The fact that Patrick is missing from the 1921 census (see The Irish Pimpernel) is doubly frustrating due to the amount of information recorded on that occasion. The occupation and place of employment are both part of the census return. For example, his brother-in-law Ernest Delves worked as a Suction Gas Plant Attendant at John…
All posts by Keith Stanley
From Dewsbury to Brighton
Following my visit to the back-to-Backs in Birmingham, I started to think about Patrick’s accommodation in both Dewsbury and Brighton either side of the First World War. In 1911, Patrick, following eight years’ service in the Army, was living at 20 Elmwood St, Dewsbury. He shared the house with his widowed sister Mary Muldoon and…
More back-to-backs
Despite being (virtually) on my doorstep (less than 20 miles, or 30 km away) I had not visited the Back-to-Back houses in Birmingham until recently. That oversight has now been remedied. As mentioned in ‘Back to backs’ these particular houses were left standing, almost by accident. This type of development was generally deemed as unfit…
The problem with names
The earliest dates in the ranges for my Y DNA matches predate the consistent use of surnames. The blacksmith in a village might be known as John the Smith (to distinguish him from John the Miller or John the Farmer) and eventually this can become John Smith. But he may end up being called John…
Y match names
I was hoping to find at least one match who shares the Stanley surname. No such luck. There wasn’t even a name that could have evolved into, or from, Stanley. It is a very short list, with only five names on it. The list of my matches using autosomal DNA runs into many thousands (20,000+…
Why, why, Y
The results from my Y DNA test have arrived. I am disappointed. I am perplexed. I was expecting enlightenment. Instead, there is a new dimension to the mystery. I think that I have a fair understanding of the science behind autosomal DNA. (The DNA that comes from both parents.) Websites such as Gedmatch provide an…
What’s in a name?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet – Act 2, Scene 2) An admirable sentiment to be expressed in a love story. Not exactly much help to a genealogist. I have been looking at just a few of the variations in…
DNA ethnicity update
In August 2020, my ethnicity profile, according to Ancestry, was as follows: SE England (with Kent highlighted): 41% (range 39-43%) Ireland (with Connacht and Roscommon highlighted): 36% (range 4-39%) Scotland 21% (range 0-23%) I had serious concerns about these results at the time. I haven’t delved too deeply into the algorithm that they use. Far…
What would I have done?
As mentioned in “The Irish Pimpernel” and “A helpful suggestion” I have been unable to find Patrick in 1900 or 1901. I started to wonder what I would have done in his situation. What was that situation? His father, John, had died in 1898 when Patrick was 15. By some distance (10 years), he was…
A helpful suggestion
It is always pleasing when someone responds to a blog with a helpful suggestion. In “Irish Pimpernel” I stated that I still have no idea where Patrick was at the time of the (UK & Ireland) 1901 Census. My correspondent suggested that I look at North America. The 1900 (American) Census records the presence of…