ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF MY ROOTSTECH 2020 PASS GIVEAWAY

AND THE WINNER IS...

Image Pixabay Free Image

Thankyou to all those who entered my Rootstech 2020 Pass Competition via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or by leaving a comment on my blog. I was overwhelmed by the response to my Pass Giveaway and it is wonderful to see so many people eager to return to Rootstech, or who are excited to attend the conference for the first time.

Every single entry gave compelling reasons for wishing to win the pass and attend the exciting tenth Anniversary of Rootstech in 2020. I wish I had a pass to give everyone who entered the competition but the winner has now been selected.

I am especially excited to announce my WINNER of a FOUR DAY PASS to Rootstech 2020 because she has actually been a previous winner. Clearly her enthusiastic strategy of entering the competition on multiple social media patforms gave her a front-running edge this year. 

I am thrilled to announce....

CONGRATULATIONS PAULA! 

Paula wrote, I would love to win the Pass to Rootstech 2020. Love the time spent with my three daughters and so many things I learn there!

In another entry Paula commented, I am excited to attend Roostech 2020 with my three daughters! Hopefully I can meet you this year since last year we couldn't make connections.

BUT WAIT....THERE IS A TWIST! After drawing Paula's name as my winner I discovered that she had already won a Pass to Rootstech 2020 from The Family History Detectives. Since Paula is travelling to Rootstech with her three daughters, I decided to OFFER THE PASS TO ONE OF PAULA'S DAUGHTERS. 

[Please just ask for me at the media hub in the Expo Hall, Paula. I would love to meet you and your daughters!]

Many thanks again to everyone who entered the competition and of course a HUGE thankyou to the Rootstech organisers for allowing me to give away this pass to such a deserving family historian as Paula Moultrie - my lucky two times winner.

Rootstech 2020 has an exciting new theme which is THE STORY OF YOU! Rootstech's tenth anniversary conference is going to have many wonderful  things in store for  attendees and I, for one, can't wait for the excellent learning opportunities and the fun to begin in Salt lake City [ February 26-29]. I have included some videos below to give you an exciting preview of Rootstech 2020.

* The winner of my Rootstech Pass was randomly selected. 

ROOTSTECH 2020 FREE PASS GIVEAWAY

WIN A 4 DAY PASS TO ROOTSTECH 2020

Rootstech London 2019 was a resounding success! For me,the London conference perfectly topped off a month of travelling through England, visiting ancestral places and archives. If you would like to see a few Rootstech London moments here is a short video I compiled. 

I am very excited to be an Ambassador for Rootstech 2020 (February 26 to 29 in Salt Lake City) and I am thrilled to have one FREE FOUR DAY PASS to give away. Rootstech 2020 will be a HUGE EVENT since it is the 10th Anniverary of this large Genealogy plus Technology conference. 

Keynote Speaker Dan Snow (The History Guy) with London Rootstech Ambassadors.

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME

My ROOTSTECH GIVEAWAY COMPETITION is now up and running and I must say that this Australian Rootstech Ambassador is VERY excited to be giving away a COMPLIMENTARY 4 DAY PASS to Rootstech 2020. The pass is valued at $299.

Jen Allen has lots of exciting news about Rootstech 2020 in her utube video Road to Roostech. 

Rootstech 2020 has an exciting new theme - THE STORY OF YOU! The Rootstech team have created a wonderful video to tell you all about The Story of You. This video and other informative videos about Roostech 2020 can be found on utube. 

The Road to Rootstech series and other Rootstech 2020 videos will definitely be worth watching so look out for them on utube.

Details on how to enter my ROOTSTECH PASS GIVEAWAY competition can be found at the end of this blog post .... BUT FIRST...

Find out WHY you should enter to WIN A COMPLIMENTARY PASS to Rootstech 2019 and HOW to enter my giveaway competition.

Telling one of my family stories at Rootstech 2019

YOUR WINNING PASS WILL GIVE YOU ACCESS TO -

• Over 300 informative classes 
• Exciting and inspiring Keynote Speakers
• General Sessions
• The amazing Expo Hall
• Evening events

* This prize does not include any paid meals, paid labs, airfairs or accomodation.

If you are an enthusiastic family historian and traveller, you might allow a few extra days in Salt Lake City for sight-seeing or for some genealogy research. Perhaps you will even knock down a family brick wall or two in the huge Family History Library! 

Don't miss out on this excellent opportunity to win a FREE PASS to Rootstech 2020 and don't worry if you have already registered because the wonderful team of organizers at Rootstech will fully refund the cost of your Registration should you WIN a PASS.

The first Rootstech 2020 Keynote Speaker has been announced. He is Pulitzer Prize winning White House photographer David Kennerly and I, for one, am looking forward to hearing what he has to say in his keynote address. For more information about David Kennerly just watch the vidoe in the link below.

https://media.familysearch.org/white-house-photographer-david-kennerly-to-keynote-rootstech-2020/

HOW TO ENTER

1. To be eligible to WIN my complimentary PASS to Rootstech 2109, simply find me on Twitter @sharnwhite, or on one of my Instagram accounts, Sharn White, or FamilyHistory4u, Google Plus, my existing Facebook account, or on my genealogy Facebook Page, FamilyHistory4u . Should you not be a social media whizz, simply leave a COMMENT in the comments section below on this blog post. 
2. HASHTAG your entry #rootstech2020pass so I will know you are an competition entrant.
3. Tell me WHY you would like to win a pass to Rootstech 2020. 
4. My competition closes at midnight on December 19, 2019.
5. The winner will be announced on December 20 and then contacted with instructions about how to register for Rootstech 2020.

There will be a link to this competition blog post published on the following of my Social Media platforms.

TWITTER Sharn White: https://twitter.com/SharnWhite
INSTAGRAM  Sharn White : https://www.instagram.com/sharnwhite/,
INSTAGRAM FamilyHistory4u: https://www.instagram.com/familyhistory4u/
FACEBOOK  FamilyHistory4u: https://www.facebook.com/sharnwhiteaustralia/ 
GOOGLE PLUS https://plus.google.com/113636356847213963502 


I'll be posting the Giveaway on my Sharn White FACEBOOK account as well so there will be plenty of opportunities for friends and family to WIN a PASS to Rootstech 2020 as well.

REMEMBER - THIS COMPETITION CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 19 AND THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED DECEMBER 21

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE ABOVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AS WELL AS IN A FamilyHistory4u BLOG POST.

ENTER NOW TO WIN.

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE FIRST EVER ROOTSTECH LONDON 2019 CONFERENCE!

WHY I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO TO ATTENDING ROOTSTECH LONDON 2019

Australian Rootstech Ambasssadors @GeniAus and myself London Bound!

People who know me would probably describe me as a Rootstechaholic! And it would be true! The reason I travel all the way from Australia  to attend this yearly event is because Rootstech is a conference with a difference. This conference combines family history and technology, a huge variety of classes, truly inspiring keynote speakers, some of the world's best presenters and an outstanding Exhibition Hall. Attending Rootstech for me is not only an excellent learning opportunity but is also about catching up with and meeting the wonderful friends I have made online through researching family history. 

AND NOW WE HAVE ROOTSTECH IN LONDON...

Image Wikipedia 

When I attended Rootstech in Salt Lake City in February of this year, the Rootstech London Conference seemed far in the distance. Now I am counting down the days until my QF1 flight departs Sydney, Australia and I am London bound. 

Image Qantas Website

I am especially excited to be attending this UK and European focused Rootstech Conference, since my ancestry is English, Scottish, Irish, Swiss and German. Although on this trip I would love to visit all of these ancestral places, I have decided to explore my ancestral origins in England on this particular visit. I have planned a three week driving trip to help me better understand of some of my English ancestral origins. I will be visiting villages, towns, archives and ancestral homes on my English family history drive. All this, inspired by attending Rootstech London!

Marwell Hall, Hampshire Image S White Copyright.

Perhaps the most exciting ancestral place I will be visiting will be Marwell Hall in Hmapshire. This is the magnificent home that my great uncle purchased in 1934, and the place where he built a secret airstrip and concealed hangars to test fly spitfire aircraft during WW2. Marwell Hall once belonged to King Henry VII I and was gifted by the king to the Seymour family so there is an amazing amount of history in the lifetime of this building. 

The house now stands in the gounds of Marwell Wildlife Zoo. I have spent a great deal of time researching my great uncle's fascinating life and my investigations have led me to court cases, shipping records, MI5 Files, archive files regarding illegal gun running to Hyderabad and much more. I am beyond excited to actually be seeing the place where my great uncle lived.  

My driving trip will also take me to other English ancestral places where I will enjoy researching in local archives and walking in the footsteps of my ancestors. I have no doubt that my family history driving trip will be a valuable lead up to the three days of informative classes at Rootstech at London. 

Image owned by author.

If you are interested in attending Rootstech in London and you would like to to know more about the conference, where to stay and the schedule, then the best place to find information is the official Rootstech Website.

THE ROOTSTECH WEBSITE IS YOUR BEST GUIDE TO ROOTSTECH LONDON.

Why not check it out right now.

https://www.rootstech.org/london

"Family history is growing at unprecedented rates and this is your invitation to help shape the future of an industry! This is the conference for the curious, the mavericks, the photo organizers, and storytellers everywhere." [Quote from Roostech Website]
THE ROOTSTECH WEBSITE OFFERS MANY COMPELLING REASONS AS TO WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND ROOTSTECH LONDON 2019.

https://www.rootstech.org/london/why-attend

YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE FABULOUS LINEUP OF KEYNOTE AND OTHER SPEAKERS RIGHT HERE.

YOU WILL FIND THE SCHEDULE FOR ROOTSTECH LONDON ON THE WEBSITE. WHY NOT HAVE A LOOK RIGHT NOW AT THE EXCITING LINEUP OF CLASSES! 

https://www.rootstech.org/schedule

Image from the Rootstech Website

FIND OUT ABOUT THE  EXHIBITION HALL AT ROOTSTECH LONDON

https://www.rootstech.org/london/exhibition-hall

If the Exhibition Hall in London is anything like the exciting Expo Hall in Salt Lake City it will be a place where I will be spending as much time as I can. There are always lots of fun and interesting things to learn and also to participate in at a Rootstech Exhibition Hall. 

Ancestry.com conducted a 'make an advertisement' activity at Rootstech 2019.

"The exhibition hall is the perfect place to discover helpful solutions, watch demonstrations, and interact with innovative family history technology. Come and see what dozens of exhibitors from around the globe have to share. With the newest start-up to companies such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Findmypast, there’s sure to be something you’re interested in." [Quote from Rootstech Website]

As an attendee, I would like to say a thankyou to the amazing Rootstech volunteers. Nothing happens at a Rootstech Conference without the Volunteers.  You won't be able to miss them in their stand out T-shirts, so if you have any questions while attending Rootstech simply look for a volunteer. They are usually the people with a very welcoming smile!

Image Sharn White Rootstech 2019

 PEOPLE ARE BLOGGING ABOUT ROOTSTECH LONDON!

 I have complied a list of just some of the many family history blogs which have been written about Rootstech London. Hopefully these will give you a varied and informative overview of this exciting and up and coming conference. 

FamilySearch  https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/rootstech-london/

The Family History Guide Blog  https://www.thefhguide.com/blog/the-family-history-guide-at-rootstech-london-2019/

Antecedentia  https://www.antecedentia.com/2019/07/rootstech-london-this-is-your-chance/

The Genes Blog  http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/09/rootstech-london-adds-further-keynote.html?m=0

My Descendant's Ancestors  https://mydescendantsancestors.com/2019/07/5-things-to-know-for-rootstech-london.html

The Family Tree  https://www.family-tree.co.uk/how-to-guides/expert-blogs/dna-classes-at-rootstech-london-guest-blog

Anglers Rest  https://anglersrest.net/category/genealogy-2/rootstech-london-2019/

The Genealogy Reporter  https://thegenealogyreporter.com/rootstech-london/

Ontario Ancestors  https://ogs.on.ca/rootstech-london-2019/

London Roots Research  http://londonrootsresearch.blogspot.com/2019/08/rootstech-is-coming-to-london-in.html

Genealogy Bank  https://blog.genealogybank.com/preparing-for-rootstech-whether-you-are-at-home-or-attending.html

The Single Leaf  https://thesingleleaf.com/2019/09/19/rootstech-an-update-on-two-cities/

Your Family Genealogist  https://www.yourfamilygenealogist.com/single-post/2018/09/16/Roots-Tech-London-2019

Pictures and Stories  https://www.picturesandstories.com/news

Genealogy Stories  https://www.genealogystories.co.uk/blog/what-is-rootstech-why-should-i-go

The York Stake Blog https://yorkstakeblog.org.uk/are-you-coming-to-rootstech 

Who Do YouThink You Are  http://advertorial.immediate.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/roots-tech-make-connections/

Kindred Past  https://kindredpast.com/2019/06/12/rootstech-london-2019-is-coming/

Travel Genee  https://travelgenee.com/rootstech-london-3-day-pass-giveaway/

Treasure Chest of Memories  https://treasurechestofmemories.com/rootstech-london-not-average/

Islington Directory  https://directory.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/service.page?id=NAJdHNvNlCU

Family Tree Searchers  https://www.familytreesearchers.co.uk/why-rootstech-london/

OnGenealogy  https://www.ongenealogy.com/event/rootstech-london-2019/



WATCH FOR MY NEXT POST ABOUT ROOTSTECH 2020 - THE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ROOTSTECH...

COUNTDOWN TO DNA DOWNUNDER IN SYDNEY

DNA DOWNUNDER UPDATE

As a DNA Downunder Ambassador, I have been following with great interest, the exciting Australian DNA Conference which has so far travelled to Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. In its final stages the conference still has Sydney to visit.

This conference boasts an exciting lineup of expert speakers  including Blaine Bettinger from the USA, Louise Coakley, Kerry Farmer, Michelle Patient and Helen Smith. 

Blaine Bettinger, also know as the Genetic Genealogist, has travelled around Australia with the conference and has even managed to see some of Australia's sights with his sons. I was lucky enough to meet Blaine at Rootstech in March of this year and I look forward to learning more about how to best use my DNA results when he speaks in Sydney this coming week.

Blaine Bettinger, Jill Ball aka GeniAus and myself at the Rootstech Media Dinner 2019

DNA Downunder bloggers who have attended the conference in one or more cities have written blogs about their conference experiences. I have compiled a list of just a few of these blog posts.

Lilian's Tree 

Tracking Down the Family

Shauna Hicks History Enterprises

I Just Love History

The DNA Connection

Family Leaves and Branches

The Genes Blog

Geelong and District

TravelGenee

GeniAus

If you still haven't booked for the Sydney three day DNA Downunder Conference there is still time. Here is the 28-31 August 2019, Sydney schedule.

Speakers and organisers associated with this conference have offered a few excellent reasons as to why family historians need to understand more about the use of DNA as a research tool.

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO ATTEND THIS ONE OF A KIND TOUR OF AUSTRALIA DNA CONFERENCE IN ONE OF THE LAST TWO CITIES ON THE TOUR!

CANBERRA: 26 August 2019

SYDNEY: 28-31 August 2019

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF MY ROOTSTECH LONDON PASS GIVEAWAY

AND THE WINNER IS...

Image Pixabay Free Image

Thankyou to all those who entered my Rootstech London Pass competition via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or by leaving a comment on my blog. Your reasons for wishing to win the pass and attend Rootstech London were all very compelling. I wish I had a pass to give everyone who entered the competition, however, the winner has been selected and I am pleased to announce...

I am thrilled that Emma has won my ROOTSTECH LONDON PASS. Emma, from the UK and I have been friends on Twitter for quite some years and we even discovered a few years ago, through DNA testing, that we are related. 

Emma's entry read " I would be so excited to attend Rootstech London 2019 so I could finally meet my lovely cousin Sharn, and compare our family trees."

CONGRATULATIONS EMMA! PLEASE SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE INCLUDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN SEND YOU YOUR WINNER'S CERTIFICATE AND INSTRUCTIONS.

I am certain you are going to enjoy your Rootstech London experience. 

Many thanks again to all those who entered the competition and of course a HUGE thankyou to the Rootstech organisers for allowing me to give away this pass to such a deserving family historian. 

FREE PASS GIVEAWAY FOR ROOTSTECH LONDON

WIN A COMPLIMENTARY 3 DAY  PASS TO ROOTSTECH LONDON 2019 (October 24-26)

My ROOTSTECH LONDON GIVEAWAY COMPETITION is up and running and I must say that this Australian Rootstech Ambassador is VERY excited to be giving away a COMPLIMENTARY 3 DAY PASS to Rootstech 2019 (valued at 149 Pounds).

You will find details on how to enter my ROOTSTECH PASS GIVEAWAY competition at the end of this blog post.

BUT FIRST...

Read on to find out WHY you should enter to WIN A COMPLIMENTARY PASS to Rootstech London 2019.

There are just so many excellent reasons to attend Rootstech London. Rootstech London will be one of the most unique Family History conferences in the world, combining Genealogy and Technology. With informative classes provided by world class speakers, Keynote Sessions which promise to excite and inspire and a  large Expo Hall, this is a conference NOT TO BE MISSED.

There is so much to learn and so many genealogy enthusiasts to meet whi will share your Rootstech London experience with you. I have travelled all the way from Sydney, Australia, four times to attend Rootstech in Salt Lake City and I am looking forward with much anticipation, to attending Rootstech London 2019.

RootsTech London 2019 will be held at the ExCelExhibition Centre, London, England October 24 – 26, 2019.

You can find out more about Rootstech by visiting the Rootstech website.

Your WINNING PASS will give you access to 

• Over 150 informative classes 
• Exciting Keynote/ General Sessions
• The Expo Hall
• Evening Event

If you are visiting London the why not make the most of your time there and do some sight seeing or perhaps you might like to do some family history research at the National Archives at Kew.

Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity to win a FREE PASS to Rootstech London. Don't worry if you have already registered. The wonderful team of organizers at Rootstech will fully refund the cost of your Registration should you WIN the PASS.

NOTE: This Pass does not include airfares, hotels, paid lab sessions or paid meals.

HOW TO ENTER

1. To be eligible to WIN my complimentary PASS to Rootstech 2109, simply find me on Twitter @sharnwhite, or on one of my Instagram accounts, Sharn White, or FamilyHistory4u, my Facebook account, or on my Facebook Page, FamilyHistory4u . Should you not be a social media whizz, simply leave a COMMENT in the comments section below this blog post. 
2. HASHTAG your entry #rootstechlondonpass so I will know you are an competition entrant.
3. Tell me briefly WHY you would be excited to attend Rootstech London 2019. The winner will be chosen on August 4 2019 and I will contact the lucky person with instructions.

Rootstech London Australian Ambassadors Jill Ball aka Geniaus and myself at Rootstech 2019 SLC

This competition blog post will be published on the following of my Social Media platforms and you may enter on all of them if you wish!

BLOG FamilyHistory4u: familyhistory4u

TWITTER Sharn White: https://twitter.com/SharnWhite

INSTAGRAM  Sharn White : https://www.instagram.com/sharnwhite/,

INSTAGRAM FamilyHistory4u: https://www.instagram.com/familyhistory4u/

FACEBOOK  FamilyHistory4u: https://www.facebook.com/sharnwhiteaustralia/ 

I'll be posting the Giveaway on my Sharn White FACEBOOK as well so there will be plenty of opportunities to WIN.

THIS COMPETITION WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON JULY 31 2019 so DON'T MISS OUT! 

THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN A FamilyHistory4u BLOG POST WHICH WILL BE POSTED ON THE ABOVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.

ENTER NOW AND GOOD LUCK! 

THE TWIST IN THE TALE OF TWO WILLIAMS

THE TALE OF TWO WILLIAMS - THERE'S A TWIST

Image 'Oliver Twist', Wikipedia, Reproduced under Creative Commons Licence

“There is always a pleasure in unravelling a mystery, in catching at the gossamer clue which will guide to certainty.” 
― Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton

In a blog post of February 23, 2018, entitled The Tale of Two Williams, I talked about the importance of finding evidence to support genealogical findings. In that post, Part 1 of The Tale of Two Williams, I left readers hanging with the promise of a twist at the end of my story. This, as promised, is Part 2 of The Tale of Two William's and there is indeed a quite incredible twist at the end of this tale.

A BRIEF REVIEW

In the days prior to the internet and online records, the contextual and wider view of the past and past lives lives we are fortunate to have today, was hidden away in dusty parish records. The internet has provided so much more availability of information that it is sometimes worth checking research conducted in pre internet days.. 

For some years, I had been convinced that I, and other family members, had the incorrect parents on my family tree, for my third great grandfather William Hoyes, a weaver from Newark Nottinghamshire. The parents thought to be his, were Thomas Hoyes, born 1768 Girton, Nottinghamshire and Ann Machin, born in Claypole, Lincolnshire. This research was many years old and was originally undertaken by a researcher who visited England in the days before records became available online. 

 Over some years, I had nagging doubts that Thomas and Ann Hoyes were my really fourth great grandparents but I had to find the time to research the problem. If you have not yet read the first part of my tale before reading the ending, you can do so here. 

Looking at the wider picture is important, especially when you have ancestors with common names. After finding two William Hoyes of the same age in the 1841 census, one a Weaver and the other an Ag Lab, I discounted that William was in two places at one time and that he had two occupations, so concluded that my third great grandfather, William Hoyes, living with his wife Deborah Berry in the above 1841 census in Newark, Nottinghamshire, was NOT the same person as the William Hoyes who was born in Claypole, Lincolnshire in 1809, to Thomas and Ann Hoyes. 

The William Hoyes born in Claypole, LIncolnshire was obviously sitting incorrectly on my family tree as my three times great grandfather. It was a bitter pill to swallow since I had spent many years working backwards from Thomas Hoyes and Ann Machin and I had collected family from as far back as the early 1700's. With a sinking feeling, I had come to terms with the fact that they just weren't MY family. 

The result seems so simply obvious when I tell the story now, but the undoing of years of research was a huge undertaking. Online records have made the task of finding people far easier than when this original research was done - especially when there are multiple people of the same name and age and like in the case of my William Hoyes. 

1841 Census, William Hoyes, Newark Upon Trent, Image Ancestry.com [3]

In the first part of this story I showed how I finally reached the conclusion that the William Hoyes who was my third great grandfather, was born on August 4, 1810 in Newark, Nottinghamshire to John Hoyes and his wife Mary (possible surname KENNERAL). I believe that the original research was confused by the fact that in the 1851 census, there were two William Hoyes of the same approximate age, and both were living in Nottinghamshire not far from each other. That there were two men of the same name and other clues which might have avoided this error, were missed in the pre internet days of researching.

Below is William Hoyes born Claypole, Lincolnshire, who was living in South Collingham, Notinghamshire in 1851. In this census record he is recorded as being aged 41 years, works as an agricultural labourer (ag lab) and lives with his wife Mary and sons Samuel 4 and Thomas 3. This is the William born to Thomas Hoyes and Ann Machin.

William Hoyes born Claypole, Lincolnshire 1851 Census, Ancestry.com [4]

Below is my William Hoyes, in the same 1851 census, living also in Nottinghamshire, a weaver as I know him to be, living in Scales Row, Newark and aged 40 years. With him are wife Deborah and children John 14, Mary 13, George 10, Thomas 8, Samuel 6, Alfred aged 6 months and mother in law Mary Berry. First and second sons James and William were married and so did not appear in this census with their parents. I knew now however, that his parents were named John and Mary.

William Hoyes born Newark Nottinghamshire 1851 Census Ancestry.com [5]

If only my Nottinghamshire ancestors had been thoughtful enough to adhere to the strict naming patterns that many of my Scottish families did - first son after grandfather and the second after the father - my search would have been so much more straightforward. There was one clue in the names of children that is obvious now in the aftermath of this error. My William Hoyes, born in Nottinghamshire had a son named John and did not have a son called Thomas. William of Claypole, had a son named Thomas and no John. The boys were clearly named for their paternal grandfathers.



CLOSING IN ON THE TWIST IN THE TALE...

Resigned to the fact that Thomas Hoyes (born 1768 in Girton, Nottinghamshire) and Ann Machin (born ab 1765 in Claypole, Lincolnshire) were NOT, never were, and never will be my fourth great grandparents, you might recall from my earlier blog post that I took the heartwrenching decision to remove them along with six generations of 'family' before them, from my family tree. With them, disappeared Thomas's parents William and Mary Hoyes and his his brothers and sisters. My daughter recalls me saying, "I don't know if I can do this..."

As one ancestor after another disappeared form my tree, I realised with some anticipation that I now had new fourth great grandparents named John and Mary Hoyes, with whom I needed to become acquainted.

Image Pixabay reproduced under creative commons licence

“Watch the beauty of your life tree old leaves falling and allowing new ones to sprout !” 
― Joy Lima

CLUES  FOUND IN MY SEARCH FOR JOHN HOYES

If you've read the first installment of this tale you will know that I found the man I discovered to be William's real father, John Hoyes, was in the 1841 census, aged 80, living with a Sarah and Robert Beecham. Robert Beecham was a weaver like my William Hoyes. Listed with them were their children Elizabeth 15, Charlotte 20, Robert 13, and a three year old child by named William Stones. Unfortunately the 1841 census did not give relationships between these people so I set out to research this for myself.

1841 Census, John Hoyes, The Genealogist [6]

COULD ANOTHER WILLIAM BE A CLUE?

I realised that the BEECHAM family or William STONES could be  vital pieces of evidence  in establishing beyond a doubt that John Hoyes was my William's father and that he was my real fourth great grandfather. To prove this, I needed to find a connection between John Hoyes and the Beecham family. I suspected the most likely relationship was that Sarah Beecham was the daughter of John Hoyes and Robert Beecham, weaver, was his son in law. 

 It did not take long to find a marriage between Sarah Hoyes to Robert Beecham at Newark, Nottinghamshire on November 4, 1830 [7] in which the witnesses were a Dorothy Beecham and Mary Murpley.  Sarah Beecham, was almost certainly the daughter of John Hoyes and therefore a sister of my William. To cement this belief, I set out to find out who William Stones was and what relationship he had, if any, to my Hoyes family. 

St Peter, Radford, Nottinghamshire, Wikipedia

FOLLOWING THE 'STONES' PATH

Searching for a marriage between a female Hoyes and a man named Stones I found a marriage which took place in Radford, Nottinghamshire on June 12, 1831, between Charlotte Hoyes and Samuel Stones [8]. 

Two females named Sarah and Charlotte Hoyes had married men with the names Beecham and Stones - both of these surnames were connected to John Hoyes - the man I believed to be the correct father for my William Hoyes- in the 1841 census. Could this be a coincidence or were these women William's sisters? Was I on the right path to finding William's family? 

Since I had stripped my Hoyes tree branches bare of leaves from William backwards, I knew nothing about William's parents, John and Mary Hoyes, and of course, nothing about any siblings. 

Researching Samuel and Charlotte Stones, I discovered that they had four sons including one named WILLIAM, who was born in the April to June quarter of 1838 [9]. This son William Stones would have been three years old in the 1841 census, which was the same age as the William Stones staying in Spittal Row, Newark with John Hoyes and the Beecham family. Could this William might prove to be an important clue in my tale of two Williams? If so, I needed to link hus mother Charlotte Hoyes to my William Hoyes.

Charlotte's husband Samuel had died in October of the previous year and when I looked for  Charlotte in the 1841 census 10], I discovered her widowed, living in Ellis Row Newark, with sons John 9, Thomas 7, and George 1 year. her son William, aged three years, was not with her.  There was the possibility that he had died, but it was hihky likely that he was the boy named William Stones staying in the Beecham household on the night of the 1841 census. Although I was grieving the loss of my wrong ancestor Thomas Hoyes and the many ancestors who preceeded him, I was becoming more and more certain that I had found my real Hoyes family. 

Charlotte Stones with son John 9, in Ellis Row, Newark, 1841 Census, The Genealogist [10]

JOHN HOYES -  WILLIAM'S REAL FATHER

According to the 1841 census, John Hoyes was born in 1761, but considering that ages were rounded up or down in this census, I widened my search parameter to search for his birth. He claimed to have been born in Nottinghamshire in the census, but to be on the safe side, I searched for a birth in neighbouring Lincolnshire as well. And - let's face it, it had been a wrench letting go of my Lincolnshire roots along with Thomas Hoyes. 

I was able to eliminate all men named John Hoyes who were born within twenty years of 1761, in Lincolnshire. Any others by the name of John Hoyes had died before 1841, when I knew my John to be living in Newark, Nottinghamshire, or were living in the wrong place at that time. As a result, I determined that my John Hoyes was not born in Lincolnshire. I narrowed my search to the only remaining birth that fitted that of my fourth great grandfather and this was John Hoyes who was born and baptised in 1766 in Girton, Nottinghamshire, to parents William and Mary Hoyes [11].

Image Wikipedia reproduced under creative commons.

THEN UNEXPECTEDLY THERE WAS A TWIST IN THE TALE ... 

As I absorbed this information, I suddenly felt as though I was hit by a bolt of lightening!  I realised that Girton, Nottinghamshire, was the same place that Thomas Hoyes, (my now deleted ancestor) was born in 1768. And his parents parents had also been named William and Mary. 

I had researched Thomas's family, when I believed him to be my fourth great grandfather, and so I knew that he had the following siblings all born in Girton - William 1762,  James 1764,  John 1766,  Ann 1775 and Olivia 1777. 

AND THERE IT WAS - THE TWIST IN THE TALE 

The name John lept off the page but I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Thomas who I had mistakenly believed to be my ancestor had a brother named John born in 1766 in Girton, Nottinghamshire.  
Since this was the only baptism of a John Hoyes in Nottinghamshire between 1755 and 1780, I realised incredibly that THOMAS AND JOHN HOYES WERE BROTHERS! 

The man I had just deleted from my family tree was, in fact, still related to me and was my fifth great uncle! 

Baptism of John Hoyes, 1766, Girton, Nottinhamshire, Findmypast [11].

I had found only one marriage for a John Hoyes to a Mary, on February 11, 1794 in Newark [12], Nottinghamshire and this was to Mary DORRENCE. John and Mary Hoyes were my REAL 4th great grandparents and these were parents of my 3rd great grandfather, William Hoyes. 

Marriage John Hoyes, Findmypast [12]

Thomas Hoyes was, incredibly, my William's uncle and the William Hoyes born in Claypole, Lincolnshire previously thought to be my ancestor, was, in fact, William's first cousin. This was certainly a case of confusing cousins! The two Williams, born within a year of each other were both named for their paternal grandfather William. 

THOMAS HOYES WAS MY FIFTH GREAT UNCLE

This serendipitous discovery meant that my family tree, going back from John and Mary Hoyes would remain the same as it had been when Thomas and Ann were incorrectly named as William's parents. Incredibly, the many ancestors and relatives I had removed were still my family! 

Of course, I thad the enormous task ahead of me of placing all of those many family members back on the family tree but even the thought of that huge undertaking couldn't ruin my serendipitous moment. What were the odds of my wrong ancestor being the BROTHER of my correct ancestor? Quite the Twist in my Tale of Two Williams! 

LINKING THE REST OF THE CLUES

I was still intrigued by the three year old William Stones I had found with John Hoyes in the 1841 census. If I was able to prove he was related to my William and John Hoyes this could verify that I had found another sister for William (in addition to Sarah Beecham nee Hoyes)  named Charlotte. 

Image Wedding Mid 19th century, Wikipedia, Creative Commons

It didn't take me long to find some crucial evidence. I found the births in Nottinghamshire, of the following children to John and Mary Hoyes ( MY REAL FOUR TIMES GREAT GRANDPARENTS)  - Sarah (1794), John (1797), William (1798), William 1803-1805), John (1803), Charlotte 1807 and William 1810 ( my third great grandfather)[13]. 

I had verified that William had two older sisters named Sarah and Charlotte! The peices of the puzzle were fitting together perfectly. 

Sarah Hoyes was born in Newark in 1794 and Charlotte Hoyes was born in Hawton, Nottinghamshire in 1807. In the 1841 census Charlotte's age had been rounded down to 30 when it was really 34. William's sister Sarah Hoyes had married a weaver named Robert Beecham and she was the Sarah Beecham with whom their 80 year old father, John Hoyes was living in 1841. 

William's sister Charlotte had a son named William Stones who was the grandson of John Hoyes and nephew of my William. This William was most certainly the three year old boy in the 1841 census, staying with the Beecham family, his aunt Sarah Beecham and grandfather John Hoyes. Two sisters, aged eleven years apart, their marriages a year apart, and another William (Stones) helped confirm for me that John Hoyes, living with the Beecham family at Spittal Row, Newark, Nottinghamshire aged 80 years,  was indeed my ancestor and 4th great grandfather and the correct father for my William Hoyes. 

William Stones, Lacemaker, 1881 Census, Radford, Nottinghamshire [14]

 “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” ―Harriet Beecher Stowe

And so, the Tale of Two Williams comes to an end. This tale has a most happy ending and a wonderful twist. I had not, as I had first thought, wasted years of research into my Hoyes family. Fortunately I had kept a backup copy of my old research so I was able to return my ancestors to their rightful places on my family tree. It took quite a while but I welcomed each family member back with much fondness and a great deal of amazement.

In a most incredulous twist I simply had to switch an uncle and a brother to have the correct four times great grandfather, JOHN HOYES and fifth great uncle THOMAS HOYES  on my family tree exactly where they both belong. 

"Every ending is a beginning. We just don't know it at the time." Mitch Albom [15]

Footnotes

1. Birth, William Hoyes, Claypole, Lincolnshire, 1809, England Births and Baptisms 1538-1975, Findmypast, https://search.findmypast.com.au/record?id=r_942913757 , accessed most recently 1 February 2018.

2. 1841 Census, Thomas Hoyes, Claypole, Lincolnshire, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8978/LINHO107_615_618-0143/6615473?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/15450749/person/29803884345/facts/citation/157598403039/edit/record, accessed most recently 12 February 2018.

3. 1841 Census, William Hoyes, Class HO107, Piece 868, Book 7, Civil Parish, Newark Upon Trent, County Nottinghamshire, Enumeration District 14, Folio 29, P. 9, Line 18, GSU roll 47569, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8978/NTTHO107_867_869-0360?pid=9259284&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8978%26h%3D9259284%26ssrc%3Dpt%26tid%3D15450749%26pid%3D268185434%26usePUB%3Dtrue&ssrc=pt&treeid=15450749&personid=268185434&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true, accessed most recently 1 February 2018.

4. 1851 Census, William Hoyes, South Collingham, Lincolnshire, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8860/NTTHO107_2135_2137-0161/10342215?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/15450749/person/29803933124/facts/citation/1040249298027/edit/record

5. 1851 Census, William Hoyes, Newark, Nottnghamshire, Ancestry.com, search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=uki1851&h=17778349&ti
=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

6.1841 Census, John Hoyes, Newark, Nottinghamshire, The Genealogist, https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/search/master/?type=person&source=&search_type=person&master_event=Census&person_event=&sub_event=&fn=john&phonetic_mode_fn=1&sn=hoyes&phonetic_mode_sn=1&kw=nottinghamshire&yr=1761&yr_filter_b=1&range=10&search=Search#image_viewer_96bfa5_926983, accessed 10 February 2018.

7. Marriage of Sarah Hoyes and Robert Beecham, Nottinghamshire Marriages Index, Newark, Nottinghamshire, 4 November 1930, 1628-1929, FindmyPast, https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=GBPRS/NOTTINGHAMSHIRE/MAR/000113778/2

8. Marriage of Charlotte Hoyes and Samuel Stones, 12 June 1931, Radford, Nottinghamshire, 12 June 1831, Nottinghamshire Marriages Index, FindmyPast, https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=PRS/NOTTSFHS/MAR/00257682/1

9. Baptism of William Stones, 13 August 1837, Radford, Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire Baptism Index, 1538-1917, FindmyPast, ps://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=PRS/NOTTSFHS/BAP/00182871 

10. 1841 Census, Charlotte Stones, Newark, Nottinghamshire, Findmypast, https://search.findmypast.com.au/record?id=gbc%2f1841%2f0868%2f0126&parentid=gbc%2f1841%2f0003181922 

11.Baptism, John Hoyes, 1766, Girton, Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire Baptism Index, 1538-1917, Findmypast,https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=gbprs%2fnottinghamshire%2fbap%2f000609024 , accessed most recently February 2018.

12. Marriage, John Hoyes and Mary Dorrence, Findmypast, Marriage, John Hoyes and Mary Dorrence, 1794, Findmypast, https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=prs%2fnottsfhs%2fmar%2f00145270%2f1, accessed 1 February 2018.

13. Baptisms, Hoyes childen, Girton, Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire Baptism Index 1538-1917, Findmypast.

14. William Stones, 1881 UK Census, Ancestry.com, Class: RG11; Piece: 3345; Folio: 128; Page: 8; GSU roll: 1341798

15. 35 Mitch Albom, Quote, Quotes on Endings that will Make 2016 More Exciting, https://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/35-quotes-on-ending-things-that-will-make-2016-more-exciting.html