Nothing new in mistranscriptions

[Phoenix]

"the venerable sempstress was Miss Ann Helmer, aunt of Mr Heywood, chemist, Hartland"

is part of a lovely description of an old lady, who despite being 82 and bedridden has sewn an exquisite embroidered nightgown without the aid of spectacles.

Absolutely charming, and I would have killed to have found the article thirty years ago, so I could have shown it to the granddaughters of "Mr Heywood". Except they would have turned to me and said "That cannot be our grandfather - his name was Edwards."

*sobs*

[marquette]

Newspapers !!!

I am still looking for the son of Elizabeth Brazill Foard, who was reported to have been in a gig accident with her in 1843. I cannot find any trace of him, anywhere.

"ACCIDENT.-On Tuesday morning last, as Mrs. Ford, of the Globe Inn, Morpeth, was driving in a gig with her son, past the office of Mr. M'Curdy, East Maitland, the horse shyed at a load of wood which was coming in an opposite direction, and swerving to the side of the road, the vehicle was overturned down the hill,and Mrs. Ford being thrown out, was so much hurt as to be unable to walk ; she was carried into one of the neighbouring houses.

Did the locals say to themselves, "stupid newspaperman, that was her nephew " ?
Or did she really have a son ?

Di

[Lindsay]

I know the problem.

My 3xg-grandfather committed suicide. In the newspaper report it states that his son found him and went to fetch his brother. Come again? 3xg-grandfather only had one son...Needless to say, the paper does not name either of these 'sons'.

I suspect he actually fetched his brother-in-law, but how to prove it?

[Merry]

How long ago was that, Lindsay? Many people would use the term brother or sister for their in-laws in the past.

[Lindsay]

It was the 1870s, Merry. You could well be right.

Mind you, I got the impression from the newspaper report that the reporter really hadn't been paying attention - it's very vague about what happened, and only has any detail when it describes the coroner telling off the son for not fetching the police straight away!

[Olde Crone]

My GGF had a half page obituary in the local rag. It mentioned that he was survived by his two sisters. Good job I knew they were his sisters in law.

OC

[Jill]

It must be true because I read it in the paper...