Does the look of ancestors pass down the family line? - Jewels Vintage Vibes

Does the look of ancestors pass down the family line?

 Yes, I am still collecting old photographs and documents that have found in car boots.

However, life gets in the way and a broken printer that also scans does slow me upon publishing more blog posts. 

So here is a photograph of a child taken in the late 1930s. It is of my dad. I can however see my 3-year-old grandson in his features. 

The eyes are the same and he has that cheeky look to my eyes. But not the home cut hair look. Though I look at some of my family photographs and they look nothing like the family I have today!!  So, are we not actually related? A lot of secretive liaisons took place that were not in the marital bed. But we now have DNA which does tell the truth.

From DNA, I have an idea that my husband's great great grandfather was a Taylor (name not profession) He married someone else though! Now looking to find out why! Don't you love researching your family tree, when it is not straight forward.

Where were my ancestors buried - Jewels Vintage Vibes

 Where were my ancestors buried?

This is a question that up until recently I totally didn't think to look. Most of my family history research ended at their deaths and sometimes I found a will. But one of the resources that I did not know about was burials and the information that they could potentially give me. 

The one resource that I found very useful was the American company "Find a Grave" website owned by Ancestry. Not only does it cover worldwide grave sites - but it is free to access it. 

St Nicholas Churchyard, Elmdon, Solihull

The above headstone I photographed for the find a grave website is a memorial to the Lucas family.

 In loving memory

of
Edward Lucas
Who died 6th Oct 1906
Aged 66 years
And his beloved wife
Annie Lucas
Who died 13th March 1924
Aged 79
And their children**
Herbert Joseph died 27th November 1884 aged 14 years
Ann Maud died 3rd January 1891 aged 23 years
Charles Alfred died June 1901 aged 27 years (died in action in South Africa)

The memorial contains not only the father but name of the mother birth year and death information. It also has his children and the fact that one son died in South Africa - probably a soldier in the Boer War. For someone researching this family it has a lot of information.

Woodford, Christ Church cemetery - Stockport

The above memorial I photographed in Christ Church churchyard in Woodford, Stockport. It has Albert Ward d1949, Esther and his daughter Audrey commemorated on it.  Because Ward is one of my family names. I tend to record all Wards just in case I find a link. 

So have a look at Find A Grave and research where your ancestors final resting place was. It does tend to open up questions and visiting their graves can be very emotional. 

Early photographs of Solihull Football teams - West Midlands history

 Early photographs of two football teams in Solihull

Showing the two photographs of early West Midlands history from Solihull. I brought these two many years ago from that popular auction website. One has the Solihull FC on, the other has not. But the seller indicated that they were both Solihull football teams. 

Solihull football team 1917 - 1918. Love the oversized caps on these gentlemen. Can you recognise anyone? Some of the men are wearing the World war One wound badge. 

Solihull football team unknown date - but probably a bit earlier than the picture above. No one is wearing a wound badge so possibly pre war. I wonder how many of these men survived? Do you recognise anyone. The shirts are the same as the Solihull one above - so possibly same team. Would say the man seated on the right was a vicar. Does anyone recognise him? This photograph is still in the original frame. 
If you use these photographs on any other site = please have the curtesy to link back to this blog.  

St Stephen's Church choir in Selly Oak Birmingham 1897

A photograph of the choir of St Stephen's church, Selly Oak in Birmingham 1890 - 1897 

A few years ago I brought this old photograph of eBay. It is of the choir and the vicar with other elders of the church. They appear to be standing outside the main church door. 

Originally this Christian church was built in 1871 and amalgamated with St Wulstan's in 1980.

I have never been to this church, but the photographs online shows that it has been renovated in recent years. 

Anyway, this is a nice bit of the churches history and hopefully someone will recognise someone within this photograph.

Kenilworth Castle and ancient graffiti.

A few years ago now, I visited Kenilworth Castle. It is close to where I live but had never visited. The castle is in ruins, but is fabulous to walk around and climb the scaffolding steps to the upper floors.

The reason, we visited was to see and walk where my ancestors had. I had discovered that my Scottish great-great grandmother had only been born in Edinburgh. In fact her family had travelled from Kenilworth, where they had originated from. No mean feat for the early 1800s. The above photograph was taken in the lovely Elizabethan garden showing some of the ruins.

  

Kenilworth Castle

The castle had apparently lay in ruins from around the 1600's, when it became known as Castle Farm. This gave rise to easy access for many to the ruins themselves. It was a tourist attraction from very early on. With many visitors taking to carving their names in the remaining stone. Some of the names were dated - so here are a few pictures 

Kenilworth Castle gardens 

Just readable on the graffiti - 1872 Milly

Another view of the gardens at Kenilworth Castle

Some of the stonework remining of the castle

View over the gardens

More open brickwork of the castle

Think this is A Rainsforth 1887.

Views of the terrace from the garden

More of the remaining brickwork

Views of the garden from inside the castle remains

R F and P F 1944 I think.

Ian and Ruby 2015, WBD 1806

D Beal 1808 I think. Many other graffiti above. 

BFCK 1877

MH 1868, JH, J M Hayward, CEO, S, 1935.

LMP 19/69, AO JE, HC 80, RF,

Lots of jumbled letters here. Some look like Roman numerals

A clearer picture from earlier RF PF 1944. I wonder if they and their love survived the war.

FCB JH  16/8/44 another end of war love affair. Where are they now? 

WFS 1817

Can't work a lot of this out other than maybe 1945

Cindy and Guy 1983, 

HVV 1871, Lee N P???, HT, LHHP

JD DOR, HF, Silas Alamicitram ordery HR Feoit.

WA New York 1871

WE 1908

AB 1894

AR 1859

Bob Grindle 1850

IS LH 1870

D Smith C Kennelly

TH 1940

W Stuart 1850

MJT 1944

WB Dent

Tony 2005

1940

J Booth

Most of the letters are worn. But this is just a small sample of the graffiti that covers the brick work around the ruins of the castle. Some dates are very old. Others just a few years ago. And no I haven't seen any with Leeson on dating from the late 1700s to early 1800s.