Annie Puddle's origins.

Solved!! My great grandmother Annie Puddle's origins were without doubt my most frustrating brickwall. She gave only the surname Puddle for her father's name on her marriage certificate, suggesting that she was illegitimate. I couldn't find a birth certificate nor a baptism record, and in both the 1881 and 1891 censuses she is found lodging with an old lady called Eliza Jones, with no indication of any relationship. So for nearly 40 years she remained a mystery. Then, thanks to the wonders of DNA, I managed to work out who her mother was. Still got to work out who the father was, but it's a massive step forward. For further details about Annie Puddle, please click on the following link

Richard James's marriage.

Solved!! Richard James had possibly eleven children with his wife Elizabeth, but I couldn't find a definite marriage for them. Finally found the marriage in 1797 when he was stationed at Kingston on Hull. So now I have Elizabeth's maiden name - Burks. For more information on the James family, please click the following link

What happened to my great grandfather's sister Elizabeth Brookes?

My 2 x great Aunt Elizabeth Brookes was born in Herefordshire in 1872. I know she was alive and working as a kitchenmaid in Burghill Asylum in 1891, but I can't find any trace of her after that. I've traced all her brothers and sisters, so it bugs me that she is unaccounted for. If anyone knows what happened to her, I'd love to hear from them. For more information on this part of my Brookes tree, please click on the following link