Just found one of those strange connections between different bits of my tree

[KiteRunner]

Does this make sense at all? Confused - you will be!

Edward Shepherd Brown's father Edward was the brother of my g-g-g-grandfather Joseph Brown (junior), so ESB was the cousin of my g-g-grandfather Walter Horner Brown. In 1874, Edward Shepherd Brown married one Ada Caroline Lucey in Croydon.

I've just figured out that Ada's father was Thomas Lucey, born 1811, son of Thomas Lucey born 1787, who was the brother of Ann Jane Lucey, who was the grandmother of Robert Salter Bristow (my great-grandfather), who married Walter Horner Brown's daughter Alice Queenie (my great-grandmother).

But they all lived in different places! I didn't know that any of them knew each other before Robert and Queenie got married, and as far as I know, they didn't know each other after either.

I always wondered if Ada was connected to my Lucey ancestors, but never managed to figure it out before (doesn't help that the page with her parents on seems to be missing from the 1861 on ancestry.)

Think I need a break!

P.S. So if I have this right, it means that Queenie's first cousin once removed was married to Robert's second cousin.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Kate

I have one or two of these odd alliances in my tree which go back generations.

I do sometimes wonder if it was JUST coincidence (unlikely, given the geographical distances) - or whether it reflects a closer knowledge of extended family ties than we have today?

I do know my Victorian Aunties could rattle off the most complicated family relationships when talking about any given person, and time and time again, a "lodger" on a census turns out to have been connected to the family several generations before, sometimes only by marriage.

Again, I often wonder if young Johnny, determined to make his fortune in Manchester, was directed to a distant relation (Great granny's brother-in-law's uncle's sister went to Manchester - you'll be alright in digs with her, son).

OC

[KiteRunner]

Yes, but it just seems particularly strange with those two families. A bit too complicated to explain why, though. Maybe I'll find out more when I've had a chance to dig a bit more...

[Christine in Herts]

Maybe they met at some family event?

Christine

[Michael]

My Leicestershire bunch were quite keen on intermarrying - 4g-grandfather Berry Knight married Jane Carter, while Berry's sister Jane married Samuel Hart. Not only were Samuel and Jane Carter first cousins (Samuel's mother Mary Carter was Jane's father's sister), but Jane's mother's maiden name was Hart - probably related to her sister-in-law's husband, but I've yet to work out precisely how - and Jane was Berry's second wife; his first was Charlotte Hart.

[gloryer]

I tend to call this a 'loop' cos on a couple of my branches I go around in a circle!!!!
For instance my 2 great grandmother ELizabeth Gurr married James Freed. James died and Elizabeth remarried a George White.
George White's mother is Elizabeth Honeysette and her brother Robert Honeysette was James mother's 2nd Husband. i.e. James Stepfather.
So in effect Elizabeth married her deceased husbands step cousin.

I have another one but have not confirmed it yet.
Annie Pickles is related twice on my mothers side.

[KiteRunner]

Yes, I have a few others in my tree, like on a different branch my great-grandfather was married to his step-cousin. It's just that, although admittedly my grandfather knew very little about his family and didn't share much of what he did know with us, I had the impression that his mother's family and his father's family didn't know each other much and those that did know each other weren't on good terms. As I said, I'll have to dig a bit more...

[Olde Crone Holden]

Kate

My great grandfather had two brothers.

My father told me that one died relatively young and unmarried. The other brother "we don't have anything to do with him".

The relatively young and unmarried one turned out to have been married and had twins - I am now in contact with him.

The other one "we don't have anything to do with" turned out to be the face on dozens of photos taken well into the 1970s and in the possession of both my grandmother (my father's mother) and my new-found cousin.

It was, I am afraid, a case of my father not being the slightest bit interested when his mother said things like "Pamela got married" or "Jimmy's wife has had a little boy".

OC

[Harrys mum]

I once got to the point of putting all my research away as OH and I were getting closer on the tree. That would explain a lot though..lol.

My older rellies, all now gone, could also rattle off great aunts 10 times removed!!!

I have the best little video clip called "I am my own Grandpa" It is great.
If anyone wants a laugh, pm your email address.

[gloryer]

I am my own grandpa is a great little clip isnt it?

My own grandfather married his cousin, not my grandmother. I was told he married a distant cousin but since finding out it was a direct cousin. (Their parents were brother and sister.) My aunt that insisted it was a distant cousin has not been in contact...lol Mind you it took me 4 years to extract from her the persons name who he married. And even then she gave me her married name and not her maiden name.;)

[Elizabeth Herts]

My grandparents married as they met through family.

My grandmother's mother Ada Quintrell had a sister Mary Dickens Quintrell. Mary married Herbert Charles Purkis. Ada and Mary also had a brother Frank Emery Quintrell. He married Amy Louisa Purkis - you guessed it! Amy was Herbert Charles Purkis' sister!!

The father of Amy and Herbert was James Purkis (born 1840). James Purkis had a brother Joseph Thomas Purkis (born 1857). Joseph is my great-grandfather. His first child was my grandfather Cecil Henry Jeffcoat Purkis - he met my grandmother through the family connection (her mother being the Ada Quintrell above)!!

I still get confused after all these years! :o

[Helen Smith Too]

I don't think I have many 'close' marriages in my tree, but in OH's there's quite a few. I have first cousins marrying in his direct line (it reduces the number lines to trace;)), and several sets of siblings marrying siblings.

Most of his ancestors come from a small area of Yorkshire, while mine are scattered all over the north & midlands of England, but I have now found some ancestors of both of us in Tankersley at the same time. Haven't linked us yet, but I think I would like too (this is 1700s era)

[tasdev00]

Researching my Oh's family they mostly came from the Worcestershire and Essex areas.
My family are mostly London with a set of granparent's line from Scotland and another from Italy, but now I am finding one of my line going back to the same village in ESsex that one of OH's come from, with the same time period and same names, it is getting very confusing. :(

[Uncle John]

I have earlier generations of both sides of my family coming from the same area of Devon. No connection between them so far.

[Margaret in Burton]

My dad and two of his sisters married my mum and two of her cousins who were brothers.

Hence

My uncles by marriage are my 1st cousins once removed and their children are my 1st cousins on their mothers side and my 2nd cousins on their fathers side.

That also made my mum sister in law to her 1st cousins and visa versa.

My OH still doesn't understand it and just switches off.

There is nothing complicated when you have grown up with it.

[Mary from Italy]

The lady who I think was my great-grandfather's first bigamous wife had a grandson through her first husband whose wife was the fourth cousin of the mother-in-law of one of his great-granddaughters (my second cousin).

[KiteRunner]

Mary, try as I might, I can't get my head around that. I think we need a diagram!

[Mary from Italy]

I don't suppose I would have noticed, except that it was an unusual name (Everingham).

Arthur's (possible) 2nd wife Sarah had a grandson Jack through her first husband. Jack married Dorrine.

Arthur's great-granddaughter (my second cousin) through his 1st wife married a man whose mother was Dorrine's 4th cousin.

[Uncle John]

Edna's mother and Sarah's father were brother and sister.

That's a clever trick for starters, Tom. :D:D

[Barbara Dodds]

most complicated one I've found so far is in OH's tree.

Charles married Matilda, Matilda's brother John married Charles sister. With me so far? I've now found that John's son married Charles' daughter.


Other than that I strongly suspect that there is a connection between fil's ancestors on two different lines in the early 1800's, and a connection to mil as well, but that isn't proven as yet.