My great grandfather, John Stanley, was born in 1825 – probably. This date has been derived from his stated age when he married, for the second time, in 1865. His age, as recorded on his death certificate in 1898, would suggest that he was born slightly earlier, in 1823. No birth certificate survives. As with…
All posts by Keith Stanley
New year – new insight?
Was my decision to take a Y DNA test a shot in the dark? An act of desperation? Or part of a carefully considered strategy? The truth is probably somewhere between the first and the third options. It would be lovely to claim that there was a detailed plan driving my research. I am not…
Y DNA or not Y DNA?
Y DNA or not Y DNA? That is the question. With apologies to William Shakespeare. (see Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1) Will another DNA test provide new insights? That is the hope. I took advantage of one of the many seasonal offers to purchase a Y DNA test. The more commonly used autosomal DNA test,…
More heartbreak for Patrick (2)
There is a major unanswered question. When did Leslie Dunn first meet his future wife? He married Kathleen Stanley, my aunt, in Brighton Registry Office on 12th May 1944. Their daughter was born on 23rd November, six and a half months later. She must have conceived in the middle of February 1944. This is only…
A tale of two squadrons
Patrick’s eldest son, William, served on 142 Squadron in the first five months of 1942. In that period, the Squadron launched 256 sorties and lost 10 aircraft, a loss rate of 4%. This loss rate gives a crew a 50% chance of surviving beyond their 17th mission. From accounts that I have read, the majority…
More heartbreak for Patrick
I have already made a brief reference to Patrick’s son-in-law Ernest Leslie Dunn. (see VE Day: Patrick’s perspective) The days leading up to Remembrance Sunday made me investigate his story in more detail. The service records always refer to him as Leslie Dunn. There is no one left that can tell me whether he was…
What to believe (3)
Whilst proof reading the final draft for “What to believe (2)”, I had a flash of insight. “Any account of events written more than 40 years later is likely to contain errors. Dates can become mixed up. Events can be forgotten. Others can be, albeit unwittingly, exaggerated. Details become blurred.” Almost all accounts of historic…
What to believe (2)
In the first article titled “What to believe” I looked at the difficulty in verifying some of the facts of history. The claims made during the Battle of Britain were a useful vehicle for making the point. The theme began development somewhat earlier when I picked up a second-hand book. “Dambusters Away” written by Jack…
What to believe
What do you believe? I am not talking about whether the earth is flat, or if the moon is made of green cheese, or do fairies exist. (For reference, my answer to all three questions is a firm ‘no’.) I am concerned with versions of history. It is said that history is written by the…
Kane cluster
I have been examining the family trees of people in one of the DNA clusters that I have accessed from Ancestry. The fact that there is a cluster tells me that there should be a common ancestor. I do not know where. I do not know how far back in history to look. Geography helps…