My Cotswolds Connections :The Horse and Groom Inn, Upper Oddington, Gloucestershire

Upper Oddington, Gloucestershire is the type of village that Americans think of  when conjuring up an iconic image of  "British Village Life" . Sunshine glints from the golden hand hewn stone buildings. Tidy flowering gardens with fruit trees adorn the ancient Grade II listed homes which cluster between farmlands where sheep and fat spotted pigs graze. The 500 or so residents  have a Village Hall, a Womens Institute an "Old" and a "New" Church:the old being Norman in origin and built about 1100 and the new having been built in 1852. At the heart of the village is the local Public House "The Horse and Groom" and this is where my story takes me.

The Horse and Groom is a functioning pub with rooms which has been serving the locals in some capacity since the mid 1600's. I am descended from the Bould family who lived here and welcomed weary travelers since at least 1690 until its sale in 1898. It has taken me more than a decade to collect enough documents to put together the story of my familys time in Upper Oddington. This has included the usual birth, marriage and death certificates, land deeds, poll taxes, church visitations. old maps , antiquarian books and early newspapers. My favorite part of the research was visiting the village in person, traipsing around the cemetery at the Church of St. Nicholas , sitting in the family pew and of course stopping in for Steak and Ale Pie at the Horse and Groom.

Simon Jackson and his lovely wife were the owners on the occasions when I visited. They gave me the grand tour and shared anecdotes about the recent history of the place. I was surprised to find that the pub no longer had a cellar. The cellar figured prominently in the documents I had.This was where they brewed their own recipe of ale. The ale was served in the pub and there is a connection to another direct ancestor named Breakspeare associated with the brew house. Purveyors of brew will know the name. The particulars of sale of the property from 1898 describe the location of the cellar. After comparing notes we discovered that a large dip in the land behind the building (which Simon had thought was at one time a pond,) was actually where soil had been removed to fill in the cellar. Below is an 1898 description of the property which included land depicted on the map below.

A document search performed for me by author and genealogist Elizabeth Jacks of the Gloucestershire Archives turned up several maps including this one from more than a century earlier. Comparing it to a modern day Google Earth map is astounding as the village has seen very little significant changes in the landscape.

1787 Map of Upper Oddington

The 2017 Google Earth Map of Upper Oddington

 By 1841 the Bould family were no longer listed as Yeoman in the censuses as they had been since early records and the interest by the current generation in being publicans seemed to wane. Johnathon Bould passed away in 1848 and his wife Lousia ran the pub for another 29 years. Mary Bould Baker was left the properties at Louisas' death in 1877. Mary rented them to various tenants. She neglected to pay the inheritance taxes and there are many years of litigation between her and the tax board. Fortunately, she married an attorney who was able to straighten it out and she held onto the property until 1898 at which time it went up for sale. My gggrandfather Richard Bould took his inheritance and came to the United States in 1850 settling in New London ,Ohio. Once there he bought 80 acres of land to farm, several town plots on which he built houses and a property to run as a pub. His eldest son William served in the American Civil War and later ran the pub alongside him. His youngest son George was my ggrandfather.

 In 2016 the H & G changed hands and I understand the new owners are doing a fabulous job of maintaining the historic atmosphere and adding their own flair to the menu. I can hardly wait for my next visit!


I wonder if they have met the resident ghost? More tales to come!

Auction of the Horse and Groom, Upper Oddington, Glos. 1898

Note: The Bould family spelled their names a number of ways including Bowles, Bowls,and Bolds. For simplicity I have used the spelling most commonly seen at the time.

The Glamorous Genealogist visiting the Ancestral PUB!

The National Archives and The 1939 Registers

Before the UK became embroiled in WWII, the British Government made a record of  the civilian population for the purposes of controlling rationing and issuing identity cards. Beginning 29 September 1939 every individual was asked to register. Name, sex, age, occupation, address, marital status and military service, if any, was recorded.
These registration records fill the gaps for historians and family researches because there was no census taken in the UK in 1941 and the census records from 1931 were destroyed. Findmypast.com and The National Archives are working together to digitize and publish these records and expect to have them available in two years. You can sign up Here  to be notified when the records become available.
If you are desperate for information and cannot wait the two years for a record, they are available for purchase individually through the Health and Social Care Information Centre

World War II era Ration Books

World War II era Identity Card

A Bit of the Irish

If you, like myself and many others, suspect that you have a little or a lot of Irish ancestry, than this is the month to research it.

Ancestry.com is offering free records from Ireland until midnight on March 17th.  http://tinyurl.com/FreeIrishRecordsForAll

There are many other resources available.

The Family History Library Catalog now has many books and genealogy references digitized.

I went to the site and searched for the surname MacDonald, a name in my tree. 795 matching

publications were returned. Some of the publications offered an online viewing saying "To view a digital version of this article click here" and offered page  images such as this 

while others forwarded me to World Cat to search for a library to borrow or view the texts. It is certainly worth while to spend some time at Family Search to see what is available.

Using the same name MacDonald, I went to the Ellis Island Website . My search returned 3834 results!20 million people passed through  Ellis Island  between 1892-1924 The website has ship manifests, ship images and passenger lists. 

The National Library of Ireland is another resource which is not to be overlooked.

as well as The National Archives of Ireland. Check out  The Irish Genalogical Research Society
and on Rootsweb search the  Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland.

Enjoy the journey of searching for your Irish ancestors!

Thank you for stopping by!

The Glamorous Genealogist

Using "Google Alerts" to Enhance your Research

Using "Google Alerts" As A Genealogical Tool

One of many helpful resources for genealogists is Google Alerts.

Using this address www.google.com/alerts will lead you to a page which looks like this.

In the search query box , enter the word you would like to be notified of, for example a family surname or the name of a town or village where they lived. You can choose to have daily notifications via your inbox or via a feed or you may choose only weekly notifications to your inbox.

You can choose the type of location that you want this information to be culled from such as news, blogs, or everything published on the web. You can create multiple alerts.

Google Alerts works very well if you are researching less common names but does not work as well if you are researching surnames with frequent occurrences like "Smith" or "Miller".

I am fortunate to have some names which are less frequently occurring such as my married name of Meentzen. . Only this week I was notified of an international online auction listing. When I went to check it out, I found that it was something I had been searching for for some years. My father in law, Carl Meentzen, had cigars made with his name and his company name on the labels. I had heard of these but had not found one. This site had photos of 5 different cigar labels with his name on them. It is of course now my goal to try to acquire these mementos.

If you have an ancestor who owned any sort of company, was a merchant or a professional who used advertising tools, you may have success with this as well. I was notified of a worldwide Ebay auction and was able to acquire other advertising pieces from this same line of the family.

Family Advertising, a calendar would have been in the center.

You may get lucky and find another relative researching your same family line and you can share data and swap photos as I did. I found a name frequently popping up in association with one of my alert names. I contacted him and we realized that we were 2nd cousins. We were able not only to share information, but also to meet , visit a family cemetery, share family photos and have lunch; An excellent day for a genealogist!

I have Google Alerts set for some of the more unusually named villages in England where my paternal grandfathers family is from including the village of Oddington. I get the occasional alert from this name search, but from that I have been alerted to an old family home for sale. I  went to the realtor listing website and downloaded the interior and exterior photos for my files. It was not as good as being there but was a tolerable substitute!

A home once owned by my ancestors

Enjoy using Google Alerts and I hope you have success!

Thank you for stopping by.

The Glamorous Genealogist

The Campaign to Open Historic Registers and Eliminate Additional Fees Is Underway

The Campaign to Open Historic Registers and Eliminate Additional Fees Is Underway

Ordering of birth , marriage and death records is currently under the control of the General Register Office in England.  The GRO charges for these records and there is an additional charge if they are sent Priority mail. There are many who believe that these items are their rightful heritage and that they should have  access to them at no expense. They are campaigning to have the records transferred to the National Archives where they can be more freely accessed.

Many of us have used the U.K resources of the National Archives "Access to Archives"

 website for the locating and ordering of wills, deeds, and vital records. I have frequently found the answers to many genealogical questions by ordering documents here and have been pleased with the service and the results.  . http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/

Photo by William Hoiles, Baskin NJ

The Rootsweb list 'Legal England and Wales' reports:

"There is a campaign to get the Historic Birth, Marriage and Death registers

open to the public without having to purchase certificates.

This could be done by either transferring the centralized registers held by

the GRO to the National Archive or by transferring the registers held by

superintendent registrars to the County Record Offices.

In addition a number of commercial companies would be willing to digitise

the registers allowing them to be available online and also available at the

archives free of charge."

The goal is to make these records free and accessible and they urge genealogists to spread the word. If you live in the UK and have an interest, they recommend that you contact your local MP.

More information from the campaigns website can be accessed  HERE

Helpful Links
FREE BMD
My Facebook Page
U.S. Genweb
Rootsweb World Connect

Thank you for stopping by!

The Glamorous Genealogist

Researching Dutch American Ancestors

A Starter Pack for Dutch American Research!

I began researching my Dutch ancestry about 20 years ago. It is the line of my grandmother Eva Bradt. Her 6th great grandfather was the Norwegian  Albert Andreissen Bradt (1607-1686) who owned the mill on the Normanskil River in New Netherlands.He lived among the Dutch settlers and his children married within the Dutch community.He was a fur trapper and trader, a land owner,briefly a tobacco grower and by all accounts a tough as nails, litigious character. His brother Arent is the one who shines most brightly in historical accounts, however I find my line to be equally as intriguing.

The Memorandum Book of Anthony De Hooges has a translation online at  the New Netherlands Institute

As I began researching my Dutch ancestors it became clear that many had gone before me on this task.I have to say that I relied heavily on the meticulous work of some family historians who did the leg work of researching documents long before computer genealogy was one of the countries most popular hobbies.

 If you are researching your Dutch American ancestors, here are a few tips and links which my help you to develop your tree. Because this is such a well documented group of people, I recommend starting with Family Associations.

Here are some examples of Family Associations of my Dutch Ancestor Surnames:

Van Aken/ Van Auken  Association Website    

Bradt/ Brott/ Brat Family Association  

Fonda Family Society     

The Wynkoop Library  

The Swartwout Family Association   

Quakenbush Family Genealogy 

The Decker Family Association

Ostrander Family Association

Some Family Associations have added Facebook Pages such as these:

The Van Sickle Family Association

Depuy and Broadhead Family Association  

Once you find an association that relates to your family line, it is helpful to everyone if you make contact with them and give them the information of your branch of the tree. Some groups have reunions. historical tours and newsletters which can be a terrific source of networking. People who belong to these associations usually have a strong dedication to building and perpetuating the family  heritage and I have found them to be very helpful.

Books Online

There are numerous free book resources on the web  such as the National Archives and Google Books which can help with Dutch Genealogy Research. Primary resources are essential for accurate research, but books can bring ancestors to life via anecdotes, stories of adventures and maps or later photos of their homes and lands.Here are some examples of books that relate to Dutch research.

Baptismal and Marriage Records of The Old Dutch Church at Kingston by Roswell Randall Loes

Op Dyke  Genealogy by Charles Wilson Opdyke

A brief and true narrative of the hostile conduct of the barbarous Katives towards the Dutch nation Translated by E.B. O’Callahan

A History of The Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times by Prof. J. Pearson

The Van Rensealler Family by  W.W. Spooner 

A History of the Van Sickle Family, in the United States of America  .By John Waddell Van Sickle  

A History of Deerpark In Orange New York by Peter E. Gumaer

Minisink Valley Reformed Dutch Church Records by the Genealogy Society of Sussex

A History of the Minisink Region by Charles Stickney

Photo from the book  Dutch Houses of the Hudson River Valley by [Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. Depicted are my Van Aken ancestors in the front yard of their home circa 1870 in Esopus,N.Y.

Search The Library of Congress Photo Archive and you may find a gem like this: A photo of the barn of my 8th great grandfather Johannes Decker.

Wallkill, Ulster, New York

Links

There are many free to view websites which are excellent sources for Dutch American research.
Hear Dutch Here

The Hudson River Valley Institute

The Genealogy Society of New Jersey

Rensselear County Website

Search able New Jersey State Archives

Schenectady Digital History Archive

The New Netherlands Institute

The Town Of Neversink

The Holland Society of New York

New York Public Library

The 1609 Exhibition features the "Distinctly Dutch" influence on culture, food, furnishings and more. See the online exhibit Here

Hudson River Historic View Flyover

I hope that this little starter pack of Dutch American genealogy inspires you to find out more about your heritage.



Thank you for stopping by! The Glamorous Genealogist!

Thomas Bond of Lancashire England : Quakers To America

Above : Lancaster Castle where numerous Quakers were imprisoned, including my 9th great grandfather Thomas Bond.

If you are researching Quaker ancestors, you are in luck. Generally speaking, this is an easier genealogical task than most because the Quakers kept excellent records of births , marriages/banns, deaths and misbehavior. Following is a brief history of some of my ancestors who were followers of the Quaker faith A  list of  free links are included so that you can research your Quaker ancestors as well.

Thomas Bond: The Bond Family and Quaker Origins

Thomas Bond , my 9th great grandfather ,was born in Woodacre, Lancashire, England in 1630. A wealthy iron monger**, he published some of the first Quaker writings in 1655. In 1673 he was imprisoned in Lancaster Castle . He had refused to take an oath in court when he was on trial for failure to pay tithes. Swearing an oath was contrary to Quaker teachings.As was the fate of many Quakers he was imprisoned, on this occasion  for 9 weeks. The wealthy fared better in prison than those with no means. Shackles of the legs and arms would be removed if money passed hands to the guards. A better room might be acquired for financial consideration.The incarceration would have been a hardship on anyone and meals would have seemed particularly spartan to Thomas Bond who would normally have had a sturdy diet of oatmeal, beef, bacon, mutton, potatoes and butter. Perhaps Thomas Bonds' incarceration was less grueling than the prison time of the less well healed Quaker leader George Fox .  George Fox mentions the trials of Thomas Bond in The Journal of George Fox: Being an Historical Account of the Life, Travels .

Thomas Bond

George Fox was summoned to the Lancaster Assizes on a number of occasions, the most famous of which was in September 1664 when he refused to take the oath and was remanded in custody until the next Assizes. He described his incarceration at Lancaster Castle prison:"Then I was put into a tower, where the smoke of the other rooms came up so thick, that it stood as dew upon the walls, and sometimes it was so thick that I could hardly see the candle when it burned; and I being locked under three locks, the under-jailer, when the smoke was great, would hardly be persuaded to come up to unlock one of the upper doors, for fear of the smoke, so that I was almost smothered. Besides, it rained in upon my bed; and many times, when I went to stop out the rain in the cold winter season, my shift would be as wet as muck with the rain that came in upon me. And the place being high and open to the wind, sometimes as fast as I stop it, the wind, being high and fierce, would blow it out again. In this manner did I lie all that long cold winter, till the next Assize; in which time I was so starved with cold and rain, that my body was greatly swelled, and my limbs much numbed. "

Two Images of  the Quaker Leader George Fox. The image on the right is in the possession of Swarthmore College, painted by Sir Peter Lely.

Thomas Bond lived another ten years after his release from Lancaster Castles prison. Today this same Castle holds the distinction of being the oldest working courtroom in England and the court which has passed the most death sentences. The room where the Quakers and the Lancashire witches were out on trial is now a jurors waiting room.
Thomas Bond may have had intentions to move to America. Two years before his death he acquired 1000 acres in the County of Bucks. Some of his children including his daughter Jane Bond accompanied other Quakers to Bucks Co, Pa. where she married John Scott. After John Scotts' death, John Whittacre Sr., who had also come to America with the Quakers from Lancashire England, announced at the Falls Monthly Meeting of 6 January 1702.,his intention to marry the widow Jane Bond Scott . The union was approved.

Burial Record of Thomas Bond from the Database "England and Wales, Quaker Birth Marriage and Death Record"s on Ancestry.com

Some of my ancestors arrived aboard "The Lamb" a ship in William Penns' fleet.

My descent from this line is as follows:
John Whitacre Sr (1678 – 1742) to Jane Bond (1664 – 1742)
John Whitacre Jr (1704 – 1775) to Naomi Hulme (1713 – 1797)
George Whitacre (1743 – 1785) to Ruth Wilson (1748 – 1806)
Joshua Whitacre (1768 – 1814) to Rachel Wilson (1768 – 1814)
Nancy Whitacre  (1793 – 1866) to Joseph Strickling (1790 – 1874)
Robison Strickling (1822 – 1902) to Louisa E. Baker (1825 – 1898)
Alexander Strickling (1857 – 1923) to Emma Jane Bigley (1856 – 1898)
John William Strickling (1879 – 1945) to Florence Ann Watson (1880 – 1944)
Vera Mae Strickling  (1901 – 1929)  to Harley E. Bowles (1902 – 1974)
Robert Heston Bowles
private


This line of my family is imarried in several places with the Hayhurst line. Cuthbert Hayhurst of Slaidburn, Yorkshire England. ThIS well known Quaker is my 1st cousin, 11 generations past. His grandmother Elizabeth Hayhurst was married to John Bond. John Bond is my 11th ggrandfather . In The History of the Society of Friends in America
 By James Bowden, Cuthbert Hayhurst is described as "one of the earliest of those who professed our principals" and that 'He came forth as a minister of the Gospel. As early as 1654 he suffered imprisonment for preaching the truths of the gospel". In 1682 he arrived in America with William Penn and his assistance and ministry to the new settlers was invaluable.

Timeline of Quaker Activity in Lancaster

1652 + John Lawson, Lancaster's first Quaker, is converted by George Fox. [His tombstone can be seen in the porch of the Meeting House on Meeting House Lane. 1652 or 3 P Quaker George Fox from Ulverston is summoned to the Court of Sessions in Lancaster on a blasphemy charge which is thrown out for lack of evidence. Dr. William Marshall, Vicar of Lancaster, and two priest's sons were witnesses against him.
1653  [approximately] Quaker George Fox is thrown out of Lancaster Priory and people throw stones at him along the street. He takes refuge in a shop..
1658  Oliver Cromwell dies.
1677  The Society of Friends (Quakers) build a Meeting House on the southern slopes of Castle Hill. [It is rebuilt in 1708.]
1681  Seth Bushell appointed Vicar. He was noted by Quaker William Stout, as a 'person of a moderate disposition' who 'much discouraged persecution for religion . . . and very courteous to Dissenters of all denominations'. . [See Note 3]
1682  Seth Bushell, Vicar of Lancaster. . [See Note 3] 
1702  Anne, sister of Queen Mary and second daughter of King James II is made Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. She remains a Protestant. [She is the last British sovereign of the house of Stuart.
1708  The Society of Friends (Quakers) rebuild their Meeting House on the southern slopes of Castle Hill. [On Meeting House Lane. The tombstone of John Lawson, Lancaster's first Quaker, can be seen in the porch.

** The earliest records suggest that the Ironmongers, then known as Ferroners, were an effective body in 1300, when they took action against the smiths of the Wealds of Kent and Sussex over the quality of iron supplied for the wheels of carts in the City of London. By 1328 they were regarded as a firmly established brotherhood, joining in the elections of the City officials and choosing four of their members to treat with the Mayor and Sheriffs.The Ironmongers' received a grant of arms in 1455, describing them as the "Honourable Crafte and Fellasship of Fraunchised Men of Iromongers", and a charter of incorporation from Edward IV in 1463, which was reconfirmed in 1558, 1560, 1604 and 1687 by various monarchs.

Quaker Sources  and Resources Online

Quaker History And Genealogy

Lancaster Castle

List of Early Quaker Monthly Meetings

The Quaker Corner

Lancaster Burials

Whitaker Family History

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Online

Quaker Meeting Houses

I am fascinated by a current research project which has commenced at Lancaster University spearheaded by Dr Hilary Hinds, Professor Alison Findlay,and Professor Emeritus Meg Twycross, who are  tracing the impact of George Fox on the environment from 1652-1653. Transcriptions and images of George Fox's journals, courtesy of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain are available to view. Below is a sample: View the project Here.

Thank you for stopping by. See you soon! The Glamorous Genealogist

Updated from and article I published in 2007

 Randi Bowles-Meentzen aka The Glamorous Genealogist

In Honor of Harriet Tubman: A Hero For All Generations

Harriet Tubman has been a hero of mine since childhood.
 As a student,I did several book reports on her life and achievements.
I wanted to refresh my memory about her and so I decided to approach the research 
in the same way I would if I wanted to learn more about my own relatives.

 I went to Ancestry.com and input her given name of Arminita Ross and 

her aka Harriet Tubman, and received zero search results. Next I looked for her in the 

public member tree section and found only a handful of rather barren trees. From 

those trees and several other sources online, I discovered that her father was Ben 

Ross and her mother was Harriet Greene and that they hailed from , 

Maryland. I learned that she was married twice, first to John Tubman and later to  

Nelson Davis, a Civil War soldier from Company G,8th U.S Colored Infantry.

Arminita Harriet Ross and First Husband John Tubman.

I then went to Genealogy Bank and did an newspaper and historical document search. 

This was a treasure trove of information and I learned many things about her that was 

"new to me".Although well known as the engineer of the Underground Railroad and Civil 

War spy, she was also a nurse in the Civil War and paraphrasing statements by 

officers who vouched for her in pension applications, did so at great risk as she 

personally saved mens' lives. In 1888, her spouse Nelson Charles Davis died and in 

1890, Harriet applied for a pension as his widow. She received the standard $8 per 

month. She applied for and received her nurses pension of $12 per month. In 1899, a 

petition was submitted in her behalf to make an exception and raise her monthly 

pension to a total of $25 per month. This was an unprecedented request. Illustrious 

individuals wrote letters of commendation including William Seward, General Rufus 

Saxton and Colonel James Montgomery. These letters described her as having worked for 

Govenor Andrew who sent her to the front where she worked as "nurse, cook and 

spy".She nursed men as the musket balls flew past. It is stated that she worked for 

Major General Hunter,General Stephens, and General Sherman.

In the newspaper section, I found fascinating articles about her work in helping to 

free slaves after she escaped her own slave master in 1849.She was said to be pure 

African and from the Ashantee tribe and was described by many as having a great 

physical strength and stamina.It was said that in rescuing slaves that she had gone 

hand to hand with some slave masters and was the victor. I read current articles 

which credit her with helping to free 70-80 slaves however that does not match up 

with the articles of that time which credit her with assisting as few as 300 or as 

many as 1000 slaves via the underground Railway. Rewards were offered for her capture 

"Dead or Alive" and the combined $40,000. bounty reward might lead one to believe in 

the higher number of escaped slaves.She was also an active committee member of The 

Canadian Fugitive Aid Society of St. Catherines' which offered assistance to sick or 

indigent slaves who had fled to Canada.

Amongst all of the adventures, intrigue and travels, there seems to have been a space 

of time when she lived a somewhat average life living on a farm and engaged in brick 

making with her husband Nelson and her parents whom she had bought from 

slavery.Although her life was more normal than it had been when she traversed swamps 

and rugged terrain helping slaves escape, she was now known around the world.Even 

Queen Victoria had read her book and sent her a commemorative medal.

After her husbands death in 1888, her philanthropy continued and she turned her own 

small home in Auburn N.Y,into the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes, where she 

ended her days at the age of 98 in 1913. She was said to be quick witted and with a 

healthy appetite even to her end days. She died a free woman and a land owner having 

purchased the house with the proceeds of a biography written about her by Mrs. Sarah H.

Bradford called Scenes From The Life of Harriet Tubman.

I am glad that the internet allows so many avenues for research and am amazed at the 

details I collected in one hours time. Having said that, my admiration for Harriet 

Tubman is again inflated beyond all measure.I see a picture of a woman who truly 

rolled up her sleeves and personally put herself in harms way for the sake of others on many occasions. 

Harriet Tubman far left with adopted Daughter Gerttie and husband Nelson Davis. The elderly people of the right are assumed to be her parents whom she bought out of slavery.
Photo from the Library of Congress

Here are some links if you would like to do further research on Black Soldiers in The Civil War.

Links:

Family Search United States Colored Troops in The Civil War

The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War

PBS African Soldiers in The Civil War

The Importance of African-American Soldiers in Civil War History

Sources:

Harriet Tubman. An Hour With Harriet Tubman

 Saturday, September 30, 1911 The Indianapolis Freeman  

Harriet Tubman Timeline 

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0history/hwny-tubman.html

https://familysearch.org/african-american-genealogy

http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/

http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bradford/menu.html

Thanks for stopping by!