Over the last three to
four years, the Family Vault has grown as more
information has come to light and more generations have
been discovered. A process of cyber-archaeology and sociology has been at work, beginning in 1999 with the simple desire to follow up a dimly remembered comment that the family could be traced back to Charlemagne - which it can - from one or two directions and also back to notables of the Saxon, Norse and Norman eras. In more modern times, family backgrounds from Wales, Ireland and Scotland - and from France - all combine to meld the family genes into a glorious celtic, anglo-gallic soup. Here you will find family pages, tracing back through several generations; a trek through time in the company of kings, queens, courtiers and commoners - featuring (inter alia) the ancestry of Smyth(e), Drew, Anstruther, Cloutman, Tollemache, Manners, Jullion, Nias, Maxtone Graham, Wormald, Hanbury and Tracy (to Charlemagne). Here, too, can be found original ancestral source material associated with the Arts, Politics, Exploration and Society in general. It includes biographies and photographs as well as a section on the French connection to Jullion/Jullien family and the 17th century Huguenot exodus to Holland and England. The conflicts of religion, belief and custom punctuate these family lines. The range in wealth and separation of status are as diverse as are the roads these ancestors travelled. Cousins were executed by the crown - cousins were the crown itself - and cousins died in ditches, drunk and penniless as often as they died in bed of a ripe old age and quite fulfilled. However, it has been (and still is) the exploration of the little side passages - the nooks and crannies of the Vault - that has made this project so fascinating. The amazing connections, by serendipity or design, that have been accomplished on the journey make this an addictive work, created for the family but if you enjoy it too or if you discover a new connection somewhere in the line, then that makes it doubly worthwhile. Enjoy - and please feel free to leave a comment the Guest Book before you leave! Corrections, contradictions as well as additions are also always welcome. A word of explanation ... this is not a Gedcom file nor any other of the many excellent but somewhat dry "people lists" that appear on the internet. It is unashamedly indulgent and has been constructed to share as much information and "ephemera" as possible with members of those families connected through The Family Vault; a self-devised - and now self-perpetuating - maze; but once you get the concept of the navigation sorted out, it is fairly logical to follow. The search index is regularly updated. Don't forget to use the " ... ..." trick when searching a name or phrase - see Search Tips on Search page.
|
