I looked once more at Ella May's genealogy, she having asked me to look at her Shaw's. These Shaw's had now been summed up as the 'Shaw mystery', like who were they and where were they from. She wanted me to help her solve this. I indulged in researching this till late, not making much progress at all. All was stuck on her great grandfather, Robert Shaw of Keighley. It took Ella May's connecting with her great aunt Marnie to at last discover Robert Shaw's fathers name, Septimus Shaw, a good rare first name, albeit with a common surname. And so I found the family at last, who it turned out had lived between the two counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. There were two reasons why I had not sussed this out before: Firstly, Ella May's mother had thought Robert Shaw to be Scottish. Secondly, the only record I had found a likely Robert Shaw, in the 1939 register, had incorrectly recorded his year of birth, like really way out, although with his real birthday. I now discovered that Robert, unbeknown to his current family, had married before making his life with the known Mary Lingwood, to a Julia who had died young, and that his father, Septimus, had been a fine singer and a much loved presence in Nelson's Wesleyan chapel. As was written of Septimus Shaw an an obituary: 'Mr Shaw came to Nelson from Bingley 45 years ago and... having musical inclinations and a good tenor voice, he was asked to join the (Wesleyan chapel) choir, of which he was member and leader for many years, and he did much to develop the musical talents of those who came under his intuition. Cheerful in disposition he was much loved by the young folks and he will be greatly missed... (being) held him in high regard. ' Of Ella May's Lingwoods, there was a lineage of illegitimates.
In general these families were weavers mill workers, and from as young as 12 years of age would begin such work, although Robert Shaw had opted out from that and instead taken on the profession of a baker and confectioner.
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![]() A request has come from Ella May, wanting me to look into her ancestral line of Spurgeons of Lowestoft, within which she is keen to find a link to a famous preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. So I delved deeply into her Spurgeons, and yet even going back quite far didn't find this link, even though her family have told her this is a real connection. I do find tales of a fishing family by the sea, which I get absorbed in, but if there is a connection to the preacher then it is way further back. I found news about Ella May's Lowestoft ancestors saving lives at sea, one being a child, who though as if perished, was brought back to life by being laid down in bed with the warmth of a naked local lady, hero's all of them. And further back, one of her greats was prosecuted for what were called 'sodomitical practises' with another man, for which a prison sentence was in order. This was all on her mothers side. Her fathers side looks well dodgy, being prosecuted for this or that, or suing others. They were Barnsley farmers, ill treating their animals, adulterating the milk they sold, lying, stealing; quite a bunch. No matter what fines they kept paying, they accumulated quite some wealth. I discovered some interesting family for Ella May, her Steed's, who for a while were in Boulogne in France, after which came prison in London, the wife and children having to resort to the workhouse, after which one of the sons, Harry, became a theatrical agent, acting, singing, comedy and burlesque, running a theatre in Tottenham, and mentions in the papers for playing well the part of a pirate in Robinson Crusoe. Harry's wife, Josephine Minnie, was one of a bunch of women sentenced to a stint in prison for obscene language. One of their sons was given the middle name Shakespeare, having been born in Stratford on Avon to this acting family. Ella May had heard about them, though didn't know such detail. AuthorSusie Harrison and her hobby of genealogy, always looking into her own and her friends family trees.
It does turn out that Ella May is of gypsy origin anyway, as her natural father does later confirm when she chats to him on the matter. He told Ella that his granny Blanche Steed who lived for some time in an old train carriage would lie in bed during the day, visited by people who wanted their fortunes told. AuthorSusie Harrison and her hobby of genealogy, always looking into her own and her friends family trees. Amazingly my mum messaged me she had done the DNA test I'd sent her, and that she would post it off today. Also, a friend Ella May had also been inspired by me to do the test. So this appeared all well, only for my mum to later phone up, saying the post office refused to send the DNA sample to America. The fussy lady there announced that this was 'human body parts' which was illegal to send, and even her manager backed her up in this. Ella May, contrastingly, send hers off no problem, labelling her package 'DNA sample'. I recommended to mum she try a different post office and she said she'd try again tomorrow. After a couple of days my mum succeeded in sending her DNA off, using a special label printed out from America. AuthorSusie Harrison and her hobby of genealogy, always looking into her own and her friends family trees. |
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