My maternal grandmother was one of eight children, four girls and four boys. Her three surviving brothers worked in market gardens before and after their service in WW1. Her three sisters were still alive when I was young, and both she and her sister Vera lived to be over 100, but I knew little about … Continue reading Susie and Dot Fage: Sisters of Sandy
Fage William John 1872-1940
Fage sons in WW1: Fred, Albert and Jesse
My maternal great grandparents had eight children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. Their three sons all joined the forces and fought in WW1, and one was taken Prisoner of War. My grandmother would have been 17 when war broke out; she and the rest of the family no doubt had an anxious time waiting … Continue reading Fage sons in WW1: Fred, Albert and Jesse
William Fage and Alice Cade: A long residence in Sandy
After solving the minor mysteries of William's name change and Alice's peripatetic childhood, it was fairly easy to trace my maternal great grandparents' married lives and growing family. I had a couple of family photos of them in old age and was pleased to find that their family home at Longfield Road, Sandy, was still … Continue reading William Fage and Alice Cade: A long residence in Sandy
Alice Cade (1872-1940): Mystery of the censuses
My maternal great grandmother's maiden name was Alice Cade, her father named as Jonathan Cade on her certificate of marriage to William John Fage in 1893. On later censuses, her birthplace is shown as Gamlingay, Cambs, but she married in Sandy, Bedfordshire. So what was the story of her move away from her birthplace? A … Continue reading Alice Cade (1872-1940): Mystery of the censuses
Maternal great-grandfather William John Fage (or was he?)
My maternal grandmother's birth certificate named her father as William John Fage, as did her marriage certificate. He appears as William Fage (1881-1891 censuses) or William J/John Fage in later records. So why couldn't I find his birth registration? Because like so many other ancestors, his first names were 'swapped' around. Changing names John William … Continue reading Maternal great-grandfather William John Fage (or was he?)
Lavinia Brown: A long life and loss in Sandy
My maternal great grandmother Lavinia Brown, nee Seaby, lived a long life much characterised by struggle and loss. Two children died in infancy, her husband Charley Brown died of cancer and her eldest son Walter Charles Brown was killed in action in WW1. Her later life is less well-recorded, but she was clearly loved and … Continue reading Lavinia Brown: A long life and loss in Sandy
Elizabeth Sarah Fage (1901-2002): Musicians, malnutrition and misadventure
My maternal grandmother lived to the grand age of 101. In her 80s, she told of being Nanny for the children of well-known 'theatricals' in London and being starved by another employer. A man climbed through her bedroom window when she was working for an elderly couple in Biggleswade, leading to her appearance as a … Continue reading Elizabeth Sarah Fage (1901-2002): Musicians, malnutrition and misadventure
My Stocking Roots 