Family Stories

All families have stories; some stories are almost myths… did my ancestors really come from Sweden? Were they really river pilots or pirates operating out of the east coast port of King’s Lynn? Some family stories are true, although some facts may be hidden; my great-grandparents loved each other across a religious divide, but where and how did they meet? Some family stories are only revealed through census records and some genealogical detective work. I want to tell the stories of my family, and others who otherwise might be lost in the past.

Family Stories by Lois

21 years ago today!

It’s our anniversary! Twenty-one years ago,Bari and I married in Oldham. We had a small wedding and then five receptions! We had a small reception immediately after the ceremony in the Green Ash Hotel, Denshaw; several weeks later we had a similar celebration at The Old Hall, here in Uphill for family and friends down here. We had a  reception in Nutfield, Surrey for Bari’s family […]

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writing by Lois

Reigate

  These charming nineteenth or early twentieth century photographs were taken by the famous Francis Frith of Reigate for the brewers, White, Tomkins and Courage, and I would guess they were on a calendar. Reigate was the nearest large town to Bletchingley where the Colgates had lived since the middle of the nineteenth century; these places would have been very familiar to them!

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Family Stories by Lois

Dear Miss Eddy

I recently mentioned my old Latin teacher, Miss Eddy… old because she was old, she even taught my aunty at the same school nearly thirty years previously. She was a sweet old thing and rather hopeless, no doubt a brilliant Latin scholar but not very good as a teacher… but I don’t remember any trouble […]

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