Fred Close's Page

I believe that the solution to my riddle is that there was a generation left out of the oral history told by my great grandmother.



I have looked at an 1805 marriage in Stretham, Surrey between James Wicks and Mary Chitty but repeatedly discarded it because of my great grandmother’s story and the certainty that Mary must have been a Russell. Finally – and mostly because of a lack of other possibilities – I decided to research this marriage and search for the Chitty… Continue

What got me interested in genealogy was a note that my mother copied. It was during a visit from her cousin (they both shared the same grandmother). The note was purported to list several generations of their grandmother's ancestors. Unfortunately, the note was written in the English script of the late 1800's. Woe to the Yank attempting to translate that in 1950's!



After chasing the words for nearly three years, I believe I have the correct translation. About 1900, Mary Ann (Annie)… Continue