The Shropshire Star is a newspaper that serves the various towns and communities in the County of Shropshire, England, UK including the hamlet of Medlicott. It is from here that my wife Joan’s ancestors (Medlicott) originated.
On a whim I sent my “Medlicott articles” to the editor. Much to my surprise, a piece was put in the local newspaper. Here is the result:
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/nostalgia/2017/10/24/shropshire-family-link-to-princess-di/
Monthly Archives: October 2017
Who’s in Your Family Tree?
Establishing a Family Relationship between Two Family Members and a Common Ancestor-Who is in Your Family Tree?
Part of the fascination with genealogy and creating a family tree is discovering various family relationships, which you didn’t know you had. Even more fascinating is discovering a distant relationship with a famous person or perhaps, if you are lucky even royalty! Establishing and identifying these relationships can be confusing, especially when it comes to cousins and more distant relations. People typically have confused ideas about what constitutes a second or third cousin, and when somebody throws in the phrase, “times removed,” the task becomes even more overwhelming leading to much frustration.
“A Dream Come True”-Joan Elaine Medlicott and her relationship with Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales
Lady Diana is the daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl of Spencer and Frances Ruth Roche and the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry of Wales. She was born July 1st, 1961 in Park House Sandringham, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to as “Lady Di”, “Princess Di” or simply “Diana” her popularity has given rise to intense scrutiny of her life and her ancestry has become subject matter of close examination by genealogists around the world. The Internet has numerous sites endeavouring to document her royal heritage and great effort has been made in documenting her distant relationship with famous people.
A Canadian Connection to the Medlicotts of Shropshire
One of the most interesting facts, which I discovered in researching the Medlicott family history, which is particularly relevant for those family members who were born in North America, is that the family origins can clearly be traced to a certain place. A place where the surname was derived from those who lived on or owned the lands and more importantly, which place can still be identified today. Few families in England can lay claim to such a distinction. Having owned lands at the place from which they took their name, which name has been perpetuated through multiple generations and which can be found throughout the world, including Australia, the United States and Canada and which place continues to exist, is quite remarkable. READ ON
The Medlicott Family History- “ A Family of Knights, Lords and Ladies”
Preface
“A foot of honor better than I was;
But marry a foot of land the worse;
Well, now can I make any Joan, a lady.….”
Act II,
Scene I
King John
By William Shakespeare
Introduction
I have always had a keen interest in genealogy and from time to time have researched and endeavored to document my family history, for what purpose I am not exactly sure. I find it very interesting, often exhilarating as you make a new discovery but also frustrating as you track numerous dead ends. In my research, I came across this article, which explains well the plight of the genealogist and “why” we take up such an endeavor as to research our ancestry.
The Anhorn Family History-From My Perspective “From the Fertile Lands of Bessarabia to a Sod Hut in the Middle of the Prairies”
The Anhorn Family History-From My Perspective
Researching family history opens doors to self-discovery, creates newly found relationships and a greater appreciation of each person’s unique place in history.
My Grandparents, John Anhorn and Lydia Anhorn (nee Weiss) were of German extraction but both were born in South Russia. The Anhorn German ancestral home, which dates back to the 1700’s, was in and around Wittenberg, which is now in Southern Germany.
Wittenberg, (officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg) is a town in north-central Germany, which lies on the Elbe River, southwest of Berlin. The town is known for it’s close ties to Martin Luther, a religious leader, who lived and preached there. It was on October 31, 1517 that he nailed his “95 Theses” to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, which is historically credited as being the start of the Protestant Reformation and the establishment of “ Lutheranism” and the Lutheran Church.
My great-great-great Grandfather, according to research conducted by dad’s brother, William Paul Anhorn, immigrated to Bessarabia, Russia via Poland in 1808.[1] Despite my grandparent’s respective birthplaces, we always considered that we were of German ancestry. To understand this anomaly, a history lesson is required surrounding what was known then as “Bessarabia”. READ ON