My Paternal Grandfather was one of eight children born to Henry and Sarah Dray, nee Ashby, and they hailed from the East Sussex area.
Most of Grandfather's siblings had the Ashby name included in their Christian names but Grandfather did not. He had the rather exotic middle name of Dewarrin, first name Harry. His younger brother was Frank Orlando Ashby Dray, and I don't think that he was a marmalade cat either, but an interesting man I would loved to have known and probably the 'black sheep' of the family!
So we really have two puzzles. 1) Why was Harrt denied the Ashby name and 2) where on earth did Dewarrin come from. I can find no trace of the name at all. I have the Ashby tree back as far as 1760 and can find nothing in that lot (big family, the Ashbys). I cannot get back with any certainty past Harry's father Henry, although if I can reconcile some dates I might get catapulted back a couple of centuries. Henry just seems to dissappear as well, so he is a bit of a mystery.
Sorry, I have rambled on a bit, but any thoughts from you clued up and helpful people whould be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
Most of Grandfather's siblings had the Ashby name included in their Christian names but Grandfather did not. He had the rather exotic middle name of Dewarrin, first name Harry. His younger brother was Frank Orlando Ashby Dray, and I don't think that he was a marmalade cat either, but an interesting man I would loved to have known and probably the 'black sheep' of the family!
So we really have two puzzles. 1) Why was Harrt denied the Ashby name and 2) where on earth did Dewarrin come from. I can find no trace of the name at all. I have the Ashby tree back as far as 1760 and can find nothing in that lot (big family, the Ashbys). I cannot get back with any certainty past Harry's father Henry, although if I can reconcile some dates I might get catapulted back a couple of centuries. Henry just seems to dissappear as well, so he is a bit of a mystery.
Sorry, I have rambled on a bit, but any thoughts from you clued up and helpful people whould be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
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