MARSH FAMILIES IN KENT
COUSINS
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A Gallery of Some of My Relatives
This page is devoted to photos of relatives I have met as a result of my
family research activities. Watch for regular additions.
Jean (Farrier) Maynard
Jean and I first made contact when I had a request about a Dover area relative
published in the Dover Express. Jean sent me a note to say that she was
not a relative but had papers (photos, letters etc) about a Marsh family
in which I might be interested. I asked Jean about her own Marsh connections
and it was immediately apparent that she was a 3rd cousin. We have since
visited each other in England and Canada. There is no known connection
to the family in the papers.
This photo shows Jean and husband Ted with their daughter Carolyn and
her husband Terence. The photo was taken in January 2001 at Canterbury
Cathedral when Carolyn received her Diploma of Higher Education in Professional
Practice - Nursing.
Sadly, Jean passed away 12 May 2001
Sue (Stanner) Holden
Sue shown on the extreme right in the picture is a 7th cousin. What a great
help she has been in researching the Wingham branch of the Marsh family!
We are still trying to resolve a few questions. Also pictured, from left
to right, are Sue's sister Jill and her husband Peter Peacock; Mollie Stanner,
widow of Tony Stanner, Sue's brother; and Sue's husband David.
John Holliday
John and I enjoy a multiple relationship - we are 5th cousins through common
ancestor Clement Court, 1742, and 5c 1r through common ancestor John Marsh,1711.
John has been very active building a web of the relationships between his
various ancestral familes; perhaps he will find other ways in which we
are connected.
John is a true Man of Kent, with 95% of his known ancestors coming from
that small part of Kent bounded by Margate, Canterbury and Hythe. He however
left Ramsgate and Kent at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, never
to return. He spent a lifetime in National Health Service administration
and now fills his leisure hours in tracing ever more of his ancestors and
water-colour painting. His proudest "find" was a 5xgt grandfather, John
Reynolds, a yeoman farmer of Adisham, whose pioneering achievements included
the introduction of the swede* into the UK and whose many voluminous letters
to the Royal Society of Arts are still stored in the archives.
*Swede - Swedish turnip - Rutabaga.
The Three Nightingales
Violet, Winifred and Eunice, 1eft to right in the picture, daughters of
William Nightingale, are related to me as 6th cousins. All are now widows
and live in England, Canada and Australia respectively. As you may guess
from the picture they all smile readily and love to laugh. The picture
was taken in 2000 when sisters Violet and Eunice came to visit Winifred
after she was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, after treatment, the cancer
has been declared in remission for five months now -May 2001.Eunice is
the family genealogist with whom I made contact in 1995 and through her
I learned that Winifred lives just 60 miles from me here in Canada. My
first meeting with them was last year when the picture was taken. However,
Violet and Eunice are due back for another visit with Winifred, arriving
at Ottawa 31 May 2001 when we will all meet up again.
In 1994 Eunice published a book based on the memoirs of her hus band,
Dick McBride. The book gives the reader an exciting glimpse of life in
the Australian outback, starting with the arrival in Australia in 1856
of Dick's great grandfather Robert James Martin McBride. A fitting tribute
to a fine family.
The three girls share a relatively close relationship with John Holliday
above, that of 3c 1r. This relationship is illustrated below.
John->Alfred->William->Rebecca Marsh->Henry Marsh,1773
Win,Eun & Vio->William->William->Esther Norris->Ursula Marsh->Henry
Marsh,1773
Winifred finally lost her fight with cancer at 2.00am 6 Nov 2001 in hospital
at Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. At her bedside were two of her sisters, Violet
and Mary, both from England. The funeral was held Thursday 8 Nov and was
largely attended by members of the Royal Canadian Legion, of which 'Winnie'
was a life member. She was dearly loved and her many friends will feel
her loss deeply.
Robin Marsh
The accompanying picture shows, left to right, daughter Suzanne, wife Jean,
daughter Lisa and Robin Marsh. Robin is a retired firefighter and owns
an impressive collection of model fire engines and other firefighting memorabilia.
Jean is the family genealogist and I first made contact with her in
1992. Over the years we assisted each other and others, but did not find
a connection between Robin and I until March 1999. Robin and I are 6th
cousins.
Colin James Marsh
I chose the above picture of Colin and his wife Pat because
it was taken in the Canadaian Rockies. Colin was born 1946 into
a coal-mining family in the Tilmanstone area of Kent. He did not follow
a career in the coal mines, but joined the army in 1964 and saw service
in Germany and Ireland. After leaving the army Colin served with the Kent
County Constabulary and was retired in 1993 due to injuries. Another career
change, this time to computers. Colin is now living in Wales with his wife
Pat and works with computers for the Defence Industry.
Colin is related to me as a 5th cousin, our common ancestor being Abraham
Marsh,1747-1838.
Ron Howland
The photo shows Ron, his wife Muriel and son Mike. Ron was born in 1938
and is related to Bill Marsh as a 5c 1r. Ron first made contact with Bill
in1998 through the Kent Family History Society (KFHS). We soon discovered
that we both had Fagg connections. Although to date our Fagg lines have
not come together, we have been able to help each other with our Fagg research.
Ron has also been very helpful in digging up much Marsh information as
he searches through parish registers at the Canterbury Archives. Ron says
"I have to thank my good lady, wife Muriel, for allowing me so much time
in the Archives and my son Michael for being my link with Bill before I
had my own PC." Ron's principal research interest is in his Howland family
in Kent, which, as of December 2001, he has traced back to c1600.
An interesting coincidence occurred many years back when my brother
Ernest started researching the Marsh family. In searching for the birth
certificate of our grandfather, John Marsh, he came up with one for John
Marsh s/o John Marsh and Mary Fox. This was eventually discovered to be
incorrect when we learned that our great grandparents were John Marsh and
Mary Ann Care. The interesting point is that John Marsh and Mary Fox are
the great grandparents of Ron.
Vera (Pace) Beer
Vera, 90 on 3 Mar 2001, a first cousin once removed, is shown here on her
birthday with her daughter Marian and son Kenneth. I visited Vera some
years ago in her home, she has a wonderful collection of old family photos.
Vera's mother, Eleanor, was the youngest daughter of my gt grandparents,
John Marsh and Mary Ann Care. Eleanor cared for Mary Ann in her old age.
Roger Marsh
I like this picture, because of its light-hearted nature. Roger and
his wife Pat are all dolled up at a fancy-dress party.
I made contact with Roger through "Friends Reunited," a Web site devoted
to bringing old school and work chums together, see my links page. Although
born 20 years and many miles apart, he in Tunbridge Wells, 1943, and I in South Norwood,
1923, we both attended St Martins C of E School in Dorking, Surrey. When
I saw Roger's name on that list I contacted him curious to know more, because
I could not recall another Marsh family in the area before I left in 1948
- Roger arrived there in 1951. After a couple of exchanges, it was determined
that we were 5th cousins, both descended from thatchers named George and
our common ancestors being Abraham Marsh and Elizabeth Prier. Never leave
a stone unturned in your search for relatives!
After a career in the National Health Service (NHS), Roger is now semi-retired
with a small counselling/psychotherapy practice in Wiltshire. Roger is active with the Devizes branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A) - he runs an
art appreciation group and a philosophy group; also, he is a member of
a discussion group and a sketching group. Roger likes to paint and draw
in a small studio in his garden. Roger's wife Pat, a retired Casualty sister, also is active with the U3A, running a dining-out group -
a good excuse for visits to various pubs and restaurants. A real busy couple!
Keith Marsh
Compare Keith's photo with the one above it of Roger. The likeness between
the two has been pointed out by Keith's sister-in-law Jean, wife of Robin Marsh
shown in an earlier picture.
Keith and Roger are 6th cousins and both are related to me as 6th cousins.
Keith is a chef on the Isle of Wight and plays guitar in Country and Western
bands during the holiday season.