When somebody enters into a partnership with a family historian he might be forgiven for wondering whether his partner is casting covetous glances towards his ancestors.
And so this fascinating and exceedingly complex adventure through family history began.
When I began my family history research, one of the few clues to my Jefferys ancestry was then wrapped in newspaper, in a box, in the far distance depths of the cupboard under the stairs.
in which:
pride goes before a fall,
a crown gets tarnished,
cakes get eaten
and blood is spilt.
A Henry Emptage was married to Anne Kemp on 14 January 1787 in St John’s Church, Margate. Six months later, another Henry Emptage married Susannah le Brush in the same church on 9 July 1787. They were my 4 x great grandparents.
Even though both couples had children and raised families, many people who have published trees on the internet have linked my 4 x great grandfather Henry to Ann Kemp as well as to his wife Susannah le Brush, effectively accusing him of committing bigamy. I take rather a dim view of that!
My mother was an Emptage, born in Canterbury, Kent, England. As I delved into her family history I realised that the Emptage name was deeply connected with the Isle of Thanet.
Tracing the family back through the censuses and the parish registers I arrived in Bremhill and Hilmarton in Wiltshire and found our earliest named ancestor.
