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 […]
Police
William Medway Ward (1828-1898)
William Medway Ward (1828-1898). My 2nd great-grand uncle. William was born on 14 July 1828 and baptised on 14 September at All Hallows Church in Tottenham, Middlesex, to parents William Ward and Mary Ann Downer. He married Maria Earnshaw on 25 November 1850 at St John’s Church in Hackney. She’d been born on 1 March […]
Sarah Green (1804-54), a policeman’s wife
Sarah Green (1804-54) and John Gilbert (1804-1874). My 4th great-grand aunt and uncle. Sarah Green was born on 28 July 1804 and baptised two days later at St Nicholas’s Church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Her parents were Edward Green and Mary Bustard. She grew up in the coastal town, where her father worked as a beachman, […]
Harry Budgen (1879-1944) – award-winning public servant
Harry Budgen (1879-1944).My 2nd great-uncle. Harry was born on 1 April 1879 to Thomas Budgen and Maria Dolamore. He was baptised on 25 May that year at St Mary’s parish church in Reigate, Surrey. Harry lived with members of his family for many years. In 1901 he was working as a water works clerk and […]