My Journey...I began delving into my family history in circa 2003. I have always had a eye for history and knew a work colleague who also enjoyed researching his family's history and couldn't help but wonder what my ancestors did for a living and also if there were anyone famous within my tree.
To my knowledge all my family came from Sheffield, South Yorkshire and that was were my (and my father's) journey started - in a graveyard at Burngreave Cemetery searching for his grandfather. Unfortunately we didn't find anything that day but prevailed in our quest and through the help of a researcher at the cemetery was able to trace his grave and the people within it. We soon discovered that he was born in East Retford, Nottingham and that he had plenty of brothers and sisters and with that information was able to build up a tree full of Townrow's and eventually (with much sleuthing) traced the family to circa 1750. Researching the family tree is an on-going business and something which will never end but did we mange to find any famous people in our tree. Sadly not, however there were two Townrow brothers who were professional footballers. John Ernest (b. West Ham, 1901) who played for Clapham Orient, Chelsea and an England International and Frank Albert (b. West Ham, 1902) who turned out for Arsenal and both Bristol City and Rovers as well as in the Scottish Leagues for Dundee. Looking back I guess my greatest find was the marriage of John Henry Townrow (b.1860) to Rebecca Carter in India. Oddly enough at the time I was surfing the net to dig up anything I could find on my grandmother and her family coming to England via ferry from Ireland and somehow by shear luck if nothing else stumbled across the marriage and was able to order a copy of their registration via the British Library - I couldn't wait to tell my dad of this magnificent find that I rang his work immediately! We have also traced other branches of my family tree and the majority will eventually be included on this website. December 2013. |
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