Category Archives: MyFamily

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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Finding Sarah Ann Stewart – a DNA success story

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Phil Grass

I’ve written in the past that my Stewart ancestors (my Mother’s Mother’s family) are a bit of an enigma. Their Stewart line are sons of Kings, as confirmed by my Stewart cousin who has tested his yDNA, but by the … Continue reading →

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The Lamberts and the Great War

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Phil Grass

Last week marked 100 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of mankind, with over one million men wounded or killed. It’s a reminder to us all of the … Continue reading →

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Finding Home, the Ulster roots of John & Jane Stewart

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Phil Grass

John and Jane Stewart are my Great-Great-Grandparents, they are some of my closest and most enigmatic GG-grandparents. Close, in as much as my Grandma was a Stewart, and I carry the name Stewart as one of my middle names. Enigmatic, … Continue reading →

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Mary Barr & Thomas Cornforth of Hawnby – Ordinary Folk, Extra-ordinary Records

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Phil Grass

One of the many benefits of visiting the WhoDoYouThinkYouAre-Live! show in April was a coupon for a month’s worth of free access to the FindMyPast website (FMP). I’ve used the website in the past, but I must admit it’s been a … Continue reading →

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I wasn’t expecting that – Eliza Bowers (1832-1915)

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Phil Grass

Genealogy is a hobby of surprises, and one such surprise came this morning when I received the Marriage Certificate from Eliza Bowers (d.1915) and her husband, Horace William Basham (1833-1931). Eliza and Horace are my GG-Grandparents. I know this as … Continue reading →

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The Tucks of the Grimshoe Hundred

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Phil Grass

No, this is not a blog post about Hobbits, although you can be forgiven for thinking you might have stumbled upon a lost chapter of the Silmarillion. Indeed JRR Tolkein would have felt at home here, As a Professor of … Continue reading →

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