The Past
My journey into Genealogy began decades ago when I discovered some old British Newspaper clippings in my sister’s scrapbook. They were from various Newspapers, all dated 1928, and traced the genealogical pursuits of our great Uncle William.
William Adrian Allery, the Devon Kin Keeper, became a well-known figure when he determined he had a claim to the Angell Estate in London as evidenced by recent discoveries of marriage, baptisms, and birth entries in the parish registers of St Clements and St Saviours in Townstal, Dartmouth, Devon.
William seized a house on the estate in Brixton Road and notified the tenants that they should pay their rents to him as the Ground Landlord. He believed he was the rightful heir because of links he had discovered between the Angell and Allery families, through the marriage between Samuel Allery and Elizabeth Benedict; daughter of John Benedict and Mary Angell.
These links eventually proved false, but tracking down images of these parish register entries in my own genealogical research all those years ago, started my passion for Genealogy. Since then my extensive research and detective work surrounding the Angell Estate Claims gave me sufficient material to write a book.
Here are the acknowledgments from the book.
The Devon Kin Keeper – ebook
The research for this book has spread over three decades and has involved the collaboration of several members of my Allery family. My interest in this Genealogist’s Romantic Inheritance was sparked thirty years ago from the initial research compiled by my sister, Pamela Marie Allery, now deceased.
Parts of this story are imaginary – the scenes of family members from the 1920s are entirely fictional. Parts of this story are true – the scenes of family members from 1990 to 2021 are based on real events experienced by me. The articles from the old newspapers, quoted in some chapters, are all faithfully transcribed, and provide evidence of the Angell Estate events unfolding from March to September 1928, and further articles from 1930, 1932, and 1957.
The evolution of this story has been driven by my passion for genealogy and preserving family history. Writing the story as a Genealogy Mystery Novel was inspired by writers of Genealogical Mysteries. You can view a collection of my favourite authors and books here.
Support and encouragement for writing this book in just 30 days were provided by a group of dedicated authors who completed the course:
How to Write and Self-Publish Your own Print or Ebook with Sarah Cordiner.
The Present
What keeps me interested in Genealogy today? It is still the pursuit of discoveries, secrets, intrigues, and the lives of my ancestors.
Family roots and family history are integral to the meaning of identity for each person. Genealogy is a critical component of this perpetual quest for roots in other eras. A desire to reach back into history and build a family tree to be proud of has been a driving force for me. Genealogy is a ritual searching for meaning and purpose, a religion of sorts. In my family, three genealogists have toiled ceaselessly for decades to bring our stories into the light.
I now share my research and my ancestral stories in my Writing in Progress blog here. I participate in writing challenges such as the #52Ancestors52Weeks – and try to write my stories as I research to share in those blog posts. From these, I can aspire to create a Family History book of sorts to hand down to my descendants in electronic and paper formats.
The Future
Talking about a legacy for my descendants, I am now thinking about how to ensure that someone in my family will care for the family history records and stories after I am gone. A recent article in the Family History Magazine about creating a Genealogy Will caught my eye. This was new, to me, but oh so relevant. I have since found a template that I can use to create a Genealogical Codicil to My Last Will and Testament.
Other parts of my legacy include:
- e-courses in my Preserving Family History Academy
- Live Cast tips for genealogy and storytelling in my Preserving Family History YouTube Channel.
- Family History Preserved Facebook Page
