Mark Twain is generally credited with the assertion that there are three kinds of lies – lies, damned lies and statistics, and I have no doubt that a lot of people would agree with him. Certainly, for many people the mention of statistics seems to provoke something between cynical disbelief and uncomprehending boredom. This is unfortunate, for statistics provide a useful dimension to many subjects, and family history is one of them. By looking at the numbers in our database, we can examine trends such as birth rates and lifespans, and show the movement of the various families around the country, and indeed the world. This article sets out some of the statistics taken from the database as it exists at the end of September 1992. Continue reading →
In the first part of this article, I introduced Frederick Linfield, who was Mayor of Worthing from 1906 to 1908. Another story I came across in an issue of 1903 could very easily have ruined Frederick’s political career. The events described must, at the very least, have worried him considerably. They concern the antics of a certain Emily Frances Linfield, a middle aged spinster who had lived most of her life in Brighton, where she had helped her mother run a lodging house. Unfortunately, Emily Frances became a habitual drunkard, always pestering her aged mother for money. In desperation to get away from her, her mother came to Worthing in October 1902, where she took up lodgings in Warwick Road. Mary Emma Linfield was 90 years old on February 2nd 1903. Somehow or other, Emily eventually managed to track her down and continued to extract money from her to finance her squalid drinking binges. Continue reading →
Front Cover: Family tree showing possible descent of William Linfield of Bramber Castle fame, as suggested by Stanford Smith – see articles on pages 60 & 45
Over the years, many documents have been destroyed or lost because their owners have died without leaving a will or without including directions for the disposal of their family papers. Many of the notes and Linfield family trees drawn up by Stanford Smith were destroyed following the death of one of the Linfield family to whom they had been sent, with the result that much of his work cannot readily be checked without repeating years of hard work. Even if you have not researched the family history, you probably have papers which have been handed down which would be helpful to others in drawing up the history of the family. Letters, wills, birth, marriage and death certificates and old newspaper cuttings all help to piece together the history of our Linfield and Lindfield ancestors.
If you have such papers, we would urge you to leave specific instructions in your will that they should be sent to the Lin(d)field One Name Group or to the Society of Genealogists in London. There are standard forms of words for including in a will for this purpose and we can supply copies of these on request. Even better would be to send them, or copies of them, to us now so that they can be used in our research. We are happy to refund the cost of copying and postage. Alternatively, send them to us and we will make copies and return the originals.
As a school girl, some sixty years ago, I liked to dabble in Family History. My father, whose name was Avery, having sixteen brothers and sisters, almost all older than himself, there was material for a large family tree without going far! I knew nothing then of genealogical societies or record offices and One Name Groups; I had one built in! My interest grew, as did my Tree – upwards and downwards. But it was not until many years later that I took a more serious interest in the family and got my father’s family back to 1580. Continue reading →
By comparison to most readers of this newsletter, I would consider myself to be a complete novice in the area of genealogy, although I believe my interest was first aroused many years ago when I was just a schoolboy. My mother would have lengthy talks around the fireside at home telling me about my grandparents and their family. Continue reading →
Return of Owners of Land 1873, Sussex. Sussex Family History Group; ISBN 0 9513580 5 7. Card Covers 36pp A5. £2.25 from SFHG.
The Returns of Owners of Land 1873, were originally published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office from 1875 onwards, and contained names, residences, acreages and annual rentals of all those who owned one acre or more of land. Continue reading →
Old newspapers are a fascinating source of information to family historians. All the large public libraries have collections of local newspapers, and among the more obvious things to look for are obituaries. Since my great great grandfather, William Linfield, had been a public official in Victorian Worthing, I expected to find an obituary notice in one of the local papers when he died in 1892. I was duly rewarded in the July 20th issue of the Worthing Gazette; though brief, it told me he had a “genial temperament and obliging disposition” (true Linfield characteristics, I like to think!) However, when time permits, the best finds are usually made by chance. Continue reading →
Researching Linfield, Lindfield, Lingfield, Linkfield, Linville and variants worldwide
