ruthfamilyhistory

Medieval Matters (1100-1500)

By the early 12th century, the Fitz Stephen family, early ancestors of our Gooding family, was established in Gloucestershire. Thomas Fitz Stephen (?-1120) had at least two sons, one of which, Ralph Fitz Stephen (?-?) lived in Wapley, in the south of the county and may have been a royal chamberlain. He also had atContinue reading “Medieval Matters (1100-1500)”

1066 And All That

It has taken me many years to find anyone famous within our family history, but research into our Stephens ancestors from Gloucestershire led to the discovery of a noble line dating back to Norman times. Airard Fitz Stephen (or Stephen Fitz Airard), my 29 x Great Grandfather is thought to have been born around 1036Continue reading “1066 And All That”

The Wren Family: Opportunity and Tragedy

My grandmother’s great grandmother was Eliza Sarah Ann Wren (1842-1903). Like many of my grandmother’s family, she came from a long established Kentish family, with more recent generations working as carpenters at the Chatham dockyard. Eliza was the eldest of seven children born to William Wren (1818-1900) and Eliza Lucy Rudland (1816 -1865) in Chatham.Continue reading “The Wren Family: Opportunity and Tragedy”

The Thames Link: Watermen in the 17th – 19th Centuries

My research into my grandmother’s ancestry has led to the discovery of a number of Thames watermen who plied their trade between the mid-seventeeth and early nineteenth centuries. All of them were ancestors of my grandmother’s great-great grandmother, Eliza Lucy Rudland (1816-1865) who was from a long line of Kentish families. I have been ableContinue reading “The Thames Link: Watermen in the 17th – 19th Centuries”

A Clockmaker’s Progress: George Hobart (1692 – ?)

It isn’t often that I have been able to find physical items belonging to my ancestors; even gravestones have proved elusive! However, there are several items in existence which were handcrafted by my 8 x great grandfather, George Hobart (1692 – ?), who worked as a clock and watchmaker in London in the first halfContinue reading “A Clockmaker’s Progress: George Hobart (1692 – ?)”

The Landowning Lowdells c1600-1723 : Where There’s a Will…

The Lowdell family from Chatham, Kent, were the ancestors of my grandmother’s maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Lowdell (1863 – 1925). While researching this branch of the family, I struck gold, as several of our ancestors over four generations left detailed wills which tell us more about individuals, their lives and relationships. The Lowdell (or LowdwellContinue reading “The Landowning Lowdells c1600-1723 : Where There’s a Will…”

The Elmore Family: Naval Origins

I was not aware of the Elmore family before I began researching our family history. We are descended from Louisa Elmore (1836 – 1901), who was my grandmother’s great-grandmother. I have enjoyed finding out more about this branch of the family and wanted to share what I have discovered. I have attached two family treeContinue reading “The Elmore Family: Naval Origins”

Butlands and the Great Western Railway Part 2: Other Descendents of William Ellis Butland

William Enoch Butland (1875-1939) was the oldest son of William Ellis Butland and had a particularly illustrious GWR career spanning 50 years. Like his father, he began his working life as a GWR carpenter, a job he was doing by the age of 16, in Taunton. Ten years later, he was living in Weston SuperContinue reading “Butlands and the Great Western Railway Part 2: Other Descendents of William Ellis Butland”

Butlands and the Great Western Railway Part 1: Our Direct Ancestors (1811 – 2007)

Growing up, I was aware that my grandfather, William Edwin Godfrey Butland (1909-2007) had worked for a period for the Great Western Railway, and held a lifelong love of steam engines. However, it has only been through undertaking my own research that I have discovered that the Butland family connection with the GWR actually wentContinue reading “Butlands and the Great Western Railway Part 1: Our Direct Ancestors (1811 – 2007)”

Goodings in the Armed Forces

Several of the members of the extended Gooding family were in the military and/or fought in the First World War. Our ancestor, Arthur Gooding (1878 – 1933) travelled to Dublin and enlisted with the Hussars of the Line in December 1894, claiming to be 18 years old. We know from his enlistment medical that heContinue reading “Goodings in the Armed Forces”