A Very Distant Relative

The family of Master Mariner John COLLEY suffered many changes a few days ago but is, I think, in good order again on the Shared Tree. Jane STUTTER is John’s wife for now but I’m seeking the information that will either re-instate Jane LUNDY or give him yet another life partner.

You may recall that John and Jane’s grandson, John William, married a Jane Lundy too. Their daughter Eleanor Ferguson COLLEY married William Colling JENKINSON, licensee of The Star. Filey Genealogy & Connections gives them just one child, a daughter they named Alice Lundy. Alice married Thomas Moore Renney LISTER at St Oswald’s in 1947. She died just over three years ago, aged 92.

Over the last couple of days I have been gathering descendants of John and Uncertain Jane, connecting the Lister and GLEDHILL families. I went to primary school with a Gledhill, Derek if I recall, and my interest in the family was thereby raised a notch. The name rang a bell for another reason. A red marble cross in the churchyard remembers several of them.

Alice Lundy’s mother in law, Lilian Moore Gledhill had four sister and three brothers. The eldest sibling, Florence Moore, was born in Dewsbury but died in Filey aged nine. All the others thrived and married, some of them twice, but FG&C records only two children from the partnerships.

All the children born to Thomas Moore Gledhill and Mary SQUIRES were given the middle name Moore at birth and mother Mary has it in at least one census . The Listers were also profligate with “Renney” and this has occasioned double-barrelling on the Shared Tree and other resources for both families. This might be taken as an indication of elevated status but it doesn’t appear to be supported by the occupations of the 19th and 20th century breadwinners. But wait…

The recent Gledhills and Listers on the Shared Tree were limited in number but I noticed a connection could be made to an earlier generation – and created thereby a portal to a super pedigree. I began the day wondering if my schoolchum Derek was connected to the Filey clan and discovered that I was related to them.

I hasten to add that I had a bunch of common ancestors with the Moore Gledhills for only a few weeks, before the door to my portal was closed and locked a couple of years ago.

The Gledhill pedigree populated quickly and a dozen or so generations back I began to see familiar names. When I reached Eleanor of Aquitaine, I knew. One 23rd great grandfather of Florence, Ivy and Olive Moore Gledhill is King Henry I of England. Obviously it doesn’t begin or end there.

I don’t actually know where it ends for the Gledhills. I haven’t followed all the branches yet – when I got to Loki, “God of Fire”, I had to take a break.

Super pedigrees are very entertaining, whether you believe in them or not. If you want to take a trip, start with Thomas Moore, born 7 June 1860 in Birstall, West Riding. (Follow the Nelsons.)