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Wendy Percival
May 27, 20222 min read
A Crack in the Mystery Photo Door
You might remember reading on this blog about My Mystery Photo Pouch – a small brown leatherette wallet full of little photo snaps which...
Wendy Percival
May 6, 20223 min read
Secret Sibling
A lot can happen between censuses, as I found out while researching my great grandfather, George Shelley. I began investigating George...
Wendy Percival
Apr 22, 20223 min read
Royal Associations
On the occasion of the Queen’s birthday yesterday, I’m sharing a tentative Royal connection I discovered several years ago while...
Wendy Percival
Mar 25, 20224 min read
Shocking Scandal - the victim
Several people asked, after reading my "most shocking family history story" A Shocking Scandal and The Scandal – the guilty party, what...
Wendy Percival
Mar 18, 20223 min read
The Scandal - the guilty party
As you’ll know if you’ve read last week’s post, A Shocking Scandal, Martha Cotterill was found guilty of assault and cruelty towards my...
Wendy Percival
Mar 11, 20223 min read
A shocking scandal
The secrets revealed during our family history research are often fascinating, sometimes surprising and occasionally tragic. However the...
Wendy Percival
Mar 4, 20224 min read
Legacy of War
Watching the heart-breaking images of women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine over these past few days, having to leave their men...
Wendy Percival
Feb 25, 20224 min read
Nob Thatchers & Bottom Knockers
Later than advertised.... as they say in the world of TV... due to a 5 day power outage (along with our internet connection) due to Storm...
Wendy Percival
Feb 12, 20224 min read
Mysterious Uncle Theo
Often when compiling a blog post, I end up going down a rabbit hole. Which is exactly what happened while writing this one about my...
Wendy Percival
Feb 4, 20223 min read
A Few Little Prompts
I was most impressed to read on a recent blog post of Family Tree magazine’s Paul Chiddicks, (writer of their family history miscellany...
Wendy Percival
Jan 29, 20223 min read
The Tragic Tale of Moses Percival
Last week, I was reminded of a family history story, part of which found its way into the plot of the Esme Quentin series prequel...
Wendy Percival
Jan 21, 20224 min read
Scandal of the woman in the fox fur
While working on the latest Esme Quentin novel this week, I wrote a scene where someone’s Last Will and Testament comes into the plot. It...
Wendy Percival
Jan 14, 20222 min read
Revealed in the census!
I was most upset last week, having excitedly looked forward to finding where my great aunt, Mary Ann Diggory (known as Annie) was living...
Wendy Percival
Jan 7, 20222 min read
Lost in the 1921 census
Have you dipped into the newly released 1921 census yet? Be warned! It can get addictive – not to mention expensive, even with the 10%...
Wendy Percival
Dec 17, 20211 min read
Special Christmas book memories
A book I always turn to at this time of the year is Delia Smith’s Christmas cookbook. I’ve had it for many years now, and taking it down...
Wendy Percival
Dec 10, 20213 min read
The DeLacy-Staunton mystery solved!
In the mystery of Edward DeLacy-Staunton, the name on a plaque on the wall of East Worlington church, more tantalising clues have emerged...
Wendy Percival
Nov 26, 20212 min read
The mystery of Mr DeLacy-Staunton
When I volunteered to help find information about an unknown WWII hero, I thought it would simply be a case of looking up a few things on...
Wendy Percival
Nov 19, 20211 min read
The family history 7UP treatment!
On a recent #ancestryhour someone shared a fabulous photograph of their grandmother as a child, all dressed up for a special occasion....
Wendy Percival
Nov 5, 20211 min read
A #WWI roll call
While I’m busy working on the next Esme Quentin mystery and have less time for my blog and the associated research, it’s an ideal time to...
Wendy Percival
Oct 22, 20212 min read
Mystery silhouette
My husband has an old photograph album which once belonged to the Viner branch of his family. We were thrilled to find in the first...