How Many Swallows?

 This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Conflicting Clues” (it is a prompt from earlier in the year but I am only just getting around to writing the story).  It is my attempt to untangle the Swallow branch on my family tree by telling the story of my ancestor Hannah Woodcock.

Hannah Woodcock was, I think, born around 1697 in Birstall, Yorkshire, and baptised in the Birstall Parish church on 10 October 1697.  She was the daughter of William Woodcock and Elizabeth.  I am still searching for more details about William and Elizabeth, including their marriage.  The only marriage of a likely date that I can find took place in Finningley, Nottinghamshire, quite a distance away and it seems to be a different family. I do know William and Elizabeth had at least eight children all baptised at Birstall: John (born about 1692), William (born about 1693), Joseph (born about 1695), Hannah, Mary (born about 1700), Benjamin (born about 1702), Joshua (born about 1704) and Sarah (born about 1708).  The Birstall records for the period are difficult to read and are not well indexed, so I might have missed some.  I do not know any more about their lives as I haven’t found any other records.

A Shore Thing

The inspiration for this story is the #52Ancestors prompt “Unexpected”. I have come across many unexpected and surprising stories while researching my family history, so there is plenty of choice.

I discovered my ancestor Elizabeth Shore many years ago, but I only recently discovered her birth and the story of her childhood family because it did not take place where I expected.

A Somerset Family

Elizabeth Shore married Jesse Flower on 14 June 1770 at the parish church of Farmborough, Somerset, by licence.  One of the witnesses was James Tidcombe; when I first found this record, the name did not seem significant.  Elizabeth put a mark in the marriage register, whereas Jesse signed his name.

James Tidcombe's significant signature

Family Connections

The prompt for this post is “A Breakthrough Moment”.

A few weeks ago, I decided to investigate my somewhat mysterious ancestor, Susannah Hobson.  Susannah Hobson married Eden Davies* in 1781, in Passenham, Northamptonshire, England.  It was the second marriage for both.  I am descended from their daughter Elizabeth. 

One method for investigating family history is to look at their family, associates and neighbours (known as the FAN club), so I had a closer look at Susannah’s son from her first marriage (to Francis Cull), Richard Cull.  I discovered that Richard Cull moved from Passenham to Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, which distracted me away from Susannah Hobson.

Vintage Map Collage, Copilot generated 27 Jan 2026

Reputation

AI Generated image of records
to represent my research

The prompt for this post is “Legal Troubles” and I have decided to look at a civil matter, rather than a criminal one (and yes, I had a choice).

One Saturday, way back in 1590, in Winstone, Gloucestershire, England, a Hugh Coles allegedly announced to around 20 parishioners that he would “spur” the priest, Mr John Haviland*, my ancestor.  Hugh Coles had also at some point called John Haviland a blood sucker and had shaken fists at him. Consequently, John Haviland sued Hugh Coles and a Thomas Combes for defamation.  A witness statement from Richard Daffy of Winstone, age 23, survives. I do not know the outcome of the case and it was only the beginning of John’s legal problems.

A Comfortable Name

 The prompt for this blog is “favourite name”.

I have a few favourite names in my family tree, Parthenia Wines Flower being one, but Parthenia was not my direct ancestor. So, I have chosen to write about my ancestor Comfort Maisey*.

Comfort Maisey was born around 1713, in Bagendon, Gloucestershire, England, and was baptised in the parish church on 21 June 1713.  Bagendon is a picturesque Cotswold village.  

DNA Discovery

The prompt for this blog post is “DNA”.

For many years, my ancestor, William McDonald of Glasgow, was something of a mystery to me.

What I did know was that William McDonald married Margaret Bowie of Hutchesontown, Glasgow, on 11 December 1824 in Gorbals. William and Margaret had three children: Elizabeth Harvey* McDonald (my ancestor), Salis Schwabe McDonald and Margaret McDonald.  Salis Schwabe was named after a German Industrialist who had businesses in Glasgow and Manchester.  Sadly, Margaret McDonald nee Bowie died sometime between 1833 and 1838, leaving William a widower with three young children.

Yorkshire to Sydney by Clipper

This story is inspired by the 52 Ancestors prompt “Migration”, and it also covers the recent prompt “Surprise”.

Yorkshire

Joseph Lees was born 23 August 1830 in the village of Gomersal, in Yorkshire, England.  Baptised on 10 October 1830, in Birstall Parish Church, he was the son of William Lees, a clothier, and his wife Rachel nee Gomersal.  A clothier was someone who made and sold cloth and it was a common occupation in West Yorkshire; I have several clothier ancestors.  With the growth of mechanised mills, William eventually moved to working in a mill as a billy spinner.

Joseph Lees was the youngest of six known children of William and Rachel.  His older siblings were Mary, William, Samuel, Rachel Gomersal and Sarah.  Joseph would not have known any of his grandparents, three died before he was born and the fourth died when he was less than a year old.

The Lees children all appear to have been educated, those who married signed the marriage register with a confident signature.

In 1841, Joseph and his brother Samuel were living in the household of a Thomas Sigston, a retired Cloth Manufacture. Next door was their uncle, Edward Gomersal, Rachel’s only known surviving sibling.  The rest of the Lees family, except for brother William, lived on the other side of Uncle Edward.  Brother William was newly married to Martha Firth.