Heads up. Get your data out of 23andMe right now -- or try.

(Anyone who put it in there in the first place was a fool, I have to say...)

Let's see if the U.S. Government buys it...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/24/23andme-dna-privacy-delete/

My 7 x great grandfather John Bevan reporting that “things are well” in the Haverford Township, Philadelphia, 5 February 1734. The Bevan branch of my family were founders of the Welsh Tract in Pennsylvania.

Llysworney, Glamorgan, 1780, a scandal in the village - 27 April, Mary baseborn daughter of Richard John and his servant maid Elizabeth John was baptised, one of only four baptisms in Llysworney that year.

I love these ancestral snapshots. 1921, my 3 x great grandmother Sarah Ann Cottrell is a widow (her husband was lost at sea when she was 34). She’s living in East Ham, London with her son Arthur, a fish porter, and a widower. His daughter Florence is a toy maker. Despite huge setbacks, they stuck together. I can picture the family discussing their day over a fish supper. I’m curious to know what happened to Florence. More research required…

Estou completamente viciada em #FamilyTree LogicPuzzles da #LionStudiosPlus! Este jogo desafia meu raciocínio lógico e mantém minha mente afiada enquanto me divirto desvendando árvores genealógicas complexas.
#gaming #gamer #videogames #game #games #xbox #twitch #gamingcommunity #pcgaming #gamers #pc #fortnite #nintendo #youtube #xboxone #gamergirl #gta #streamer #videogame #esports #twitchstreamer #callofduty #gaminglife #art #gamerlife #pubg #gamingsetup

The name Ferdinando is common amongst my Ironmonger ancestors from Lincolnshire in the 1600s and 1700s. They were probably named after Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (29 Mar 1584 – 14 Mar 1648 - pictured). Ferdinando was a commander in the Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War. His son, Thomas Fairfax, commanded the New Model Army. The name suggests which side my Ironmonger ancestors supported.

In 1921 eight of out fifteen of my male ancestors, living in Wales and London, were unemployed. Some of these men had trades, but the work wasn’t there for them. The women were either busy with domestic duties, or were in employment.

Artist: #JOTALO (Jose Javier López) in City: #Madrid #Moratalaz /Av. de Moratalaz, 134 /Spain 02/2025 - Title: "El abrazo" ("The embrace" /"Die Umarmung") - #Art #Streetart #Mural #Artist #FamilyTree

In the 1820s, my 5 x great grandparents Samuel Cottrell and Ann Baker were Protestant Dissenters, Non-Conformists. What did they believe in? This item from the Christian Monthly Repository, 1827, offers a clue.

This fantastically detailed document records the birth of Martha Cottrell, second child born to my 5 x great grandparents Samuel Cottrell and Ann Baker. The document includes the family’s address, the midwives present, the date and registration of the birth, and that the family were Protestant Dissenters.

On 26 November 1821, my 5 x great grandparents Samuel Cottrell and Ann Baker married, at St. Botolph Bishopsgate, London. Samuel and Ann had been together for over two years, and had already produced a son, my 4 x great grandfather Matthew.

The interior of the church (Wikipedia)

On 3 September 1820, my 4 x great grandfather Matthew Cottrell was baptised at St Botolph’s without Bishopsgate, London. His parents, my 5 x great grandparents, Samuel Cottrell and Ann Baker were listed as a married couple. However, they were not married at the time.

I’m researching the life of my 5 x great grandfather Samuel Cottrell, born 11 July 1796 in Finsbury, London. Little is known about Samuel’s upbringing, but in 1819 he met Ann Baker, daughter of William Baker, cordwainer of Bishopsgate, London. In the spring of 1820, Ann discovered that she was pregnant. However, at that stage, marriage was not on the cards.

Street map of Bishopsgate

I’m researching the life of my 5 x great grandfather Samuel Cottrell. This will be an interesting challenge because Samuel, a non-conformist, managed to avoid all the censuses taken in the 1800s

Samuel was born on 11 July 1796 to John Cottrell and Mary Teek. He was baptised on 2 October 1796 at Saint Luke’s Old Street, Finsbury, London.

During this research, I hope to learn more about London as well.

I’m related to Elizabeth Taylor, not the actress, but a non-conformist born on 10 March 1735 in Westminster, London. Elizabeth and her husband John Teek were founder members of the Countess of Huntington’s Connexion, a society founded in 1783 by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntington (pictured). Non-conformism is a strong trait in my family.

My grandmother's 90th birthday present ready: a chronicle of her family all the way to the late 16th century.
If you ever want something like that (in the Czech Republic), I can only recommend @rodokmeny/ @margo.

I’m walking in the footsteps of my 3 x great grandmother Mary Hopkin. Mary gives birth to an illegitimate son

https://hannah-howe.com/ancestry/mary-hopkin/mary-hopkin-3/

I’m walking in the footsteps of my 3 x great grandmother Mary Hopkin. Here’s a profile of her neighbour James Bicheno, barrister, author, coalmining speculator, railway investor, Poor Law administrator, social reformer, music and arts lover.

https://hannah-howe.com/ancestry/mary-hopkin/mary-hopkin-2/