The elusive Joseph Harris (1857-?)

Are you a descendant of Joseph Harris who was baptised in Ratlinghope, Shropshire on 6 December 1857, son of William Harris and Eliza Blockley, Marehay? If yes, I’d love to hear from you. Or more precisely my husband would! Joseph was the older brother of his grandfather, John Harris (1866-1929), and an elusive man. Not  |  more…

Harrowing with oxen in Longhope, Orkney

The photo below shows my father’s cousin Sandy Barnett harrowing with oxen at the Lythes, Longhope, Orkney, Scotland (parish of Walls). Alexander Barnett (1907-1941), to give him his full name, was probably in his late teens or twenties at the time. That means the photo would have been taken in the 1920s or 1930s when  |  more…

Father and three sons lost at sea?

My father grew up next door to his paternal grandfather John Ross; consequently he knew a good deal about his grand-uncles and grand-aunts, siblings of that grandfather. My father would recount how the oldest brother, Walter, and his three sons were all lost at sea. Apart from Walter himself the details were rather sparse and,  |  more…

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