The weekend

I've just finished downloading all the WWI documents I can find on Ancestry that are relevant to my family history. Some of their UK WWI records have been free this weekend as part of a campaign to commemorate Remembrance Day.
I already have some of them, but now I have them all in the same file on one computer. I must remember to back them up to another drive, of course.
I did the same with the 1911 census while that was free last month. If you are on a budget, like me, it pays to  look out for these special offers on all the family history sites. It does mean that you have to register on the sites, but it's free.
Anyone who uses Google Chrome for there Ancestry searches, as I do, might be interested in an extension that is available. Called Ancestry Family Search Extension 2.5. The blurb on the web page says"This extension takes the vital information from an Ancestry Family Tree person page and searches FamilySearch.org using those details. (An Ancestry subscription is required to view other people’s Ancestry Family Trees.)
The extension can be found at the Chrome Web Store.

Lest We Forget.....

On 4th November 1918, just 8 days before the end of World War 1, 204439 Private Lewis George Ellis and his best man and brother-in-law, 31385 Private George William Grainger, both of 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, were killed in Action at the Battle of The Sambre.
Both men are buried at the St Roch Communal Cemetery at Valenciennes in France.

My thanks to Stephen Morse for taking the photographs and placing the crosses for me


Also remembered, my grandfather, 1917 Private James Ellis Royal Guernsey Light Infantry who survived the war.
2619350 Guardsman Lewis George Ellis 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards died 18th April 1944 aged 30 who is buried at Leabrooks Cemetery Alfreton Derbyshire. From the records at the Grenadier Guards barracks it would seem that Lewis wasn't killed in action but died in hospital in England.

Both Lewis's are commemorated on the War Memorial at St Thomas's Church Somercotes Derbyshire.

Missing Cheetham

Further to my finding the death of Robert CHEETHAM in the St Mary's Nottingham Parish Registers, living at a place just known as Coppice, I am now looking for the death of his wife Ellen. I have found one of their sons, John, living nearby, on the 1841 and 1851 census but no sign of Ellen.
I am assuming she would be living in the same area as Robert but she may have pre-deceased him. (I have checked St Mary's from 1810 up to Robert's death in 1838).

I would be keen to hear from anyone who has any information about DUNKIRK FARM in Lenton Nottinghamshire. The CHEETHAM family were farming here from the very early 1800s up until the death of Frances CHEETHAM in 1881, when the land was sold for building development.

I plan to check the British Newspaper Archives as soon as I have a weekend to spare. I want to see what other information I can find about my families on there. Last time I searched was quite fruitful, although once again, the CHEETHAM entries are more prolific than the ELLIS's

I have recently bought a book entitled "The Dictionary of Slang" so as a bit of entertainment does anyone
know the meanings of these old slang words. All are English
bluey-cracking (mid 19C)
botanical excursion (mid 19C)
couch a hogshead (mid 16-early 19C)
curby hocks (mid 19C-1900s)
fake a pin (early 19C UK underworld)

Answers next post

It's been a long time since I made an entry in my blog but that doesn't mean that I haven't been carrying on with my research. At the moment I am concentrating on the CHEETHAM side of the family as they seem to have left more of a footprint in history.
I have now discovered that they were simultaneously farming land in Orston, Flintham, Lenton, Whatton and also in the St Anns area. Some of this land they owned, some of it they were tennants.
I know that they sold some land in Flintham to Thomas Blackborne Thoroton Hildyard for £900 in 1867. By that time I think the CHEETHAM's were no longer farming in Flintham. 
By 1881, and the death of Frances CHEETHAM, wife of William at Dunkirk Farm in Lenton the family's connection with farming was all but finished, although the family continued in the Lenton area until only recently.
I would be interested to hear from anyone connected to the family and may be able to provide any more information.