Gray Family History: a Brief Overview of the Gray/Hand Branch

I’ve been meaning to delve a little more into my Gray family history for quite a while now. My mother’s father, William Gray, died when she was nine years old and having missed out on a lifetime of stories she could only repeat what her older siblings told her. That said, it was also noted that although a jolly Irishman, he wasn’t given to telling … Continue reading Gray Family History: a Brief Overview of the Gray/Hand Branch

Gray Family History: a Brief Overview of the Mullins/Southwell Branch

Gray – maternal line My mother’s family, her parents and three older brothers, arrived in Liverpool in the mid-1920s. Her father was William James Gray (1885 – 1941) and her mother Anne Southwell (1899 – 1995), their marriage certificate states that my grandmother’s father was ‘unknown’. This is not strictly true: her birth certificate states that her father was John Mullins. However, I have been … Continue reading Gray Family History: a Brief Overview of the Mullins/Southwell Branch

Patrick Gray: Using Newspapers for Genealogy

Somewhere in my family tree files there’s a sepia-toned newspaper cutting that belonged to my grandmother and my mother passed it to me. On reflection it was probably my grandfather’s and he died in 1941. It was his father’s obituary from 1919. While away from home I decided to have a search on the British Newspaper Archives website to see if I could find it. … Continue reading Patrick Gray: Using Newspapers for Genealogy

A Recognition Long Due

The French Government has awarded several thousand World War II veterans who took part in the liberation of France the rank of Chevalier (knight) of the Legion d’Honneur and its accompanying medal. The Legion d’Honneur is France’s highest military honour and is in recognition of the selfless heroism that was displayed during the Normandy landings and the wider campaign in liberating France. French President, Francoise … Continue reading A Recognition Long Due