It’s been a while since my last post, but I’ve not been idle!

I’ve been investigating more on the two (in)famous knights, both called Sir Robert BALDOCK, of the 14th and 17th centuries. These are my pet project(s). Due to their public/governmental/royal positions, there is a lot of information around. Despite having taken my BALDOCK line back to the 16th century,  I have found no crossover yet (even though I have plenty of BALDOCK ancestors called Robert!) I hope to find links to one or other of them one day …

In addition, I’ve located another two FAGG lines – one via Ash (near Sandwich), and another via Faversham/Sittingbourne. I’m currently investigating where these lead!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Recently corrected lineage of Elizabeth CLEVELAND, mother-in-law to Elizabeth BALDOCK (b. 1802 Womenswold). Previous sources indicated she was born in Margate to Thomas CLEVELAND and Ann HARLOW, but new information convinces me more that she was actually born in Preston-next-Wingham to John CLEVELAND and Ann ANDREWS.

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Due to an email migration, I have irritatingly lost a substantial number of genealogy emails; something I had hoped would not happen….

Any of you loyal followers who have been waiting on a response from me relating to previously sent emails, however old, please contact me again. These particluarly relate to surnames CLARK(E), BALDOCK, FAGG, CASTLE, SMALL …

I am so annoyed with myself! That’s what I get for rushing in frustration at poor email provision by my ISP!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Last week I paid another visit to Canterbury Cathedral Archives, and had more success. I finally found the baptism (and parentage) of my unusually-named Bean HATTON (at Whitfield, near Dover), found another couple of siblings in my Eastry FAGG line (one of whom, after a quick census check, may have been a proprietor of the Five Bells public House in the village), more DAWKINS, and a whole bunch more BALDOCK line at Westwell (connection as yet unknown).
These finds enable me to take my HATTON line back another generation, further my FAGG connections, and hopefully provide more BALDOCK tools on the road to linking those multiple lines!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

OK, by rights they’re relatives, not direct ancestors.

I have discovered that my gt-gt-gt-uncle, John BALDOCK (b. 1850, Womenswold, Kent) arrived in Australia in 1873, married there in 1880 and started a family. Thanks to Coral for this confirmation.

I have yet to determine the reason why he went, and have yet to expand this new branch.

Watch this space!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Thanks to great help from historian Suzannah (you know who you are!), I have a lot more info on more up-to-date Thanet BALDOCK relatives, from the early to mid-20th century. With the help of certificates, I should be able to get closer to meeting a living distant cousin!

This has so far resulted in my first World War II casualty, Albert Arthur BALDOCK, died 1943, buried in Sri Lanka.

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

After trying so desperately to locate the family of my dad’s uncle Walter BALDOCK, I may have hit on something …

I had been searching Kent records (particularly Thanet, where they had lived) for marriage records, with no luck. I knew his wife was known as Jessie, but this could have come from anywhere. Nevertheless, I finally gained the patience to search systematically through Ancestry and FindMyPast.

And there I found it! Uncle Wally and Aunt Jessie were married in Norfolk  - Erpingham district, to be precise! Walter A BALDOCK married Jessie I ABRAM !

Now armed with a maiden name, I also found six daughters; we already knew the names of some, but this confirmed things, along with birth quarter-dates, a marriage and two grandsons. Of course, all this has yet to be verified.

I now hope to get the marriage certificate, and plan to further investigate the children to seek out possible marriages, further grandchildren, and maybe locate a family member living somewhere.

The Norfolk marriage is spooky, given my belief that the BALDOCK family may have some ancestry there. Maybe Jessie was from Norfolk? Or perhaps she was a Cromer seaside holiday romance?  The certificate will help …

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Last week I managed to get to the Centre for Kentish Studies archive at Maidstone. I located a couple of (very old) wills, which I duplicated and brought away for deciphering (anyone up for transcribing them for me?). I also continued with some Pluckley, Charing and Lenham Parish Record research.

The CKS has books and resources which are not available at Canterbury Cathedral Archives, namely previously undertaken and bound books of parish record transcriptions. This was invaluable to me, having found an early book of transcriptions of records dating back to the 1500s which may not otherwise have been determinable. Well worth the visit!  Whether I can now better determine relationships of these early ancestors, only time will tell!

In addition I ordered (and very quickly received; just before the postal strike here in the UK!) some certificates, including a marriage certificate for one of my mother’s aunts (to a BALDOCK, no less!) and her birth certificate, which should allow more progress in other areas.

Information Overload !!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

I’m on vacation next week for two weeks – and looking forward to it!

I plan to visit the Centre for Kentish Studies archive centre at Maidstone during this period, hoping to view/copy some Wills and probate records of BALDOCK ancestors from the late 1500s / early 1600s. In particular, those living in the Charing and Lenham areas. This may help me determine some currently unknown relationships between namesakes, and possibly join up a couple of research lines.

I will also hope to view relevant parish records, too.

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"

Did a search of the Mary Wigan Transcripts (from KFHS CD 12) for BALDOCK(E), BALDICK, BALDUCK, BOLDOCK, BOLDUCK …. found lots of events to check out …. anything but Pluckley, which is not covered by these transcripts!

Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History - ... or "An insight into personal family history research"