Category Archives: MyFamily

The curse of two John Smiths

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Phil Grass

Introduction As a genealogist I spent much of my time looking at how my DNA results can enable me to build a more-complete picture of my ancestry. Recently I spotted a DNA relative that was a “Shared Match” to a … Continue reading →

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The Common Ancestors of the Bainbridges of Middleham

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Phil Grass

For genealogists with British ancestors the period before Civil Registration (in 1837) and useful Census (starting with the 1841 census) records can be a challenging period. There are, for most parts of the UK mainland, Parish Registrars. The brevity of … Continue reading →

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The DNA-Secret that went to the grave too early

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Phil Grass

Combining traditional and genetic-genealogy to find an unknown family connection. Continue reading →

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The last Will and Testament of Marmaduke Wetherell, in the Parish of Croft, Gentleman in manner

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Phil Grass

This is the last Will and Testament of me Marmaduke Wetherell of Dalton in the Parish of Croft in the North Riding of the County of York Gentleman in manner. Continue reading →

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On the Origins of the Grass family Surname in the Brandon Area of Suffolk

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Phil Grass

A short guide to the six families with the surname Grass, found in the Brandon area of Suffolk in the early nineteenth century. Continue reading →

Posted in East Anglia, Genealogy, Highlights, yDNA | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Researching the Smiths of Great Ayton

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Phil Grass

Introduction When I first stated to write this (August 2020) the genetic genealogy world was at war with itself over a decision by Ancestry to remove some distant matches from peoples DNA Match List results. It’s all rather sad and … Continue reading →

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Thornborough Henges, North Yorkshire

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Phil Grass

Normally I use this blog to write about genealogy, or gin. Today I’m a little off-topic as I recently changed the blog header image and just want to explain why. Long, long ago, when I first started this blog I … Continue reading →

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John Stewart’s Other family – hiding in plain sight

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Phil Grass

Foreword: For genealogists researching British ancestors the UK Census records are a key primary source, especially for establishing core parent-child family relationships. In the following research I want to show how the censuses can sometimes provide insight into more extended-family relationships. … Continue reading →

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The Lamberts in Yorkshire

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Phil Grass

Most of my ancestors had sensible surnames, like Sturdy, Armstrong and Atkinson, so I ‘ve always been a little intrigued by my grandmother’s surname, Lambert. It had a distinctly European flavour and has always left me wondering how my Yorkshire … Continue reading →

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The Chapmans: Hawnby, Nova Scotia and Methodism

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Phil Grass

Many genealogists search for a “Gateway Ancestor”. This is an ancestor who has a well- known and documented link to other ancestors further back in time. This link is normally back to a royal line, a famous person or, for … Continue reading →

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