The Hampshire Family Historian | Volume 50 No.1 | June 2023

Member’s article

Whoever fathered my Nanna had probably been born between 1830 and 1860 and was likely to have been living in London in 1880, helpfully close to the 1881 census. And I struck gold! Elizabeth had a great grandfather Richard living in London in the 1881 census, born in 1840 and listed as a butler at 17 Upper Brook Street off Park Lane. No other relation of hers was anywhere near London or Suffolk where Ellen’s parents lived in 1881. DNA does not lie so this had to be how Elizabeth and I were connected as second cousins. Through Ancestry I was able to contact Elizabeth and tell her, somewhat apprehensively, of what I had found. Her response was delight that through the wonders of DNA we had discovered a relationship of which we would otherwise never have been aware. To complete the story, Richard was a married man with two children so had no possibility of making an honest woman of Ellen, even if he had wanted to. Ellen was fortunate to have kind and loving parents willing to accept her and her baby and when she married George, he accepted her daughter and brought her up as the ‘big sister’ of his and Ellen’s growing brood of children. It may be worth giving a Health Warning to anyone who is thinking about taking a test. Some contacts may concern current relatives and cause you more than a little heart searching. Few of us know all about our cousins or aunts and uncles and DNA can reveal events that have been kept hidden or of which those involved are unaware. You may be contacted by someone seeking their birth mother or father and a relative seems to be

Nanna in the 1950’s

the likely person although you have no knowledge of such an event. You will have to think long and hard before passing on any information for once it is told it cannot be untold. You may find your own ethnicity is not what you expected. Why is there no Irish link when you had always thought your great grandfather came from Ireland? When you think about what problems may arise from investigating your DNA you may decide that rather than going on a voyage of discovery you would rather keep your feet firmly on the

quayside. The choice is yours! Judy Kimber (Member #469)

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