Jean (Blake) Timmons
Honor Code SignatorySigned 12 Jul 2017 | 11,313 contributions | 367 thank-yous | 2,349 connections
My family tree on Ancestry.com is named: King-Timmons-Blake-Shedd Family Tree 11-7-10
My Journey to Discovering My Roots
As a child I remember asking my mother, "What country does our family come from?" I never received much of an answer except, "Wales, I think."
Later on in life when our daughters were grown and I had time to look into our family history, I decided to sign up with Ancestry. I was amazed at the information I found! Fortunately, I had asked my mother to write down some of her family's names, places of birth, etc. as she was beginning to suffer from dementia. I'm so glad I did before this information was lost forever. Because her family's name was Smith, it took me a while to find the right Smith family, but eventually I did. Every discovery was like a piece of a puzzle falling into place. I quickly became addicted- it was like a treasure hunt!
My father's side of the family was much easier to unearth thanks to our family historian. Her hand-written family genealogy led me back to the 15th century in Norfolk, England. I couldn't believe how accurate her information was. Jasper Blake of Wimbotsham is my direct ancestor.
Once the family learned I was gathering information on our Blake beginnings, I became the recipient of pages of genealogy material, photographs, memories, etc. Through my wanderings online I heard from cousins I had never known. It was all very exciting and rewarding!
The Timmons Saga
My next task was to begin learning about my husband's family. At my request, his aunt wrote down all she knew about the Timmons family from Chester, England. Her father (my husband's grandfather) had arrived in New York around the turn of the century and was a horse policeman in Central Park. Through English census forms and immigration records we found the street in Chester where the family lived and discovered the grandparents had left Ireland around 1850 and settled in Doncaster before moving to Chester. We also discovered my husband's mother's King family sailed to America from Ireland in 1770. Just in time to fight in the Revolution!
The Trip to Our Roots
Our dream was to actually see the places where our families began. This meant a trip to England and Ireland. We were finally able to do this in 2011. What a moving experience to visit the church where my ancestor Jasper was a churchwarden in Wimbotsham and to see the book he signed as a witness to baptisms in 1612. We visited Chester and walked down the street where the Timmons family once lived and died.
I've heard that the British don't understand Americans' fascination and study of their family trees. The only way I can explain it is the longing to feel connected. We feel isolated on our bit of the world surrounded by water on two sides. Our history is not that old and It's comforting to have roots and to know where those roots are. I found mine are a little bit more complicated than, "Wales, I think."
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Jean is 26 degrees from Herbert Adair, 24 degrees from Richard Adams, 19 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 23 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 34 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 19 degrees from Sam Edwards, 18 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 22 degrees from Marty Krofft, 15 degrees from Junius Matthews, 17 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 19 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
I am perplexed because almost all of my family settled in the Philadelphia area and I cannot find the North Carolina connection.
I will attempt to post my ancestry tree link here. I am kind of new (6 months) so it is not the most perfect tree.
Thank you, Maryann Walker http://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tools/tree/184718468/invitees/accept?inviteId=525860d4-e7e7-4dc6-973c-ce6ba0811fbb
The United Kingdom Project has not been active since 2018 and we are now completely closing it down. We are removing all UK project badges. If you still have an interest in the UK and have not already joined another project, then you will need to join the England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales Project by answering one or more of their G2G posts. If your interest is in the British Isles and British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, then please contact me directly.
Regards Joan
I added numerous source references to the profile, including the baptismal records for his children. Hopefully, this will be enough to convince the profile manager to accept the merge. We'll see. Thanks again. jan
Chris
We realise the time has come to dissolve the UK Project in favour of the individual country projects of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
We are checking in with all UK badge holders to find out which country project(s) you would like to be in so you can collaborate with other members, have the opportunity to select which team(s) you would like to join, and so we can ensure you have all the correct badges.
Please respond by PM to let us know which country project(s) you would like to be in. Please dont assume we know. We are effectively starting from scratch to make sure no one falls through the cracks.
Once you have done this, the Coordinator for Membership in the relevant country project(s) will be in touch to help get you situated.
Many thanks,
Susie
On behalf of the England Project Leaders we're carrying out a check-in to see how all the members are doing and taking the opportunity to thank you for all your hard work over the past six months. We have been so impressed with the way everyone has rallied together and gone the extra mile to make this one of the most dedicated, productive and friendly communities on WikiTree.
What are you enjoying most about being in the project? What would you like to see improved or changed? Would you like to continue in the project moving forwards?
We're looking forward to hearing back from you,
Susie, Gillian, Wendy and Amy
Your work on identifying sources for early Bedingfields of Norfolk is greatly appreciated by all of us Bedingfield descendants active in WikiTree, I'm sure...so I would like to present you with a Family Star badge in honor of same.
Thank you,
Michael Bissell-Benefiel [Bissell-517]
Just wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you for all the wonderful contributions you are making to the England Project. Hope you have a great day!
Susie, England Leader
It's been a year since the England Project was re-ignited. Thank you for being part of this exciting journey!
We really appreciate all your contributions and hard work :)
We would love some feedback from you please. :)
Are you happy contributing with the team you are on, or would you like a change, or even add to another team?
If you are not already on a team, which one would you like to be on?
If you are not sure what is available, just ask, we are here to help :)
Are you still happy contributing to the England Project?
Please PM me through my profile and let me know how you are doing :)
Thank you :)
Wendy Leader England Project.
Cheers, Chris
Cheers, Chris
I am Wendy, England Project coordinator for Welcome and Integration.
I am just checking in to see how things are going, and to thank you on behalf of the England Team, for what you have contributed already to the Project.
I am aware you have had to take a break from the project, but I wanted to let you know, we are ready to welcome you back when you feel able to return.
Please feel free to contact me if i can help in any way.
Wendy