My Family History Pages - Introduction
My name is Ann McClean, and "Welcome" to my new Family History pages.
Why on earth did I start all this, I ask myself?
About September time in 1999, I remembered that my mother had many copious notes relating not only
to her own family history but to my father's also. We had talked many times before about putting our Family
History together but, (and does this sound familiar?) we'd never got round to it.
I also wanted to improve my computer skills and after much recommendation, downloaded the "Brother's Keeper"
database to use for recording family information.
Come November, I needed to keep myself occupied after a spell in hospital, so I began recording this information,
using initially my Birthday Book as a guide for immediate family members, (while I got used to how "Brother's Keeper"
worked!), and gradually moving on to my mother's notes.
Via the Internet I discovered the GENUKI and British Isles GenWeb pages, which in turn led me to Rootsweb and their
Mailing Lists! But my first big breakthrough came in February of this year when I was perusing the Cambridgeshire
Surnames List on GENUKI, and found, to my shock, that someone else was researching my family name - CAWTHORN -
and in the area where I was brought up - a tiny Fenland village called Christchurch, in North Cambridgeshire, U.K.
After much correspondence + help via the English-Fens Mailing List, this fellow researcher (in Australia) turned out
to be my 4th cousin, descended from my Great-Great-Grandfather's previously unknown-about elder brother!
Now you can see why I (and thousands like me) do this! I hope you will enjoy reading my family history pages;
and that you will contact me if you have information to add to what I have already here.
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Surnames - that I am researching.
History of The Fens -
Fenland Museum, Wisbech -
CAWTHORN Family pages - my father's family of Emneth, Three Holes & Christchurch, Cambridgeshire, U.K.
& Sale, Victoria, Australia.
My father served with 821 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm 1942-1946.
Two of his ships were "HMS Puncher" & "HMS Trumpeter".
Christchurch - notes about the village where my father's family have lived for over 150 years and where my brother
& I grew up.
Christchurch - Lists of Residents - transcribed
from Kelly's Directorys of Cambridgeshire for 1883, 1892, 1896, 1908 and 1925.
Transcripts of some the entries in the Christchurch Parish Registers
PALMER Family pages - my mother's family of Burwell & Wisbech, Cambs; Methwold & Hilgay, Norfolk;
Rawtenstall & Fleetwood, Lancs; and Auckland, New Zealand - and now a few other places in between!
RUSSELL Family pages - my paternal gt grandmother's family from Euximoor, Christchurch and Upwell, Cambridgeshire.
SCOTT Family pages - my paternal grandmother's family from Welney, Norfolk and Christchurch, Cambridgeshire.
SCALES Family pages - my maternal grandmother's family from Hertford & Baldock, Hertfordshire.
JOHNSTON Family pages - of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland and Kati Kati New Zealand
Churches and Chapels which feature in my family history.
Photo Gallery Albums - Nov.06 - just added a new gallery of more unknown PALMERs + old photos from Umtali, S. Rhodesia.
Newspaper Clippings, Snippets, et al
Pedigree Charts - covering CAWTHORN, SCOTT, PALMER, BERRY,WATSON, LAVENDER ......
Genealogical Chuckles - A lighthearted look at those never-ending problems!
Family History Research Links - Websites that helped me a lot when I first began my research.
Sources - Sources of original and transcribed material that have helped with my research over the past 6 1/2 years.
Index of Inns & Hotels, Taverns & Public Houses, Brewers & Maltsters + Wine & Spirit Merchants
- transcribed from "Pigot's 1839 Directory of Cambridgeshire".
In September 2003, David & I were on holiday in Honfleur in Normandy, Northern France.
Near our hotel we found 8 Commonwealth War Graves in the local civil cemetery.
I took photos of all 8 and noted the inscriptions, which can now be viewed on these new webpages.
February 2004 - The Upwell Baptist Chapel is on the the road out to Three Holes and Christchurch.
It dates from about 1840 onwards - and has a substantial cemetery. The Upwell area was a hotbed of Non-Conformism
and with this Cemetery being the only Non-Conformist Cemetery, Methodists and Baptists alike are buried there -
including many RUSSELLs, CAWTHORNS, SCOTTs, & FORTHs from my Family Tree.
The Chapel is now up for sale for redevelopment.
***
AUGUST 2005 - The damage has been done.
** AUGUST 2006 - This is what the Chapel looks like NOW NO mention of the 185+ graves,
including a WW2 War Grave
And don't forget to sign my Guest Book before you leave!
This page created August 2000
and amended/updated 18:19 14/10/2007
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