The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.48 No.1 | June 2021

Local Group Programmes

coin dated 1884 (Mary’s birth) with him for luck (Alan now has this). On his return Arthur and Mary married in Amport in September 1915. He was assigned to the ‘E6’ submarine in December 1915 but it struck a mine off Harwich which killed all the crew. Six months later, his son, also Arthur, Alan’s father, was born. So, like his mother, he never knew his father. Mary never remarried. Bob explained that his mother’s family are from the UK but his father’s side are from New Brunswick in Canada. Research is difficult and Bob recruited a professional genealogist to help him but little could be found. Using an old map, he identified land owned by brothers either side of an Indian lake near Wickham which was the family home the 1840s. Bob also took a ‘Y’ DNA test to help track his male ancestors, but the results proved to be somewhat confusing with a mixture of unexpected surnames. He has made contact with several people with DNA matches and watched some YouTube videos to help explain the results. Di told us about the research she has undertaken for the Helstrip family name in Yorkshire in the 1700s. Di has been contributing to the Guild of One-Name Studies database. Other names have cropped up, like Todd and Glover in Cleveland, through DNA testing. She noted that there has been some resultant ‘serious irregularities’ in some DNA findings that she was concerned about publishing. Terry told us about the aunt and cousin he never knew he had. Terry had received an e-mail from Karen, the daughter of an adopted lady, Ena. Karen’s DNA result suggested she and Terry were cousins, but Terry knew nothing of her. Terry’s grandparents were Henry and Edith. He was a merchant seaman. When Edith was expecting their fourth child, he went to America in 1920 to claim residency for him and family. However, he ‘jumped ship’ and never returned home. Left to bring up the family herself and living in Southampton, Edith worked on cruise liners, fostering out her four children for long periods. Ena’s birth certificate (1928) stated Edith and Henry were her parents – a lie, since Henry was in the US. Using Edith’s ship’s discharge log, it’s clear that Edith became pregnant at sea and later registered the birth as a fifth ‘legitimate’ child. Ena was immediately adopted and forgotten about. Meanwhile, Henry married bigamously and died in Florida. Terry and Karen have spoken since and she has been delighted to find some true family members Forthcoming Meetings All at 7:15pm via Zoom

’Roast Mongoose, anyone?’ How reliable are church registers?

10th June

Dennis Bill

Dennis shares some of his Family History research journey. 8th July Mixing DNA results and the paper trail Penny Walters Penny gives clear, down-to-earth tips and advice. Hopefully a ‘real’ meeting at 7:30pm 9th September Tracing your Tudor & Stuart Ancestors Gill Blanchard

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