Willoughby Staff (?1803-1886). My 4th great-grandmother. Willoughby Staff was from a Norfolk family that married into the Greens. Their descendants were part of my paternal family tree, ultimately coming down to the Finches. The surname may have derived from the Anglo-Saxon stæf, which means stick or pole, and could’ve referred to people who worked with or […]
County Durham
Hannah Maria Stoliday (1851-1932) – court cases and a marriage mystery
Hannah Maria Stoliday (1851-1932), James William Bull (1850-1874), William James Thurgate and John Crisp. My 2nd great-grand aunt and uncles. Hannah was born to William Stoliday and Sarah Rose and baptised at All Saints’s Church in Salhouse, Norfolk, on 19 March 1851. She ended up with three marriages to her name, experienced tragedy and lived […]
James Finch (1831-1900) and his adventurous son Jacob
James Finch (1831-1900) and Mary Wicks (1831-1881). My 2nd great grand-uncle and aunt. James Finch was baptised on 13 November 1831 at St Mary’s Church in Reigate, Surrey, one of the sons of Henry Finch and Jane Bashford. After growing up in the town with his siblings, he following his father in working as an […]