All diary entries made in 2021
This was an exceptionally busy year. The most surprising discovery was Emil Gustav Hvaal, a Norwegian SOE agent who was executed by the Germans in Oslo in 1943 — DNA evidence confirmed a Norwegian branch of the family I had no idea existed. I also spent a lot of time on the Hinksman family, working through William Hinksman's military service in the 4th Foot including his recruiting duties in Hampshire and his time in France and at Deal between 1813 and 1816. I researched the Peak family in considerable depth, tracing John Peak's career as a publican and looking for their origins in Lincolnshire, and documented the Hall family through Matthew Hall, Mary Miller, and a connection to the Seaton Sluice glassworks. Other threads included the Porteus family and a possible bigamy, the Tew family scandal surrounding George Lay and Annie Tew, Dineen criminal records in Welsh newspapers, Daniel Palmer's 1867 marriage, the Brooks/Brighton name change, and DNA evidence pointing to possible indigenous American ancestry through the Ximenes line.
- 15 Dec 2021
William Snowling transported to Australia 1823; illegitimate daughter Anna Matilda (1829) with Mary Piper.
- 8 Sep 2021
Joseph Ximenes Mexican connection; Shoshone heritage rumour from in-law family correspondence.
- 17 Jun 2021
Emil Gustav Hvaal SOE personnel file; Norwegian wireless operator executed by Germans in Oslo 1943.
- 12 Jun 2021
Mary Miller death certificate 1842; cause of death listed as Schirrus of the Womb.
- 10 Jun 2021
Thomas Todd's career change from carrier to innkeeper 1815-1816; partnership dissolution and charity activities.
- 5 Jun 2021
Matthew Hall and Mary Miller marriage 1844; Cuthbert Miller and Mary Mustard marriage 1816; Seaton Sluice glassworks.
- 2 Jun 2021
Birth certificate of Sarah Hall (1840) and death certificate of George Hall (1848).
- 1 Jun 2021
Death certificates for Mary Hall (1878) and Matthew Hall (1892) at Bebside Colliery.
- 30 May 2021
Trade directories for Peak family 1850-1890; John Peake shipowner suicide 1859; Jane Peak court case 1858.
- 29 May 2021
Susannah Alcock birth 1866; Peak and Emmery families in All Saints Newcastle; Felton parish research.
- 28 May 2021
John Peak baptism evidence; Jane Peak witness 1823; Peak origins linked to Lincolnshire parishes.
- 27 May 2021
Mary Sharp birth records; Mary Millicent Alcock death 1901; multiple marriage certificates.
- 26 May 2021
Duplicate Porteus marriages 1862 and 1863; James Peak death 1847; Thomas Todd death 1853.
- 25 May 2021
Thomas and Jane Porteus death certificates; Jane's 1891 death in North Shields.
- 23 May 2021
DNA relative contact; George Wilson Hall will sent to cousin; SOE file ordered for Emil Hvaal.
- 19 May 2021
Jane and Thomas Porteus marriage records; possible bigamy discovered; Thomas Porteus death 1868.
- 18 May 2021
John Peak death 1854 as publican; North Shields geography and servant Margaret Allen/Johnson.
- 17 May 2021
Multiple will probate records ordered; Bernard Girard Alcock deportation to Germany 1942.
- 13 May 2021
John Peak infant death 1862; confusion about John Peak lineage and succession.
- 11 May 2021
Jane Tew and Benjamin Fletcher marriage 1864; George Tew of Gawcott marriage 1850.
- 10 May 2021
Caleb Tew birth 1846; Dinah Smith birth 1842 at Jarrow, Durham.
- 8 May 2021
Thomas Tew death 1880; Rebecca Brooks death 1846; John Peak's 1844 assault case.
- 6 May 2021
Kate Tew death certificate 1917; Frances Snowling/Brooks death certificate 1885.
- 5 May 2021
Mary Jane Harvey will ordered via Find a Will service.
- 3 May 2021
George Tew's parents traced; Shalstone baptisms, marriages, and burials organised.
- 2 May 2021
Kitty Whitehead's given name confusion across records: Catherine, Caroline, or Kate.
- 30 Apr 2021
Richard Hinksman Hampshire baptism correspondence; William Hinksman genealogy 1752-1812.
- 29 Apr 2021
George Brooks death 1861; Brooks/Brighton name change between 1801-1808; baptism records.
- 26 Apr 2021
James Brighton Brooks death 1858; Frances Snowling marriage 1873; George Tew marriages.
- 24 Apr 2021
Elizabeth Hinksman and John Peak certificates; John Peak boilermaker 1900.
- 19 Apr 2021
Elizabeth Hinksman death certificate; John Booty Brooks death 1844.
- 17 Apr 2021
John Deneen infant death 1849; late birth and death registration 1850.
- 16 Apr 2021
Dineen birth certificates; Joseph Wyatt death 1925; Nighan/Lyon surname confusion investigated.
- 15 Apr 2021
Samuel Lay birth 1896; George Lay and Annie Tew relationship timeline and scandal reconstructed.
- 14 Apr 2021
Daniel Palmer marriage 1867 to Bridget Dineen; shoemaker employment and court records.
- 13 Apr 2021
Bertie Herbert Tew marriage 1935; speculation about George Lay's illegitimate parentage.
- 12 Apr 2021
Full Moon Cottage mapped near Risca; Frank Hemmings military service and WWI death 1916.
- 11 Apr 2021
Mary Dynan birth 1853; investigation into ST's birth family origins.
- 10 Apr 2021
Annie Louisa Tew marriage certificate 1912 to Joseph Wyatt in Northampton.
- 9 Apr 2021
Rebecca Brooks parents James and Rebecca; Eliza Brooks children; Brighton/Brooks name change hypothesis.
- 8 Apr 2021
Norfolk parish records coverage; Elizabeth Hinksman death 1937; Dinah Peak memoriam 1901.
- 8 Apr 2021
Family Bible recovered; Chambers family wedding postcard identified; Ellen Chambers-Pickett marriage 1894.
- 7 Apr 2021
DNA matches indicating indigenous American ancestry through Joseph Ximenes; Puerto Rico marriage records 1900.
- 6 Apr 2021
Dineen criminal records from Welsh newspapers; Bridget Dineen family court cases 1876-1887.
- 3 Apr 2021
William Frederick Facer suicide 1889; Alfred Facer's son William drowned 1886.
- 29 Mar 2021
William Hinksman military muster records documenting recruiting service and promotions 1813-1815.
- 26 Mar 2021
Birth certificate of Robert Chambers 1879, son of William and Rebecca Brooks Chambers.
- 22 Mar 2021
Ancestry message from Rebecca Chambers relative LO confirming great-great grandchild relationship.
- 19 Mar 2021
Kent parish records confirming William Hinksman and Jane Fisher marriage 1803 with witnesses named.
- 18 Mar 2021
Hampshire marriage and burial indexes for Hinksman families; Portsmouth 1812 Jane Hinksman burial.
- 17 Mar 2021
Reconstruction of William and Jane Hinksman's family, Colchester connections, and Edward Hinksman correspondence.
- 16 Mar 2021
William Hinksman marriage to Jane Fisher in Kent 1803; Fourth Foot Regiment history; Edward Hinksman death 1808.
- 15 Mar 2021
Hampshire baptism indexes revealing Hinksman families across multiple parishes and candidate Williams.
- 8 Mar 2021
Hinksman family muster rolls and William Hinksman recruitment in Southampton 1799.
- 1 Mar 2021
Patricio Herrera's Chilean origins and emigration to England; DNA searches for Ximenes connections.
- 26 Feb 2021
Frank Hemmings military grave inscription at Risca; South Wales Borderers service.
- 25 Feb 2021
British newspaper reports of Emil Hvaal's execution, whaling ship records, and family references.
- 24 Feb 2021
DNA investigation revealing Norwegian Hvaal ancestry through Emil Gustav Hvaal and Grendon Hall SOE training.
- 3 Feb 2021
Discovered Emil Gustav Hvaal, Norwegian SOE agent, marriage certificate and wartime execution records.
