I'm new.

[prue]

Okay guys I'm new to all this, so I shall probably be begging for help. My name is Prue and I'm retired from the banking industry where, over my many years I did the majority of jobs including making the tea. I now write (one book published), do pedigree research (racehorses) and occasional matters of the artistic nature. I shall be looking into various parts of my ancestry, focasing on the Westbrook, Langridge, Maynard, Whitworth, Talmash lines to start with. I first started this, in a very half hearted way some 20 years ago and then bungled everything in a drawer and forgot about it. Recently I have started up again in amongst writing a couple more books. I am clearly a gluten for punishment but having made inroads which have left me with more questions then answers, I am keen to persue this as far as I can go. While I have some good surnames in my family, I have a major problem that, on all sides my ancestors were very fond of either changing their Christian names, using a middle name and dropping the first or changing their places of birth. I have three ancestors that just love to say they are born in France when in fact only one is French-bred but London born. I doubt I am alone in this. If anyone has any of the above names in their ancestry then I would love to here from you, if only to count each other out.

[Davran]

Hi Prue

Welcome to the best genealogical forum going! I see you are researching Maynard. Where do your lot come from? I have Maynards from Kent and Middlesex.

[prue]

Hi and thank you. My Maynards come from Loughton in Essex in the early 1800's although they resided much of the time after that in Spitalfields area of London - good old Jack the Ripper country. In fact most of my family around the middle to late 1800's are either in Spitalfields, Islington, Hornsey although the Westbrook's who they married into came from Kent and ended up in Islington. My grandmother was a Langridge (all horse people) and her mum was a Maynard. Her aunt married a Lepine who were originally French Hugenots so that's another part of the family that has more questions than answers. Once I've sorted myself out as to who to look for first or who has the most questions - I shall be back as they say.

[prue]

Hi me again. Just thought, when you say Middlesex, do you mean the old borough boundaries as I've just thought most of north London - Islington, Hornsey etc., were titled Middlesex. I shall do a proper post tomorrow with some names.

[prue]

Thank you. I shall get my head around all this tomorrow. As you can probably guess I'm not much good at answering forums as I always get myself in a muddle. As my brother use to say when we were younger -I'm as dumb as my hair colour, which back then was white blond. Unfortunately it is now returning to that colour again.

[Davran]

Hi me again. Just thought, when you say Middlesex, do you mean the old borough boundaries as I've just thought most of north London - Islington, Hornsey etc., were titled Middlesex. I shall do a proper post tomorrow with some names.

My Maynards are from Hanworth/Twickenham, so the wrong side of London!