Biographies

A private in the 2/1 Bucks Battalion, Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, during the Great War, my great-grandfather, Henry (Harry) James Weaver appears to have written home regularly and three of his letters to his wife, sent in August and September 1916, still survive.

The following excerpts are a taster, the complete letters are available at:
Henry James Weaver's Biography Page

"...I have been issued out with some bandages if I should get wounded, what they call first aid field dressing, but I hope I shall never want to use it..."

"...I hope Lovie Dear we shall have a pleasant voyage across the Channel, I do hope I shant be Sea-sick..."

"...Oh Dearie what a meeting it will be if I am spared to come home safe to you after the war is over, My Dear Baby will be quite big by that time, I hope you will get on alright when Baby is born..."

"...it is very hot here in France & the roads are so dusty, we see plenty of Soldiers here & they call the Germans Frits, a new name for them..."

"...we are going through a weeks training here at the base, so I am sure we shall soon be going up in the trenches which is many miles from here, they say it is a 2 days journey..."

"...I may say the money here is strange to me, for an English shilling is worth 1/2, I dare say I shall get used to it if I am here long enough..."

"...a lot of my Chums have gone up in the firing line, & I dare say by the time you get this letter I shall be up there too..."

"...My Dear, when you write to me again, would you kindly send me on an addressed envelope in ink, as I have only pencil..."

"...Now My Dear I must tell you I have been in the Trenches, but of course I must not tell you where I am, but as long as you know I am quite well that is really good news for you..."

"...I have come across a lot of my Chums who were with me on Salisbury Plain, & it did seem good to see them, I may tell you My Dear we are out of the Trenches for 8 days rest, then we shall have to go back again..."

"...we shall all be very glad when this terrible war is over, it looks brighter for us now Roumania has joined in on our side & now I think Greece will soon come in..."

"...I have you in my thoughts night & day, for I know this is a very anxious time for you, & you know too well how much I Love and care for you..."

Find out what happened to Henry - read his story here.

[Why Amanuensis Monday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

Gallery Section

I've added new images to the gallery pertaining to my great-grandfather, Henry James Weaver:

• Photographs of Henry James Weaver


• Photograph of Henry Weaver with his wife, Florence (nee Smale)


• Merville Communal Cemetery Extension where Henry Weaver is buried


• Photos of the Tavistock War Memorial where Henry James Weaver is commemorated


• Henry Weaver's WWI Memorial Plaque and Scroll, Identity Disc and Medals


• Rifle Club Silver Spoon awarded to Henry Weaver

Ancestry has improved its tree viewer to let you more easily see and move around between the generations of your family tree:

• Expandable generations in the Pedigree View so you can see more than five generations in any one line.


• Updated Family View displays more generations as well as the extended family.


• Zoom in to an area of your tree or panaround.


• View your tree in the full width of your browser window.


• Printer-friendly feature.

With Christmas fast approaching, you may be looking for some gift ideas for your family history enthusiast so I've put together a few links to give you inspiration........Read more »

To help you decipher those old documents, the link below shows some examples of letters of the alphabet from the 17th century which have been found in parish registers:
17th Century Handwriting

Family Tree

• Added more facts and detailed footnotes for my great-grandfather, Henry James Weaver, husband of Florence Smale and father of Phyllis Grace Weaver, who later became Phyllis Geake - http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam1849.html.

Gallery Section

• Added the picture of the World War I Memorial Plaque & Scroll for Henry James Weaver.

The 1911 Census will soon be available on the new Diamond Subscription at TheGenealogist.co.uk. The subscription costs £149.95 for a year but there is currently a £20 discount - (see link). The project will start late 2010, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2011.

Other subscriptions are available plus a Pay-as-you-go option.

Here is a transcript of a will for John Worgan of Alvington dated 1673. Might he be an ancestor? My proven line of Worgans stops at John Worgan (died 1791), buried at Alvington. Although he might have been the son of John Worgan & Anne Worgan who married in Woolaston in 1700, I'm still looking for further evidence to support this. The will for the John Worgan who eventually died in 1677 reads as follows........Read more »

Family Tree

• Added facts and detailed footnotes for Maria Dearing - http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam1841.html


• Added individual photographs of John Gale Hellier and his wife, Mary Ann, to their family page - http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam1847.html

Some useful reference websites with digital databases. Some are free to search and others might require a subscription or may be available to access remotely for free via your library membership........Read more »

Various links to some well used genealogical websites which are available to search for free........Read more »

Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949
Provides details of almost eight million soldiers over three centuries of warfare. Campaign medals were usually awarded to everyone who fought in particular battles, so these records are virtual roll calls of famous conflicts such as the Napoleonic, Crimean and Boer Wars. They don't include the two World Wars – you'll find the WWI rolls in a separate collection while those for WWII aren't publicly available.

Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972
A similarly extensive collection honouring forebears who served at sea. The Royal Navy and Marines have been at the centre of our military actions for hundreds of years, so among these 564,000 records you'll find seamen at the Battle of Trafalgar, The Crimea and the Zulu War. This time the World Wars are also included.

Citations of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914-1920
These records detail the courageous people who were awarded a medal considered second only to the Victoria Cross in its significance during World War I - find a forebear here, and you have reason to feel extremely proud. As well as each serviceman's name, rank and regiment, you'll find the full story of how they earned this illustrious reward.

The complete list of changes to the Hibbitt Family History website so far in the year 2010 (imported from the old 'What's New' page on the main web site)............Read more »

The complete list of changes to the Hibbitt Family History website in the year 2009 (imported from the old 'What's New' page on the main web site)............Read more »

The complete list of changes to the Hibbitt Family History website in the year 2008 (imported from the old 'What's New' page on the main web site)............Read more »

Hi there, I'll try not to keep you long!

My name is Annie Barnes (nee Hibbitt) and this blog is connected to my Hibbitt & Barnes Family History website, available at http://www.hibbitt.org.uk. The main site contains details of mine and my husband, Harvey's, family trees (click here and choose a tree if you wish to view all the names in our families) as well as photo galleries, biographies, a guestbook and other resources. The blog is a way of keeping you informed of my latest research, any changes to the main site and offers some useful family history links and other genealogical information......Read more »