, on 12th June, 1919 in the Methodist Church, Church St., Wynberg. As Jeanne recalls, “They spent their first night at Cogill’s Hotel. The next morning on their way to the docks to board their ship for their honeymoon in London, Dad teased Mum that she didn’t speak a word during the half-hour drive!!.” In England for their honeymoon, they met George’s parents and sisters, who lived in London. Together, they settled in Cape Town, initially living in Cannon Street, Plumstead, then moving to the family home, once again called “Hamilton”, in Tiverton Road, Plumstead, where they raised their young family. Jeanne, the eldest, was born in 1921. Tragically, their next child, named Robert, who was born some 22 months later, lived for only eight hours before passing away. Following the very difficult and delayed birthing, Irene suffered from a dislocated spine and pelvic girdle. As a result of this sad event, she was left crippled in a wheel chair. Jeanne recalls the events, “There is a photo of me sitting on her lap, her legs covered with a rug. I remember Dad having a battery in a wooden box which was used for treating Mum and he also used to button-up the long boots she had to wear.” Following this, the family travelled to England, where they consulted with a chiropractor. As Jeanne tells the story, “After three visits to Dr Macleod, dramatically he said, “Stand, Mrs Stacey”. Mum was amazed. Imagine how Dad must have felt.” After the events, they were advised not to have another baby for at least 3 years. In 1927, George Craig, my father was born, followed by their youngest child, Judith, born in 1933. It was a very difficult time for Irene and her children, as George’s job required that he travel a great deal to promote his stationery wares. He continued as the sole representative of the London-based stationery and travel goods firms. For many years he spent seven months of the year travelling to all the major cities in South Africa and Rhodesia by ship to the coastal towns and by train inland as far as Salisbury, Rhodesia. Throughout this time, Irene had the company and assistance of her sister, Truda, who never married, and always lived with the family. After the passing away of George in 1959, my grandfather, Irene and Truda moved from the family house to an apartment in a block named “Silwood”, on Main Road in Kenilworth. I remember, as a very young child, the many occasions when we visited my grandmother and great aunt for Sunday afternoon tea at ‘the flat’. Irene died almost 15 years after her husband, on 17th July 1974, in Cape Town. Rose Craig (nee Heming) [FMM] Grandmother (wife of Robert Craig) Born in 1853 in Maidstone, Kent; died on 28th May 1913 in Port Elizabeth Rose Heming was the sixth child of Thomas and Ellen Heming, nee Booth [FMMM], born in 1853 in Maidstone, Kent. The head of the household, Thomas Heming, was obviously a prosperous and well-to-do merchant, with his occupation being registered in the 1851 Census as “Tailor Outfitter”. In addition to the family of seven, there were a full complement of staff living with the family, including a “Servant”, a “Nanny”, a “Gardener” and an “Apprentice”. It is also interesting to note that the youngest child, Fanny, was born in Waltham Stow, Essex, indicating that the family had travelled considerably during these years. One decade later, at the time of the 1861 Census, the Heming family had moved on to Bristol, and had grown even more in size. By this time, together with the parents, there were 8 children in the house, as well as Judith Booth, the aged mother-in-law. By the time of the next Census, in 1871, a number of changes had taken place in the Heming family. Rose, aged 19, had left the family home, and was working as an Assistant in Redruth, Cornwall. She was living at the address of West End, Redruth, together with the proprietor of the business, recorded as Mr MP Treweeke. In a transcription, the nature of the business is described as “Berlin & Fancy Rep…”, from the handwriting, but I am not sure what this represents. The dwelling was obviously located in the centre of the village, as there are both a Police Station and a Wine & Spirit Merchant in the same street. At the time of the 1881 Census, Rose had returned to live at home with her mother and sister, Ellen, still living in Bristol. At this stage, Rose’s occupation is listed as a “draper”, obviously following in the footsteps of her father, and also enhancing her career from her former “assistant” position. One of the interesting facts that we have been able to glean about Rose’s time in Bristol was that she was very committed to the Baptist Church. At the time of her passing away, a number of very moving tributes were paid to her, including the following quote from a sermon delivered at a memorial service to her, “…on her mother’s she came of an old and highly respected Baptist family. In her early years she was a member of Old King-street Baptist Church, in Bristol, and laboured for her Lord as a teacher in the Sunday School. Miss Rose Hemming was quite a household word in the community; all loved her dearly for her loving, unselfish ministries.” The church used to be based in the Broadmead area of Central Bristol, in Old King Street, on the site now occupied by BHS, a leading UK retailer. This building was knocked down in 1956 as part of the Council's redevelopment of the whole area into a shopping centre, and the church has now relocated to Cairns Road. The original church had a rich history, dating back to its founding in the early 1650’s. I established contact with the Cairns Road church, and was able to get some valuable information that gives us more insight into the family at that time. Rosa Heming (sic), whose address is listed as “4 Buckingham Place”, was admitted to the Old King Street church on the 31st March 1870, at the age of 17, where her family had been members for many years. My great grandfather, Robert Craig, was also admitted to the church in the same year, when he was about 14 years old. There is an annotation alongside the entry for Robert, “Africa 1880”, indicating that he left the old country and immigrated to the Cape. There is also a note at the side of the entry for Rose, “Africa (Mr Craig)”, which gives us conclusive evidence that they had known each other for a number of years and were in a strong relationship, if not already engaged, before leaving for South Africa. Rose married Robert Craig on the 14th July 1882 at the Methodist Church in Port Elizabeth, when she was about 29, and he was a few years younger, aged 25. Once established in Port Elizabeth, the family lived at “Hamilton” in Cape Road, and grew in size. Emmeline, or great aunt Emmy as we knew her, was the eldest, born in 1883, followed by the twins, Mabel, great aunt Maynie, and Herbert, known as Bert, who were born two years later in 1885. The second son, Gordon, was next, followed by Gertrude, known as Truda, born in 1892, and finally the youngest daughter, Irene, born in 1893, who was my grandmother. In Port Elizabeth, the family played an active social role, with participation recorded in the Philharmonic and Amateur Dramatic societies, together with the local Debating Society. I do recall stories told by my grandmother of the family attending performances at the “Feather Market Hall”. The family was actively engaged in the work of the St. Johns Methodist Church, where Rose Craig was involved for twenty years, and where she had initially laid the foundation stone. Even before that, she was very involved in service at the old sanctuary of Russell Road. Rose passed away on 28th May 1913 in Port Elizabeth after a short illness. The obituary published following her death in The Methodist Churchman contained numerous glowing references to her life and work in the service of the church, and the high esteem in which she was held by the congregation and those around her, including, as an example, “…, Mrs. Craig shone with a most splendid luster, and was a precious example of this community.” Tragically, her son Robert was killed in action at the battle of Delville Wood, in 1918, where he was a Second Lieutenant in the Bedfordshire Regiment. He had already qualified as a medical doctor and a dentist, but sadly lost his life at the age of 31. Ellen Hemming (nee Booth) [FMMM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Thomas Heming) Born in 1817; died in 1896 Ellen Judith Booth was born in 1817 in Rochester, Kent to Michael and Judith Booth, nee Green [FMMMM]. The town of Rochester was for many years the favourite of Charles Dickens, who lived nearby at Gads Hill Place, Higham, and who based many of his novels in the area. The Diocese of Rochester, the second oldest in England, is based at Rochester Cathedral, and was responsible for the founding of King's School in 604 AD, which is the second oldest school in the world. At the age of just 22, Ellen married Thomas Heming in the nearby city of Maidstone, Kent in 1839. It is interesting to note that another branch of our family also lived in the county of Kent. Frances Bell was born in Leysdon on the Isle of Sheppey, only a few miles to the East of Rochester and Maidstone. Together, Ellen and Thomas raised a large family, with Ellen, the eldest daughter, born in 1843, followed by Emily, born in 1845, then John, born in 1849, and Catherine born in 1850. At the time of the 1851 Census, the family were living at 46 Wellington St, West Maidstone. The head of the household, Thomas, was obviously a prosperous and well-to-do merchant, with his occupation being registered at “Tailor Outfitter”. In addition to the family of seven, there were a full complement of staff living with the family, including a “servant”, a “Nanny”, a “Gardener” and an “Apprentice”. My great grandmother, Rose, was born in 1853, the second son, George, was born in 1854, and the youngest daughter, Fanny, was born in 1855. In 1858, the family moved to Bristol, nearby other relatives were already living in the city. The church records of the Kings Street Baptist church show that Ellen was registered as entering the church in March 1858, “received by letter from Maidstone” in Kent. At the time of the 1861 Census, together with the parents, there were 8 children in the house, as well as Judith Booth, the aged mother-in-law. It is also interesting to note that the youngest child, Fanny, had been born in Waltham Stow, Essex, indicating that the family had travelled considerably during these years. At that time, Walthamstow was recorded (in Wikipedia) as “… largely rural, with a small village centre and a number of large estates”. However, by the end of the 19th century, the advent of railways and the suburbanization of North East London resulted in the area becoming an urban district, and subsequently a municipal borough. Sadly, Thomas Heming died prematurely at the age of 52, in 1867, leaving his widow to raise the growing family, for the youngest child Fanny was, at this time, still only 12 years old. At the time of the 1871 Census, the most of the family was living in Horfield, Gloucestershire, with the household headed by Ellen, together with five of her children, Ellen, Emily, John, George and Fanny. At the time of the 1881 Census, Ellen was still living in Bristol with two of her daughters, Ellen and Rose, my great grandmother, who had returned to live at home with her mother. They were living at 96 Stokes Croft, which is a short street just north of the centre of the city that dates back to mediaeval times. Also in the street can be found The Carriage Works, built in 1850 and designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building. George, the youngest of the Heming children, is recorded as living in London, at 28 Conduit St, Hanover Square, Chelsea, and working as a jeweller’s assistant. Subsequently, he went on to achieve great success, including serving as Mayor of Westminster from 1914 to 1915. The Craig family also maintained close links with this branch of the family, as is evidenced by a story told by my aunt Jeanne of George and his wife. In her own inimitable way, Jeanne recalls, “Rose had a brother, George, who married Gertrude. They lived in a beautiful home in Meads, a suburb of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. They had no children and great aunt Gertrude became fanatic about her Cairn terrier dogs who slept in mauve satin-lined baskets and enjoyed birthday parties!! I recall a story Mum used to tell how she picked up one of the dogs to love it, it squeaked and great aunt Gertrude took it away, patted it and said “Never mind”.” At the time of the 1891 Census, Ellen was still living in Bristol with her spinster daughter, Ellen. She died at the age of 79, in 1896. Judith How Booth (nee Green) [FMMMM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Michael Booth) Born in 1785; died on 4th January 1864 in Bristol Judith How Green was born in 1785 in Milton, Kent, to James and Elizabeth Green [FMMMMM]. There is also a record of a younger son, George How Green, born in 1787. She married Michael Booth on 26th May 1815 at St Mary’s church in Chatham, Kent. There are four recorded children from the marriage, with, Ellen, my great-great grandmother, born in 1817, George, born in 1819, James, born in 1823, and the youngest, Emily, born in 1826. There is an interesting anomaly in the Birth records for Ellen. There are two distinct records that are both accurate as to her name and date of birth. However, one record indicates that she was born at St Nicholas, Rochester, Kent, and the other record indicates her birthplace as Dr Williams's Library in London. Dr Williams's Library is still the pre-eminent research library of English Protestant non-conformist movement. Another related piece of information is that the births of all the other children are recorded in the Non-Conformist Record Indexes. This may well indicate that the family were active participants in the Protestant Non-conformist movement at this time. Following the death of her husband, Michael, she lived with her daughter, Emily, as recorded in the 1841 Census. At the time of the 1861 Census, she was living with the family of her son, Thomas, in Bristol St James and St Paul. Judith died on 4th January 1864, still living at Lower Cheltenham Place in Bristol, as recorded in the church records of the Kings Street Baptist Church. There is a Probate Letter of Administration of her will, with the Executor of her will being her son, George, of Chatham in the County of Kent, whose occupation is listed as Furniture Broker. Her personal effects were valued at ‘under 20 pounds’. Elizabeth Green (nee How) [FMMMMM] Great-great-great-great grandmother (wife of James Green) As we trace the lineage back through more generations, it is more and more difficult to find corroborating information about our ancestors. However, the following story is notable in that it is an extract from Burke’s Family Records, which documents the genealogy of the junior houses of British nobility! The “cadets” or younger sons of a noble family did not usually receive inherited lands or titles and their descendents were often overlooked by lineage records of the peerage. Elizabeth How was the daughter of William and Elizabeth How, nee Courthope [FMMMMMM]. She was born as the 4th child in a large family of six children. She was born in 1755 and christened on 5th August of that year at St. Margaret church, Rochester, Kent. She married James Green on 25th October 1780, at Goodnestone by Sandwich, Kent. James Green is referenced in Burke’s Family Records, recording that they lived in Milton, near Gravesend. They had two children, a daughter, Judith, my great-great-great grandmother, born in 1785, and a son, George, born in 1787. According to the reference, George married Mary Anne, daughter of a Michael Booth, of Rochester, on 8th February 1809. It seems very likely that Judith and George, while being sister and brother, also became sister-in-law and brother-in-law, as they both married into the Booth family! Elizabeth How (nee Courthope) [FMMMMMM] Great*5 grandmother (wife of Mr How) According to the Burke’s entry, Elizabeth Courthope was the daughter of George Courthope, a descendant of the old yeoman family of that name, whose ancestor was John Courthope, of Goudhurst (living in 1413), giving us a vague, yet definite, link back to nobility in the distant past. She married William How, and, living in Rochester, Kent, they produced a large family. The eldest son, George, was born in 1745, followed by Francis, born in 1750, and James, born in 1753. Elizabeth, my direct ancestor, was born in 1755. Following her, Martha was born in 1758, and the youngest, William, born was in 1760. 7 The Heming Line We now come to an exceptionally long line of direct ancestors that can be traced in our family tree. Family records contain details of each generation of the Heming family since 1600, recording the spouses and children of each successive generation. Not only is the length of the line itself quite remarkable, but the story of our ancient ancestors is filled with historical significance. I shall not try to describe each of the women who contributed to this lineage, but shall give details where it may be of interest. Elizabeth Heming (nee Bosley) [FMMFM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of John Heming) Born in 1777 in London; died in 1855 in London Elizabeth Bosley was born in 1777, and baptised on 4th January 1778 in the parish of St Anne, Limehouse, in the borough of Tower Hamlets, to parents William (Wm) and Jane Bosley. We have a record of the baptism from the original records. She married John Heming (1776 – 1856), my direct ancestor, whose occupation is noted as Silversmith, in 1808. Together, they had five children, John, born in 1810, Thomas Heming, my great-great grandfather, who was born in 1812, Joseph, also recorded as being born in 1812, Elizabeth, born in 1816, and the youngest, Henry, born in 1818. In the 1841 Census, she is recorded as living with her husband, John, and her daughter, Elizabeth, in Christchurch, Southwark, Surrey. Ten years later, the three family members were still living together, having moved to 16 Ashford Road, Boxley, in Maidstone, Kent, as shown in the 1851 Census. She passed away at the age of 78, in 1855, and is recorded as being buried at Paddington. Deborah Heming (nee Stott) [FMMFFM] Great*4 grandmother (wife of Thomas Heming) Born on 15th January 1745 in Bury-St Edmonds, Suffolk; died in 1783 Deborah Stott was born on 15th January 1745 in Bury-St Edmonds, Suffolk, England to Samuel and Deborah Stott. She married Thomas Heming (1745 – 1818) on 18th September 1766, at the age of 21, in Bury-St Edmonds. Together, they had four children, with the eldest son, Thomas, born in 1769, then Deborah, born in 1772, followed by Samuel, born in 1773, and the youngest, John [FMMFF], my ancestor, born in 1776. Sadly, she died at the young age of 38, in 1783. Following her untimely passing away, her husband married again some years later, without any further offspring. Anne Heming (nee Melsup) [FMMFFFM] Great*5 grandmother (wife of Thomas Heming) Born on 23rd August 1721 in Woodbridge, Suffolk; died in 1761 Anne Melsup was born on 23rd August 1721 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, near Ipswich, to Stephen and Anne Melsup [FMMFFFMM]. She married Thomas Heming (1714 – 1789) in 1744, and together they had two children, Thomas [FMMFFF], my ancestor, born in 1745, and a younger daughter, Elizabeth, born in 1751. Sadly, Anne died very young, at the age of only 40, in 1761. Her husband, Thomas, subsequently re-married, with a half-brother, Samuel, being born in 1763. We have the records of a number of previous generations of Heming men and women that preceded the families that we have described. However, there is very limited information about these earlier ancestors, apart from their names and lineage. However, as we tell below, there is a strong family connection with the most famous of all English authors, William Shakespeare. Eleanor Heming [FMMFFFFFFFFM] Great*10 grandmother (wife of William Heming) Died in 1600 Eleanor Heming is the earliest of the Heming ancestors with a lineage that can be traced directly through twelve generations. She married George Heming [FMMFFFFFFFFF], and together they had a number of children. Their son, Thomas, my direct ancestor, was born in Worcester. Another son, John, is recorded as having been born in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, in 1556, being baptized on November 25, 1566 in Droitwich. Eleanor Heming is recorded as having passed away in 1600. It is John Heminge who achieved considerable fame and recognition for his inestimable contribution to English literature, through his association with the most famous of all English playwrights, William Shakespeare. Together with Henry Condell, John Heminge prepared and oversaw the First Folio, the first complete collection of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623. Without the compilation of the First Folio, it is highly unlikely that many of Shakespeare’s works would have been kept for posterity. In various historical writings, there is considerable information about John Heminge, from which I have been able to compile the following narrative. “In 1578 he was apprenticed to James Collins, a London grocer, becoming a freeman in 1587. In London, he lived in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury, at which church he served as a sidesman. In March 1588 he married Rebecca Edwards Knell, the 16-year-old widow of William Knell, a famous player with the Queen's Men who had been killed by his fellow actor John Towne in 1587. “Heming was an integral and prosperous member of the theatrical company that eventually became the King’s Men in 1603. Heming served as the company’s business manager, a position he held for more than 25 years. In his will, William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon left a bequest "to my ffellowes John Hemynge Richard Burbage & Henry Cundell a peece to buy them Ringes." “Heming remained active in the Grocers' Company alongside his theatrical activities; indeed, the two sometimes intertwined. He was, between 1608 and 1621, one of the ten citizen seacoal-meters for the city of London. Beginning in 1595, he bound ten apprentices with the Grocers' Company; of these ten, eight appear to have performed for Heming's company, in both boys' and adult roles. Heming was confirmed as a gentleman in 1629, shortly before his death on October 10th, 1630, London. On Heming's death, his shares in the Globe and Blackfriars theatres passed to his son William Heming.” 8 Generations in Leicestershire The story of the generations of our family with their origins in the Leicestershire is one of the most remarkable of all. Through research into this line, I have managed to uncover a number of family trees listed on the ancestry.co.uk web site, and through the judicious combination of various entries, I have been able to trace my forebears for 14 generations! The story is even more surprising in that record show that, for 10 generations, the family of Vann lived in the small town of Wigston Magna in Leicestershire! Within these 10 generations, the male line contains no less than 8 generations of fathers and husbands with the Christian name of Thomas! In order to avoid the inevitable confusion, I have used a suffix of a sequence of Roman numerals to indicate each distinct holder of that name. Once again, I shall not try to describe each of the women who contributed to this lineage as there is very limited information available, but shall give details where it may be of interest. Ann Sprigg Craig (nee Vann) [FMFM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Samuel Craig) Born in 1823 in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire; died in Taunton in 1890 Ann Sprigg Craig was born in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire, in 1823 to Thomas (VIII) and Frances Vann [FMFMM]. The town of Wigston Magna has a very ancient history, with its own entry in Wikipedia, where it states, “One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands held by Hugh de Grandmesnil for the King (William I of England).” She married Samuel Craig in early 1847 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, to where he had travelled after growing up in south-west Scotland. Samuel is recorded as having been an Wholesale & Retail Dealer, otherwise known as a Grocer, though it is not known how he came to take this trade. Together, they had a large family, with the eldest child, Emma, born in 1849, followed by George, born in 1850. The first records that I have found, in the 1851 Census, give details of the family as living in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, a short distance from Hinckley. The family comprises my great-great grandparents with two young children, and two brothers of Samuel, being William and Henry. At the time of this census, my great grandfather, Robert, was not yet born, as he only arrived in 1857. Also resident in the household at the time of the Census were two brothers of Samuel, William and Henry, who are both recorded as being Commercial Travellers in the grocery business. There are also four other names recorded, all of whom are also identified as Commercial Travellers at the time. The household also had the services of a Housemaid and a Nursemaid, indicating that the business ventures of Samuel Craig were indeed flourishing at this time. The next Census, of 1861, shows that the family had moved to Taunton, Somerset. From the information available, it seems that the young family had moved to be close to mother-in-law, as the page of the records show that the family of Craig’s lived next door to Frances Vann, now living with two of her sons, George and William. The Craig family now comprised the parents and four children, with John Thomas born in 1855, and my great grandfather, Robert William, who was born on the 1st March 1857. It is interesting to note that the family must have moved more than once during this period, before settling in Taunton, as the birthplace of Robert is recorded as Coventry, whereas the other children were all born while the family was still resident in Nuneaton. At the time of the Census, both the Craig family and the Vann family were living in Middle Street, which is located near the River Tone, which runs through the centre of Taunton. By the time of the 1871 Census, the Craig family had moved again locally in Taunton, to the address of 6 Paynes Court. Sadly, Samuel Craig had passed away earlier in the year, and the two elder children had left home. The two younger children, including Robert, who was only 14 at the time, were still at home. After another 10 years, it was time for the 1881 Census. We again find that the family lived in Taunton, at the address of 15 Silver Street. This is co-incidentally very close to the address of two decades previous, in Middle Street. The family was much smaller at this time, with Ann Craig, her daughter, Emma, who had returned home, and the matriarch, Frances Vann, still alive at the amazing age of 86. Ann Craig passed away in Taunton in 1890, at the age of 67. Frances Vann (nee Sprigg) [FMFMM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of Thomas Vann VIII) Born in 1795 in Thringstone, Leicestershire; died in 1884 in Taunton Frances Sprigg was born in the village of Thringstone in Leicestershire, and again, there is a Wikipedia entry for this village, recording that “… Thringstone was recognised as having been mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086.” She married Thomas Vann VIII on 24th December 1821 in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire, where the Vann family had lived for many generations. Together, they had a large family of six children, with Samuel, born in 1823, my great-great grandmother, Ann, born in 1825, followed by George, born in 1828, young Thomas, born in 1830, Elizabeth, born in 1834, and the youngest, William, born in 1837. The 1841 Census records that the family were living in Hinckley in Leicestershire. The eldest son, Samuel, is not included in the list of family, and, at age 18, it is possible that he had already left the family to pursue his own life. The 1851 Census records that Frances was still living in Wood Street, Hinckley with her daughter Elizabeth, though they are the only members of the household. By 1861, Frances Vann had moved to Taunton, where she lived with two of her sons, Geo. Spriggs Vann, aged 34, and William Vann, aged 23. By this stage, she was aged 66. At the time of the 1871 Census, the redoubtable Frances Vann was still alive and now living with the family in Taunton. 10 years on, the 1881 Census records the family in Taunton, at Silver Street. Frances Vann, still alive at the amazing age of 86, was living with her daughter Ann Craig and grand-daughter, Emma, who had returned home. She lived to the venerable age of 89, eventually passing away in the second quarter of 1884. Elizabeth Vann (nee Blackwell) [FMFMFM] Great*4 grandmother (wife of Thomas Vann VII) Born in 1742 in Leicestershire; died 1779 in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire We now step back in time to a couple of our earlier ancestors who lived in and around Wigston Magna for so many generations. Elizabeth Blackwell, my great*4 grandmother, was born in about 1742 to parents William and Mary Blackwell [FMFMFMM]. She was born in Shearsby, a small village south of the town of Wigston Magna, in Leicestershire. She had an elder brother, Samuel, born a year earlier in 1741. Elizabeth was christened on 30th March 1742 in Wigston Magna. On 29th December 1767, at the age of 25, she married Thomas Vann (VII) in Wigston Magna, where the Vann family had been living for many generations. Together, they had a family of four children, with the eldest, Robert, born before the marriage, in 1766, followed by Jane, born in 1770, then John, born in 1773, and the youngest, Thomas (VIII), my direct ancestor, born in 1775. She passed away at the very young age of 39, in Wigston Magna, in 1779. Anne Vann (nee Foxon) [FMFMFFFFFFM] Great*9 grandmother (wife of Daniel Vann) Born in 1596 in Wigston, Leicestershire The earliest of the Leicestershire-based ancestors about whom we have detailed information is Anne Foxon. She was born in 1596 in Wigston, Leicestershire to parents, John and Annie Foxon. Both her parents had been born in Kibworth Beauchamp, a small village a couple of miles away from Wigston in Leicestershire, with her mother, Annie, being only 20 at the time of her marriage. She was the eldest of five children, being followed by Margaret, born in 1603, Amy, born in 1607, Richard, born in 1609, and the youngest, William, born in 1613. At the age of just 20, she married Daniel Vann (1591 – 1654) on 31st January 1617 in Wigston, where the Vann family lived for so many generations. Together, they lived in Wigston and had three children, the eldest daughter, Katherine, born in 1621, their only son, Thomas, my direct ancestor, born in 1625, and a younger daughter, Ann, named after her mother, and born in 1636. We do not have any record of her passing away. 9 South-western Scotland We have a very limited amount of information about the next branch of the family, with their origins in the county of Kirkcudbright, in South-western Scotland. Isabella Craig (nee Murray) [FMFFM] Great-great-great grandmother (wife of John Craig) Born in 1778 in Kelton, Kirkudbright Isabella Murray was born on 7th February 1778 in Kelton, Kirkcudbright, to Charles and Margaret Murray (nee Paterson). She married John Craig on 15th August 1799 in Twynholm in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. They lived in on the farm, Knocklay, near Balmaclellan, Kirkcudbright, a small hillside village of stone houses with slate roofs in a fold of the Galloway hills. They had five children, with the eldest, Isabella, born in 1809, followed by Robert, born in 1812, Jane, born in 1814, Samuel, my ancestor, born in 1816, and lastly, the youngest, William, born in 1818. Unfortunately, there is little information about the family in Scotland. We do know that Samuel left his home and family to travel to England, where he met and married Anne Vann in Leicestershire. 10 The Stacey Line Having followed the numerous other lines of ancestors that have all contributed to the Stacey lineage, we now investigate the direct ancestors of the Stacey family name. Mary Stacey (nee Orgar) [FFM] Great grandmother (wife of George Stacey) Born in 1855 in Much Hadham; died in 1952 in London The story of Mary Orgar and her ancestors is another tale of a family who lived in a local area for a number of generations. Mary Orgar was born in Much Hadham in 1855, as the eighth child of William and Betsy Orgar. She was the first baby to be christened on 16th December 1855, in a church that was built in the small village of Green Tye. Most of the story of Mary herself is taken from the essay, ‘The Stacey Family’, written by my great-aunt Hilda, her daughter, in about 1960. I shall quote much of the narrative directly from her writings, as she wrote with much love and care about her mother, saying, at one point, “She was highly intelligent and in a different age might have had a distinguished career as a scholar; she had a pale complexion, black hair and brown eyes which could light up and sparkle even when she was well over ninety.” “My mother’s maiden name was Mary Ann Martin Orgar. She was born in Green Tye, a hill-top hamlet in Hertfordshire that looks down on the picturesque village of Much Hadham. Today, this is one of the English Villages whose old-world beauty and charm are being carefully safe-guarded against the claims of modern progress. Her father was William Orgar, described in the parish records as a farmer.” While she was still young, unfortunate circumstances led to the family falling on hard times, and moving to the town of Ware. “At this point the Jegginses enter the story. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jeggins were near neighbours of the Orgars in Ware. It is more than probable that Mrs. Jeggins knew them in their better days. In any case, the Jegginses took considerable interest in them.” “Mr. Samuel Jeggins was a tea and coffee planter and merchant with wide interests in India. He and his wife, Jane Amelia, lived in a suburb of London at the foot of Highgate hill where town met country. They lived in a detached house, double-fronted, four-storied, flanked on both sides with well-kept gardens which in the clear air of those days and before the soil was exhausted, blossomed abundantly and produced apples, pears, greengages and other fruits …” However, Mr. and Mrs Jeggins did not have any children. Mrs. Charles Jeggins saw an opportunity to help two households. She would approach Mr. and Mrs. Orgar and see if they would part with one of their children. It was no easy matter. The parents did not take to the idea at all. But little Mary overhearing the conversations thought how thrilling it would be to go to London and live once again in a large house. So, as she said, ‘I poked my head round the door and said, “Can’t I go?”’ She got a good scolding for her audacity but evidently made such an impression on Mrs. Charles and so it was Mary who came to London on a cold miserable day in February in 1865 to be met at the station by Mr. Samuel Jeggins and brought to Park Lodge. She was thrilled at the sight of the white house, which to a little girl would look quite big. She liked the old gentleman at once, and the lady was beautiful. Jane Amelia was an acknowledged beauty and was always dressed in excellent taste. In the dining room a meal was awaiting them and Mr. Jeggins’ slippers were warming at the fire, and Mary, without a word, quickly brought them to him; they were great friends from that minute.” And so Mary grew up as part of the Jeggins’ household. “She was looked upon and treated throughout the life-time of Mr. Jeggins as a daughter, as the child of the house. She had meals with them, had beautiful clothes, accompanied them on many of their visits and went with them on holidays, driving with them or going with walks with Mr. Jeggins when Mrs. Jeggins felt she would rather rest. Of course, leaving home so young, she had little schooling. But the Jegginses saw to it that she did not grow up illiterate.” The Jeggins family were also devoutly religious, and their influence upon Mary was to have a considerable impact of the next generation of the Stacey family. “As was the custom of the day, there was always family prayers, morning and evening for the whole household; so Mary was well schooled in Bible knowledge. All the Jeggins were devout and enthusiastic students of the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.” “As might be expected, mother became intensely interested in the New Church: she thought the doctrines wonderful, and constantly attended, as often as possible, the services in the church at Argyle Square, King’s Cross. By the way, this was the first church to suffer in Hitler’s Blitz on London in 1940 and the old church with so many memories for us was reduced to a heap of rubble.” At this stage, the story of the Stacey family starts to take shape. “Now mother was in her twenties. Suitors began to appear. As I have already said, there was a young Irishman who frequently came to Park Lodge to do repairs and Mr. Jeggins had a high opinion of this young man. George Stacey made a decision. He asked Mary if she would go out for a walk with him on Sunday. She said, ‘But I shall be going to church.’ He replied, ‘Can I come too?’ So that was that. He turned up on Sunday in his best attire, top-hat, frockcoat and probably with an umbrella and they went to church together. “According to mother, any idea of him as a sweetheart never entered her head but the friendship ripened and Mr. Jeggins told Mary that if she ever trifled with that young man, he would never forgive her. So there came a day when that fine young man shyly took from his pocket on the way to church a little box containing a turquoise ring and gave it to her, saying ‘Will you wear this for me?’” Mary Orgar and George Stacey were married on 28th April, 1881, at the church on Argyle Square. Following their marriage, Mary and George decided to set up home on what they had saved, leaving the house of the Jeggins’, and finding their own accommodation. The young family began to grow, with the eldest daughter, Mary, born in 1883, then Mabel, born in 1885, followed by their own son, my grandfather, George, born on 4th June 1886, and Ada Winifred, known as Winnie, born two years later. At the time of the 1891 Census, the family was living at 188 Elthorne Road (may be near Cottenham Terrace), in the sub-registration district of Upper Holloway, in the district of Islington. As far as I can determine, this address is very close to Park Lodge, the family home of the Jeggins, where Mary had grown up, and first met George. It is still within the district of Islington, but to the North of the area in which they had previously lived. By the time of the 1901 Census, the family had moved to Sparsholt Road in Crouch Hill, and had grown to its complete size, with the addition of the youngest of the sisters, Hilda and Phyllis, who were the two surviving members of the family who lived through to the 1960’s and visited the family in South Africa. As the young family grew up, they all lived a frugal life. “Meanwhile, as you know, in our family there grew up five girls and one boy. In all humility and with great thankfulness I can say that we were all blessed with good health and quite good brains. We lived frugally but always had good food, good clothes and a fair measure of fun and entertainment. We had very little pocket money and the Saturday penny and occasional half-penny brought us much more pleasure than many of the children get today with their shillings and pounds.” Following the eventual death of old Mrs Jeggins, there was some manipulation of the will, and a promised inheritance was not forthcoming to the Stacey’s who had taken care of the family for so long. They were, however, able to purchase the house at Park Lodge, which became the family home for many years, until they moved to Barnet in 1933. As the next generation of the Stacey family made their own paths in life, “…with the exception of George, (we) went on to places of higher education. Mary distinguished herself as the best student of her year at her commercial college and we all succeeded in getting ahead of our school-mates.” The two youngest sisters, Hilda and Phyllis remained living with their parents, as they never married. Through all this time, the family was actively involved in The New Church. At the memorial service following the passing away of George Stacey, just before the onset of the Second World War, the eulogy contained the following tributes, “He was a beloved figure amongst us, always present in his place at both morning and evening services until a few weeks ago” and “Mr. and Mrs. Stacey, who were married at Argyle Square on the 28th April, 1881, have given fifty-eight full years of united service to the Lord’s New Church on earth, and have been blessed with a family devoted to its welfare.” Tragically, Mary Stacey passed away at the age of 97, in February 1952, when she succumbed to her injuries following an accident when her dress caught fire. Betsy Orgar (nee Martin) [FFMM] Great-great grandmother (wife of William Orgar) Born in 1819 in Great Hadham; died in 1909 in Ware, Hertfordshire Betsy Martin was born in 1819 in Great Hadham, as the only child of Joseph Martin and Mary Ann Conroy. Once again, most of the story of Betsy is taken from the essay by Hilda, who also recalled her grandmother with great affection, “She died when I was a child but I had seen her on several occasions. She was very tall and stooped because of her age. She was quiet and very dignified and always mindful of her aristocratic origins even when forced to live in very humble circumstances.” Sadly, Betsy’s mother died very young, and left the young baby as the sole responsibility of her father. “The motherless child, Betsy was brought up by nurses and servants until she was sent to boarding school - one of those Young Ladies’ Seminaries, where were taught the subjects that a young lady should know - provided she need not earn her living. Then Gentlemen Jo (Joseph Martin) married again, and when that wife died, he married yet again, each time I believe, it was a widow with children of her own so that with these complications, Betsy’s mother’s property found its way into other channels.” Betsy married William Orger in 1837, at the very young age of 16, in the village of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. “But still when Betsy married William Orgar and settled in Green Tye, the young couple were pretty well off and their farm was of considerable size. The children came, Joseph, Matilda, Eliza, Fanny, Rufus, Isabella, Lizzie, Mary Ann Martin and Susan. The older children went to school, the boys to boarding school, I think to Felsted. My aunt Bella remembered so well how they would depart for school with their trunks and equipment. “Their mother was a pious woman. She grieved that many of the young people of the hamlet did not attend church on Sunday. It was a long way and quite a stiff climb back up the hill from Much Hadham and the young people seemed to grow less and less inclined to do it. One of her irrepressible lively sons said, ‘Why don’t you build them a church up here ? Then they will go.’ The idea appealed, she gave the land, the church was built and our mother was the first baby to be christened there.” Unfortunately, the family suffered at the hands of some shady legal dealings, and lost the farm on which they had grown up, and had to move to the town of Ware under reduced circumstances. “These are the facts as mother knew them: Grandfather came up to London to Cumberland market to sell his farm produce. During his absence, Hunt the lawyer visited his wife, talked to her in legal terms which she did not understand and asked her to sign a document, which, in her trusting ignorance, she did. From that day the family became so poor that they had to leave the farm where grandfather was master and from being an employer he now had to seek employment. “So they left Green Tye and came to Ware. Poor grandmother was ill-equipped to cope with such adversity. The boys were old enough to fend for themselves, the older girls found jobs; they married in time and departed. Little Lizzie and Mary and Susan were still the only children.” With many of the family living in and around the county of Hertfordshire, William and Betsy lived for many more years in Mount Street in Great Amwell, Ware. Henry passed away in 1897, at the age of 78, and was buried in the Great Amwell Churchyard. Betsy passed away some years later, on 2nd January 1909, at the advanced age of 91, in Great Amwell. We have the records from her funeral, showing that the cost was 6 pounds and 4 shillings. Mary Ann Martin (nee Conroy) [FFMMM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Joseph Martin) Born about 1801; died about 1818 in Hertfordshire We know very little about Mary Ann Conroy, and, once again, most of the story is related from the essay by Hilda. She was born about 1800, and there is a definite mystery about her parents. Records show that she married Joseph Martin on 4th December 1817 in Much Hadham. As Hilda recalled, “… (Mary) seems to have been a ward in Chancery who married, bore her first and only child, Betsy Martin and died very soon after when only seventeen. Who Mary Ann Conroy really was, we do not know; but the Irish Conroys were much in evidence in royal circles in those days and, for that matter so were the Martins and the Clarks who may well have been in some way connected with our Conroy, Martin and the Clark who was my mother’s godfather. There is nothing that I can tell without doubt in this matter more than this that grandmother was very well bred, was in fact a lady, and no adverse circumstances could make her anything different.” Being described as a “Ward of Chancery” indicates that Mary was possibly the illegitimate child of a nobleman who wished to maintain a level of secrecy, but also wanted to make provision for the child’s upkeep. Tragically, Mary passed away in about 1818, unable to take care of her baby daughter. Martha Orgar (nee Gould) [FFMFM] Great-great grandmother (wife of John Orgar) Born on 8th February 1798 in Little Hadham, Hertford Martha Gould was born on 8th February 1798 to William and Susannah Gould (nee Livens) [FFMFMM]. She was christened on 5th March 1797 in Little Hadham. She married John Orger on 1st August 1817, at the young age of 20, at St Marylebone, Westminster, in London. Together moved back to Hertfordshire, where they settled and had a large family of six children. Their eldest son, William, my great-great grandfather, was born in 1819. Following him were Elizabeth, born in 1823, Thomas, born six years later in 1830, then John, born in 1833, and finally, twins named Emelia and Meria, born in 1839. Martha passed away at the age of 71, in St.Pancras, London, in 1868. Susannah Gould (nee Livens) [FFMFMM] Great-great-great-great grandmother (wife of William Gould) Born in 1771 in Little Hadham, Hertford; died in 1832 Susannah Livens was born in early 1771 in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire, to William and Hannah Livens. She was baptised on 3rd February in Little Hadham. At the very young age of 17, she was married to William Gould, on the 30th November 1788, in Little Hadham. Together, they had a family of a considerable size, with eight children born over a period of more than 17 years. The eldest daughter, Mary, was born in 1790, followed by three more daughters, Sarah, born in 1792, Ann, born in 1794, and Martha, my great-great-great grandmother, born in 1797. Their elder son, James, was born in 1800, followed by Harriet, born in 1803, another son, John, born in 1805, and the youngest daughter, Susan, born in 1807. She passed away in July 1832, at the age of 61. Mary Leving (nee Joyce) [FFMFMMFFM] Great*7 grandmother (wife of James Leving) Born on 21st August 1692 in Layston, Hertfordshire There are more branches of the family that lived for many generations in the county of Hertfordshire. Mary Joyce was born on 21st August 1692 in Layston, Hertfordshire to John and Ann Joyce (nee Windall). She married James Leving on 12th October 1713, at the age of 21 in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire. Unfortunately, there is a problem here – some trees have Thomas Livens recorded as the eldest child of James and Mary, born in 1700, when his mother was 8 years old! Other trees have him born in 1715, but further show that he had children when he was 10 years old!!! I shall endeavour to establish a more accurate lineage through this branch of the family. 11 The Start of the Stacey Story As we near the end of the story of all the women who have contributed to the Stacey lineage, we actually move on to more of those women who have actually married into the Stacey name. Bridget Stacey (nee Hussey) [FFFM] Great-great grandmother (wife of Henry Stacey) Born in 1823 in Tann, Ireland; died in London We have little information about the early life of Bridget Hussey, limited to knowing that she was born about 1823 in Tann, Ireland, and her father’s name was Thomas Hussey. She married Henry Stacey on 23rd February 1846, in the parish of St George in the East, Tower Hamlets. We have a copy of the original marriage certificate, which has numerous interesting details. Bridget is recorded as being a Spinster, living at 22 Nottingham Place, Stepney, and her father’s name being Thomas Hussey. Henry Stacey is recorded as having been a widower, and this is supported by other prior records that show him as had one or more children from an earlier marriage. His profession is noted as “Cow Farmer”, and the residence at the time of the marriage as being 6 New Norfolk St, Stepney. His father is recorded as Robert Stacey, also a Farmer. The church of the parish of St George in the East is still standing, and has an active congregation. It is located on Cannon Street Road, between The Highway and Cable Street, in the East End of London, near to the river Thames. According to Wikipedia, “St George in the East is an Anglican Church and one of six Hawksmoor churches in London, England, built from 1714 to 1729, with funding from the 1711 Act of Parliament.” The church was hit by a bomb during the Second World war Blitz on London's docklands in May 1941. The original interior was destroyed by the fire, but the walls and distinctive "pepper-pot" towers stayed up. In 1964 a modern church interior was constructed inside the existing walls, and a new flat built under each corner tower. For more of the story of Bridget, we once again are able to extract from the essay by Hilda. She had some recollections of her paternal grandmother from her mother, as well as the information provided by her father, Bridget’s son. The story of Bridget and Henry Stacey has numerous interesting twists and turns, so I shall relate it here as told by Hilda. “(Henry) … lived with his wife and family on an extensive property in what was in those years a rural suburb of the metropolis; now it is a busy, densely populated part of East London in the Commercial Road district. He supplied milk to the people of London and also kept pigs and poultry. “My own mother used to tell us little things about Bridget for she lived to be quite old, and mother knew her pretty well. When our father, named George after his father, arrived on the scene in 1851, he arrived along with two little brothers for he was one of triplets and his mother used to say many years afterwards that her poor husband was nearly demented at the time for his cows were calving, his sows were in farrow and his wife laid by, all at the same time. It seems little wonder that the poor man did not long survive the ordeal and soon after departed this troubled life.” Through research, I found that some of the statements in Hilda’s essay about George and his father are actually incorrect. The mention of George being one of triplets is not right, and George’s father was named Henry, and not George as Hilda stated. After much searching, I was able to find a reference to the family in the 1851 Census. The family was still living at the same address of 6 New Norfolk Street in Stepney, as recorded on the marriage certificate. The records show that the family consisted of Henry and Bridget, together with an elder daughter, Rachel, who was 5, and two older sons, Henry and James, aged 2 and 1 respectively. Although young George is known to have been born in 1851, it seems that he was born later in that year, after the actual Census was taken. Sadly, Henry Stacey passed away in 1854, being buried at the Wycliffe Congregational Church, Philpot Street, Stepney, on 1st October of that year. Henry Stacey was obviously a man of some wealth, and we have a record of his last will and testament, as signed by him shortly before his death. The will indicates that he was able to bequeath the sum of 85 pounds, “of lawful British money clear of legacy duty and all other deductions whatsoever” to his married daughter, Mary, and the sum of 200 pounds for the purchase of “three per cent consolidated Bank annuities” in order that his surviving wife and children continue to “receive the dividends and interest arising from the said stocks, funds and securities”. The rest of his estate is not identified, but is bequeathed to his wife and his friend John Irwin, also identified as a “Cowkeeper and Dairyman”, to act as the executrix and executor of his will. Following the passing away of Henry, the story is again taken up by Hilda. “It was not long before she took to herself a second husband. She married her late husband’s head man by name MacManus. The marriage was not a great success apparently. Here I have to rely on what my mother told me for father, all honour to him, would never hear a word against his mother and he worked for her and supported her from the days of his boyhood. Mother, who was a very shrewd woman, weighed up the evidence and concluded thus: Bridget was Irish, Bridget wanted an easy-going life, Bridget did not like hard work, and as time went on Bridget grew more fond of whisky.” We can trace the Census records of the family through each decade, although they are somewhat convoluted, with numerous variations of spelling, and the interchanging use of the surnames, Stacey and Macmanus. The 1861 census record that I found recorded that Bridget McMains (sic), aged 38, lived at Lees Court, Elder Walk near Commercial Road. Also in the household was Rachel McMains, aged 14. This was sufficient evidence for me to confirm that this was the correct record. Also living in the household was one George McMains, aged 8, which is the first Census record of my great grandfather, albeit with the incorrect surname, which will be seen to be corrected in subsequent decades. Once again, the names of the other brothers, Henry and James, are also recorded, and it seems that there were in addition, two half-brothers, Thomas and Peter, who also formed part of the family. The street address of Elder Walk is still a reference to a current location, located in the borough of Islington, though I have no doubt that it has changed a great deal since the second half of the 19th century. Interestingly, its location is very close, no more than 10 minutes walk to the previous address in New Norfolk St. On the 1859 Map of John Snow’s London, the road is visible, but is so short that is has no name recorded. “Whatever the reason, the family fell on hard times. MacManus seems to have been industrious and to have done what he could. He decided to depart with their family to Australia, that land of promise. All preparations made, packing done, the big cases already painted with the names on them, all ready for the adventure, when apparently, the difficult Bridget refused to go. Very well then, MacManus would take some of the children with him and his wife would have to do without him and get on as best she could. “The triplets were rigged out with new clothes for the second try, but now another hitch, for little George flatly refused to accompany this stepfather and so brothers Harry and Tom went and little George many years later told his children how angry his stepfather was. Could you blame him? Nothing more was ever heard of the emigrants. Did they prosper and grow rich in the Antipodes? We simply do not know. “Things went from bad to worse for the little boy; he had scant schooling and at the age of ten was working and helping to keep the home going; with his mother and sister Rachel, they eked out some kind of existence until he obtained a steady job with a young, enterprising and energetic builder, an Irishman, Joseph Mac Cormick of North London. He remained with this firm to the end of his working life and saw with sorrow a great firm slide downhill when sons and grandsons less industrious than their progenitor allowed a fine business to fall into oblivion.” The next Census record that was traced was that of 1871, taken on the night of 2nd April 1871. Once again, a certain amount of sleuthing was required in order to find the relevant record, but I was able to confirm the find based on a number of corroborating facts. The record gives the family as being Bridge Stacy (sic), together with George and Thomas. The ages correlate with the other records, and I am certain that the son Thomas was, in fact, the half-brother of my great grand-father, and should have been correctly recorded as Thomas MacManus. The family was living at 6 Weston Place in Islington. The Census also shows that the same residence was shared with another family, the Gordons, which consisted of a widow and two sons. Another curious fact is that the two sons, aged 12 and 8, are both recorded with Occupation as Errand Boy, indicating that child labour was very much the norm at that time. In the following period, it seems that the family of Stacey and McManus fell upon hard times. One does not know the conditions under which the family were living, but one can assume that they were living in cramped and uncomfortable quarters. From the detail of the census form, there were a large number of residents of their lodging house. As recorded in the Census of 1881, the extended family were lodgers at the address of “2 River Street Lodging House”, within the Registration District of Islington, and Sub-registration District of Islington East. The street still exists on current maps of London, as River Street, EC1R, located in the borough of Islington. As before, this dwelling was located in close proximity to the previous accommodation, being South of Pentonville Road, between Kings Cross and The Angel. Unfortunately, I have not been able to trace any notice of the death or funeral of Bridget, though, as noted by Hilda, “… she lived to be quite old.” Elizabeth Stacey (nee Culpack) At this point in my research there is a gap. I am unable to definitively trace the ancestors of Henry Stacey as I have insufficient corroborating evidence. From the marriage record of Henry Stacey, we can identify his father as Robert Stacey. From the 1841 census, we can assume that his mother, living with him at that time, and aged 80, was named Elizabeth. I have not yet been able to trace the birth or christening record for Henry Stacey that specifically lists the names of his parents. I was able to trace the Marriage Record for Robert Stacey and Elizabeth Culpack. This contains fewer details, but still records the date of the wedding as 15th June, 1788, at the parish of St Leonard Shoreditch, in Hackney. It is possible that this record refers to my ancestors, but there are some issues that bring this into doubt. This brings to an end the stories of the many women who have all contributed to the Stacey line. Over many centuries, on multiple continents, with many opportunities, challenges and adversity, they all have been a part of our Stacey ancestry. 12 Special Stacey Women However, the story of the Stacey women would not be complete without paying homage to the other special women who have also borne the surname of Stacey. This includes my precious wife and daughters, and a number of sisters and daughters of the Stacey men throughout the years. In order to acknowledge their role and give them the due respect that they deserve, I will record them here with brief details of their special part in our story. My Stacey Family My own Stacey family consists only of women! My darling wife, Jenny, became a Stacey on 9th February 1991, when I married her at the beautiful church of St. Michaels, Bryanston. Together, we have shared in the love, joys, sorrows and challenges of our own family, living in Witkoppen, Fourways, with our two daughters. Tragically, our eldest daughter, Elizabeth Kathleen, died only a few days after her birth on 7th October 1993, from a congenital heart defect. We mourned her sad loss, but were subsequently overjoyed with the birth of our two beautiful daughters, Emma Kathleen, born on 26th March 1996, and Nicola Elizabeth, born on 1st December 1997. Together, we look forward to the future that our two offspring will forge for themselves in the years ahead. Current Generations As offspring of the Stacey family, there are two other special women of the current generations that are part of our story. Robyn Beneke (nee Stacey) is my sister. She was born as the only daughter and second child of Marjory and Craig on 8th February 1957. She subsequently married Richard Beneke, and they have three offspring, Graham, Catherine and Lynette. Gail Stacey is my niece, daughter of my brother, Anthony, and his former wife, Liesl Stacey. Recently having achieved majority when she turned 21 on 27th April this year, she loves to bring out her own independent character and outlook on life as she chooses the direction that her life will take. Julie Stacey is now wife of my brother, a strong and dynamic partner for him in his family, social and intellectual circles. My Aunts For all of my life, my aunts on the Stacey side have been such a joy, inspiration and influence on my life. Jeanne McKie Thomson (nee Stacey) is the elder sister of my father, Craig, and has always filled our lives with her exuberance and optimism. Judith Smuts (nee Stacey), is their younger sister. She has always contributed a calming influence to counterpoint the flamboyance of her elder sister. The Family in London At the beginning of the 20th century, the Stacey family living in London was flourishing. My grandfather, George, was the only son together with five daughters. Mary Funnell (nee Stacey), was the eldest, born in 1882, and married in 1918. Sadly, the marriage did not bear any offspring, and she died a year after her mother in 1953. The next sister, Mabel Stacey, born in 1885, was not of good health, and passed away while still young, in 1918. Ada Winifred Evans (nee Stacey), always known as Winnie, was born in 1889, and married Ewart Evans. She and her husband also did not have any children, and she passed away in 1954. The two youngest sisters, Hilda and Phyllis Stacey, were born in 1894 and 1896 respectively. They lived together with their parents for many years as spinsters, initially at the Park Lodge home, and then subsequently in New Barnet. They both came on a visit to South Africa in the early 1960’s, travelling by sea on board the Union Castle Line mail ships. They spent time in Cape Town with the family, and we still have the family photographs of their departure from Cape Town harbour. The last of the remaining generation, Phyllis died in 1984 in London. An Earlier Generation We can also record the names of the earlier generation of Stacey offspring, the daughters of Henry Stacey. From the record of the will of Henry Stacey, we can identify that he had a daughter, Mary Jane Stacey, who was already married in 1854, at the time of the writing of the will. Little else is known of her, as we assume that she was the daughter of a prior marriage. As a bequest, she received “…the sum of Eighty Five pounds of lawful British money clear of legacy duty and all other deductions whatsoever for the sole separate and exclusive use and benefit.” We have more information on the second daughter of Henry, Rachel Nash (nee Stacey). She was born in 1846, as the eldest child of Henry and his second wife, Bridget. As is recorded in the regular Census records, she remained with her mother following the passing away of her father, and her subsequent second marriage to Thomas MacManus. There is also a reference in Hilda’s essay to Rachel living with the family during the hard times that they experienced. We assume that she left home and married, because she is not listed in the 1871 Census as living with the rest of the family. However, in the 1881 Census, she is once again recorded as living with her mother and brother, George, at the lodging house at 2 River St, Islington. She was there together with her three children, but whether she was divorced, separated or widowed is not known. 13 Conclusion And so we come to the end of our story of the many women who have all shared in our family name of Stacey. Every one of those on these pages share in our common heritage, share a major portion of the same DNA, and without them – we would not be here. We cannot record any heroic or earth-changing contributions, any international celebrity status or fame. As a counterpoint, we cannot find any grievous scandal or evidence of criminal behaviour to taint our name. Every one of our ancestors and relatives has made their own mark in some way, and has contributed with the love and respect for each other that is shared by our current generations, and, we hope, by our future generations yet to come. - - - - - References • Our History of Life and Love, by Marjory and Craig Stacey • The Stacey Family, by Hilda Stacey • Various writings, by Jeanne McKie Thomson (nee Stacey) • Heming research, from Barbara Owen • Biography of RD Watt, by Neil Yeats • One Hundred Years of Rope Making, the history of A Forsyth & Co Web Sites • Ancestry.com • Clan Forsyth • Clan McFarlane • Australian Biographies • Trove • The Brisbane Courier • The Queenslander • Your Brisbane: Past and Present