My Ancestors Stories

Wenlock Priory I've written previously about my paternal 2 x great grandmother, Clara Williams and my quest to find her father.  I've had much more success locating Clara's maternal family who were from Shropshire. I was lucky to spend a week in Shropshire in July 2017 and was able to visit several of my ancestral villages.    Charles Plimmer, my 6 x great grandfather was baptised 7 February 1764 at Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock.  Charles was the eldest child of seven known children of Thomas Plimmer and his wife, Rebecca Jones. Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, situated between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth.   Much Wenlock contains 104 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England, including many early 15th century timber framed buildings, the Guildhall and Wenlock Priory.  Much Wenlock township (above) Wenlock Priory (below) To the modern day visitor it is a lovely well maintained historic town, ho...

Clara in 1961 at grandson, Colin's wedding "Have you found something revealing in a birth, death or marriage certificate?" This was the topic for another Friday Hang Out with the SAG late last year, which prompted the following story related to my paternal great grandmother, Clara Lilian Phibbs, who was born 132 years ago.   Various certificates and other documents revealed a lot of previously unknown information about Clara and other members of her family! ______________ Clara Lillian Phibbs was born 8 August 1889 in Bradford St, Birmingham, the second youngest of 7 children born to Clara Williams and William Charles Phibbs, who had married on 20 July 1879 at the Parish Church of St. John, Ladywood.  At the time of her birth, Clara had 5 brothers and sisters, Florence Louisa aged 9, William Charles aged 7, Alice Maud aged 5, Albert Harold aged 3, and May aged 2 years.    Clara's birth certificate dated 1903 likely obtained so she could obtain work On 5 April 1...