Genealogy Chat

I just wondered if anyone had any such myths in their families which turned out to be true? I don't know if my family myth is myth or truth but I suspect Myth. Apparently some of the family fled the French Revolution to England and set up home in Bristol. They then moved North from Bristol to Liverpool. So far I have found evidence of them moving from Bristol to Liverpool but will have a lot more detective work to do to find out the rest.

There's usually a grain of truth in family legends. But I've found that my father was given a rather grandiose version about his own family. His granny was a cook at Hampton Court - well, no, she didn't cook at the palace, she lived down the road at East Molesey and cooked for someone else! His uncle was in charge of Tilbury Docks - no, he was an assistant fireman for a few years. This is the same chap who put that his father was a 'provisions merchant' on his marriage cert, when in fact dad was a milk carrier. But you'll never know if you don't find out! nell

The myth that I have in our family is that we hale from Cornwall, my maiden name was Rowe and yes I know there are lots of Rowes from Cornwall. But all the family I have traced, come from Lancashire/ Yorkshire. Must have got lost going the long way home! Julie

I spent a fortune looking for my great grans birth c 1890 & presense on various census on Scotlands People as my mum had been insistent that she was Scottish. She wasn't, she was born in Manchester but her mum was from Aberdeen. Was just such a relief when we eventually found her!

My Grandad always told me that his grandad arrived in this country with no shoes on his feet and was given the sirname Smith as noboby understood his own.... I have yet to confirm this, but another family member has told me he was from Birmingham and his name was Sid......

LOL..to everyone so far. Mine is that the family are descendents of the French Hugenots. (NOt very surprising though cnosidering at least 250,000 fled France in the first place!) Suzanne

Most of the myths I have ''proved correct'' are sort of close to the truth, but never quite right......... Auntie Maud ran away with the postman............Well, it was her sister and he was a milkman Great-grandfather was really rich..........It was his uncle by marriage not him, though they did work together for a while, but none of the money rubbed off......... G-granddad remarried aged 94. He did remarry, but died at 82. His remarriage was at 80. Another g-granddad had no children until he was 60. He was 54. My granny said, ''That dreadful woman was my wicked stepmother''.....No, she was your biological mother, gran!! So, mostly exagerated or a bit wide of the mark, but close to correct! Merry

My mother's family always said that their father was German & born in 1873 in Bedfordshire, but I could find no evidence -other than the birth cert thay all had!!!! It turned out that they had the birth cert of their father's half brother, who died in the same year he was born!! It took about ten years to find out where they were wrong - he was raised by his aunt who was married to a German. Part truths........

Mine was that my great grandfather had died a hero in the first world war---- No he didn't, he was still alive in 1921 ( last time I can trace him ) and he didn't come back to his wife and son , and that's another long tale as they were never married So my hero/loving husband wasn't a hero who died or a loving husband!! Have no idea what he finally turned out to be after 1921, probably someone elses hsuband and father!!!

I was told that my ancestors were from Russia and jumped off a boat to get to England and swam to shore to escapt the Russian Revolution. Well Jacob married In Gorleston in 1800 and was a Sailor but came from Prussia. Not sure which revolution he was esacaping though.

Husbands great grandfather was supposed to be ship's captain in the Navy - father in law bragged constantly about it - great granddad turned out to be 'captain' of the Lowestoft Ferry! Bev x

My myth is that back in the day my gr-granfather and his brother married two sisters from near Exeter and that they came from a much better class of family and that their dad disowned them because they married for love. (very romantic story). So far I have been able to prove the two sisters two brothers bit, but as for them being rich, no luck so far.

One (unspecified) of my mother's ancestors was supposed to have worked on building the Eddystone lighthouse. No sign so far!

Family story - my grandfather's surname was incorrect - it was really a Norwegian name - TRUE, except that his father came from Prussia, not Norway! Family story - my great-aunt gave birth to illegitimate twins during WW1 - TRUE (they died). I had not given much weight to either of these stories, but if I hear any more in furture, I will!

One of ours was that we had been diddled out of land we owned on the banks of the Thames in Rotherhithe. Apparently a huge dock warehouse had been built on that land which we owned, ancestors had rented it to this company but never sold it. Well, part of luxurious docklands is built on that land now, so I could be a multi millionairess. I used to laugh about this tale. Dad said an Uncle had even spent years going through old leases and stuff to prove it. I never believed a word. Recently I came across some details of a court case in which my ancestors had 'impeded the traffic of the Thames from their mast building warehouse at 'Pitchers Point, Rotherhithe' in the early 19th century. Well, makes me wonder now! Another one, which Im glad I proved wrong, was that my GGfather on my dads side had ended up in a home for destitute seamen and had cut his throat through his sheer despair. NOPE. He died aged 87 from a heart attack, whilst living comfortably with one of his sons.

The myth in our family was my great grandfather was born in Cornwall, no he was born and bred in Durham. My grandmother was so supposed to be Spanish hence the dark features we have, no she was born and bred also in Durham. No Cornish or Spanish anywhere in the family on dads side. Regards Yvonne

Both my Mum and my Uncle (her brother) told me that their Grandparents died within a week of each other. They said when Gran died, Grandpa was so grief stricken after her funeral he sat on her grave and drank himself to death. Both my Mum and Uncle attended both funerals, and swore blind that he was found dead one morning, lying across the grave clutching a bottle of booze. I had no reason to disbelieve this tale until I ordered both death certs out of curiosity, and found out that he died 5 days BEFORE her, in hospital, although the cause of death does seem likely to be alcohol related. I have shown Mum and Uncle the death certificates, but they still maintain their version of events is true! Liz

I'm glad other people have 'stories' in their families. My grandfather was apparently diddled out of an inheritance by his father's marriage to a younger woman. Sorry folks but it was his grandfather who married a much younger woman and she later remarried owning a pub. Most intriguing is a story that I picked up from the internet posted by a Sylvia from NSW, Australia. She wanted information about Alexander McMillan from Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire. Apparently her family story about my gt gt grandfather was that he was a fisherman who was killed with his wife in a railway accident and that his brother took over the house and the 4 children - Alexander, William, Ann and one more brother walked to England. Sorry Sylvia but in spite of searching parish records in Glasgow, records in Edinburgh, I can't find this family in Scotland although I know about Alexander and Ann in England. J

Family Legends 1.G.grandfather was supposed to have died in a storm ,killed by a fork of a tree piercing his body, leaving his children orphaned. Fact: A tree fell on his tent during a storm when he and two other men ,working as timber cutters, were eating their evening meal. G.grandfather was killed instantly and found next day with a fork in his hand. 2.G.ggrandfather was a Captain in the Indian Army and married a Spanish bride. Fact: He reached the rank of sergeant twice, once 'busted' back to Private, I suspect as a result of marrying a 15 yr old girl whom I strongly suspect to have been Anglo-Indian (certainly neither her name or her father's was in the least bit Spanish) 3.Grandfather's brother was knighted by the King and the regalia was brought out to Australia for surviving relatives to see: Fact -he received the O.B.E for services as stone mason to the British Museum,on his death bed, and the bits and pieces , whatever they were, were sent out for his last remaining sibling to see. 4.We are related to the Queen's gynacologist. Fact: Someone sharing my mother's family name certainly served in that capacity. If he was a relative, it is so far back on the tree it doesn't matter. I have been in touch with a genuine relative and we can establish no immediate connection. 5. Husband's ggggrandmother chased Rob Roy Magreggor's men with a broomstick for attempting to steal the family cow: Fact? well..the family lived in Rob Roy country. As to the rest -who knows? Beverley from Perth

Bev from Perth's stories reminded me that if a family member has the same surname as someone famous, it is common for people to say they are related, but often they ''can't quite remember how''!! So, then things can go wrong for us if the famous person is no longer famous........ For instance, lets say there was a moderately famous Opera Singer called Madame Bloggs.......the Bloggs family of Ag labs tell all and sundry she is their cousin (maybe she is, maybe she isn't?!).......decades later, no one can remember Madame Bloggs, but the story about the Bloggs family being related to an opera star still remains....so we spend an age looking for Maria Callas or Mario Lanza in our trees, but don't find them!! Merry Merry