Messages and Letters
from our members
This article was originally published in the April 2003 edition of Soul Search, the journal of The Sole Society
From Jennifer Ball - Sewell Magic
We were enjoying a pre Christmas break in Edinburgh when we visited the Museum of Childhood, just below St. Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile. Free admittance to a wonderful treat! I cannot praise the Museum too highly but in the galleries among all the toys and other treasures on view, one in particular caught my eye.
It was a red box labelled Ernest Sewell Cabinet of Conjuring Tricks. Designed with complete instructions for performing these simple but effective tricks by Ernest Sewell, whose entertainments have been presented at Windsor Castle before members of the Royal Family. No practice required.
A picture on the box showed a slim dark haired man wearing a suit, with a collar and tie and a pocket handkerchief. I would say he was mid thirties and the box marked Made in England probably dated from the nineteen twenties and was priced at 7/4d.
I wonder, can any of our members claim Ernest Sewell, Conjurer with Royal connections, as an ancestor?
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From Fred Sole—The Newest SOLE has arrived!
Matthew
Frederick Sole was born at 2:15am (UK time) 17th February 2003 in Bangkok,
Thailand, the son of Martin and Anong (nee KUENKUM) - a brother for Neena June.
Martin is our elder son who now lives in Bangkok and works as an electronics engineer throughout S.E. Asia.
The SOLE SURVIVORS saga continues !
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From Trevor Saul – SAUL Presidents!
At Warton, in Lancashire, a very pretty village overlooking Morecambe Bay, and well worth visiting, is a pub called the George Washington. This is because the family of the first president of the U.S.A came from there. The family crest was a form of stars and stripes.
On Saul records from this area there are at least three cases of Sauls having a middle name Washington: William Washington Saul born 1873, George Washington Saul born 1902, and William Washington Saul, 1700s
Also, there are family trees in St Oswalds church at Warton showing that Sir Winston Churchill was related to George Washington.
So, if any Sole Society member has completed their tree they could spend their spare time researching the above!
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Sewell Medal for Sale
Stuart Tamblin has the following medal for sale:
WW1 Victory Medal for Sapper W Sewell, WR-209794, Royal Engineers.
Contact Diana Kennedy for further information
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From Lynne Burlingham - Monumental Inscription
The Monumental Inscription for Pauline Solly which I sent you a while back had an error in it so I show the corrected version below. The GRO reference is 1942, Sep Quarter, SOLLY, Pauline M. (Age) 1, Wayland 4b 229
From St. Mary's, Kenninghall, Norfolk
In Loving Memory of
Our little darling
Pauline Monica Solly
Died Sep 10 1942 Aged 14 Months
Safe in the arms of Jesus
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From Ian Sewell - Genes I Wish I had!
Found in the parish registers of Crosby Ravensworth, Westmorland the burial of Margaret Sewell of Gilse on 5th October 1697 aged 95!
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From Lynne Burlingham - Library Thefts
Extract from our February 2003 Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter
Microfiche records for births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales have been stolen from the Bristol Central Library and Bath Public Library.
These libraries, in common with many across Britain, hold complete records for England and Wales and they provide a useful source of information for the many members of the public who are interested in discovering who their ancestors were. Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in Britain.
Customers recently discovered that whole drawers of microfiche records were missing. 1,400 fiches of birth records, 1,000 of marriage records and 1,000 of death records were missing in Bristol and a smaller number in Bath. The ones in Bristol are mostly of surnames beginning with the letter “W” from the year 1847 to the present time. It is thought that they may have been stolen by criminals who wish to use them to help construct false identities. Identity theft is a rapidly growing area of crime at the present time. To replace the missing records in the Bristol Central Library will cost £20,000.