My first recollection of genealogy was walking through a cemetery, with my Grandmother reading headstones. (It ran in the family, many years later I found an old headstone in my Great Aunt's front yard and no one knew what to do with it- so we left it there).
These were the days before www. when a quiet Sunday stroll turned into a live history lesson and started my addiction to genealogy. My Grandmother died when I was 12 but she left me a legacy she never dreamt of, the love of family and of trying to find where we came from.
My real search started in the 1970's, but I was lucky many of my Cox family were known to me even though they had been dead for many years. G/grandfather, Uncle Harry, Aunties Carrie, Kitty, Lily etc were all commonly spoken about. Ah, the days before television when Sunday lunch was a big family affair and although children only spoke when spoken to- we listened and learned. My Coles side was not as easy my Grandfather- the connection, had died during the war, but still names were mentioned and although cousins (my mother's generation) had gone their own ways when contact was made, it was if time had stood still.
I dedicate this site to my Grandmother (Nellie Isabelle), my Great Aunt Io and 2nd cousin Margaret Coles for them helping me on my voyage and leaving me such a vast amount of knowledge.
To my husband John my thanks for your patience, understanding and love.
Genealogy is a frustrating hobby and I thank all my ancestors for allowing me a little peek into your lives. To those of you that visit this site, don't just read - enjoy, dream and please remember those that went before.
After you have refreshed your memory of our family I would be very grateful if you would sign the guest book.
Robyn
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The COLES family has been extended, so many more than what we knew. Amazing really. Proof and more information has come to light thanks to Russell and his UK visit. But as with everything in genealogy it opens up a whole new can of worms in this case the Adam/s family in Cannongate, Midlothian, Scotland. At least I can't call these "brick walls" they are twigs to put onto the tree for other people to find.
I have just added more info on the COLES family - Catherine Coles sister to my gg grandfather Henry Boyde. This line has not been proved entirely but the coincidences are too many to ignore. Catherine Coles arrived in Aust. in 1838 accompanied by a Mrs. Coles and a Miss Harriet Coles (the 1841 English census shows Elizabeth Coles, Henry and a Harriet Coles aged 8). Catherine married in 1842 to the convict Richard Evans their son John married the great niece of Henry Boyde. Catherine and her husband moved to Victoria where the other Coles relatives lived. We know that the son of Henry Boyde always stopped into Victoria when he travelled back to England and he met and married his wife in Victoria. Catherine's husband and the husband of Henry's niece worked the goldfields together and finally Catherine's death certificate shows her mother as Elizabeth Coles formerly Adams although the father's name and occupation were incorrect but Benjamin had died way back in 1815 when Catherine was only a small child so it is highly likely that the informant (her son) did not know anything about his grandfather. One of her sons was named Henry possibly after her brother that had helped raise her.
Thanks to DNA testing this line is now proved and at Christmas had the pleasure of meeting some of my new cousins. Some still live on the property of "Coleslea" in Victoria.
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I had always thought that any Irish research into my GEE family would be almost useless and was resigned to accepting that my 3x G/grandmother would never have parents or siblings and the family stories would be all we knew of them. Then amazingly I fell over a man in Canada researching a Gee family from Waterford, Ireland. There is no absolute proof at this time but the names, dates and places all match. I have included it all on the tree and hopefully in time the proof will be found.
Of course this gives me hope that somewhere I will find information on her husband and the COX family.
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My SKENE family, when will we genealogists learn to think outside the box. Iam as sure as I can be that I have finally, after many years connected my GGGgrandfather Arthur Skene with the rest of the very large Skene Clan.
For the full Skene tree go to
www.skene.tribalpages.com
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A very special thank you to Ruth MacLure of Causewayend Farm, Fintray, Aberdeen. Ruth lives on the farm where Latch (Skene family) was located and has been a great help in finding and working out some of the connections with the Skenes. Thanks also to Ruth's children who are being dragged around cemeteries and they are not even related.
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I would like to add in here my heartfelt thanks to Phil Jenkinson for his wonderful and gracious help on the HOSKING/FOSS family. If only all my research could be as easy. Phil as us Aussies would say 'your bloods worth bottling' many,many thanks. My thanks also to Tribal Pages for your wonderful site that allows so many of us from different parts of the world to have contact.
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Thanks also to the Modbury Historical Society for permission to use photos from the Baker Collection and to Simon Lewis for permission to use photos of the Devon area (www.westcountryviews.co.uk).
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A special thank you goes to Barry and June Bullivant for their contribution to this web site with the history of the Fulton family both the story and family tree. Although my husband is not officially a Fulton I thought it was important that this information should be made available to those of his family that are. ---------------------
ATTENTION: for those following the FOX/CROCKER line - there are a lot of discrepencies in this line so I am leaving it for the moment whilst I follow up some leads to hopefully rectify these problems. The line seems to be correct to Sir John Croker (d1508) and Elizabeth Fortescue.
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My latest venture is to look into my husbands SMITH family - don't laugh. I had some clues e.g. knowing they came from a long line of John Smiths (oh dear) - but I succeeded and have managed to get them back to 1813. Now all I have to do is convince other people that they are putting two(2) separate families together, not an easy job.
Robyn