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Daniel Flood – Devonshire hatter
by Christine Swan I have previously written of my great, great grandmother Mary Flood of Southwark who married William Henry Apthorp, coachsmith and wheelwright, in the grand church of St George’s Hanover Square. In…
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A visit to the Museum of the Home
By Christine Swan Last weekend, the London weather was gorgeous. I decided to walk from Southwark to Kingsland Road, Hackney. Walking across London Bridge I walked along Borough High Street, past the George Inn,…
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Top tips for researching your family tree
By Christine Swan I have been researching my family tree for almost twenty five years. In that time, I have lost a number of close relatives, some still to painful to record in my…
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Charlie Apthorp – the grandfather I never met
by Christine Swan My maternal grandfather died before I was born. When my mother became incapacitated by a stroke, I spent many hours talking over cups of tea, about old times, and the characters…
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A weekend in London
By Christine Swan Last weekend was the beginning of a spell of good weather, which thankfully, continued into this week. Before I left for London, a bee swarm settled in my neighbour’s garden which…
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My trip to Antwerp
By Christine Swan As I posted previously, I recently discovered that I had ancestral routes in the Belgian city of Antwerp. However, I wanted to discover what else the modern city had to offer.…
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Corneille Le Sedt – Belgian textile dyer
By Christine Swan I love exploring the places where my ancestors lived and worked, and it has been a great pleasure to discover my links with the mainland. Last week, I set off for…
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Esther Deighton – death’s companion
By Christine Swan In another time, Esther Deighton would perhaps have trained as a nurse. Throughout her life, she served others, sometimes at the very end of their lives. How do I know this,…
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When helplines fail to be helpful
By Christine Swan I had no intention of writing this piece today. In fact, I had another post in planning but events have rather taken over. I want to talk to you about customer…
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Edwin James Taylor – Pioneer
By Christine Swan My grandfather’s generation were less inclined to travel, unless they were wealthy, in the military, or seeking a better life elsewhere. The latter was the driver for Edwin James Taylor, the…
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John Thomas English – Carman from South of the River
By Christine Swan There is a little house in Curtain Road, Shoreditch, that I walk past every time I visit. Much like Ebenezer Scrooge’s house, it appears as if it ran up Curtain Road…
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The Despaigne family of Lille
By Christine Swan Last year, I visited Lille at Easter. It is one of two French cities that are very easy to reach from the UK. The entire journey only takes about ninety minutes…
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