This place was spared in 1912 when my Great Grandparents, Fredrick and Martha (nee Hearnshaw) Bartlam, boarded a ship for America. In a round about...very very round...way we recently got hold of some genealogy information. The Bartlams have evidently been in and around Birmingham for a long time...Deritend (lots of youngins born here), Inkley...Hinkley. My great grand parents hung around long enough to get married at the Parish Church in Balshall Heath. After coming over here, Fredrick sorta went back when he signed up in Canada to fight in the First World War. There's some fighters in there...but, not too many of us have fought for the U.S. There's a John Bartlam that came to South Carolina, from the same area in Birmingham, during the late 18th century. He was a Loyalist killed by rebels during battle in the American War of Independence. My Daddy's maternal family (Garbetts) seems to have been in Georgia for almost as long as the Bartlams have been in Birmingham...around Quitman. My Daddy was born in a house there on family property. It's weird to be reading along and see my Grandmother's place of death as Jackson, Mississippi...even stranger to read that she had a brother who died in Louisiana. Turns out my Great Great Grandmother was either from Louisiana or Mississippi. Best of all we've been able to pin down family units in the War Between the States.
Erasmus D. Garbett, Sergeant F company, 6th Florida Infantry. Samuel Garbett was there with him. Lots of cavalry Troopers in Florida too...2nd Cav. Lots of names...Catledge, Collins, Wesley, Smith, Green, Bailey... Anyway...if y'all can tell me about Kings Norton and Deritend...I'll tell you all about Cherry Lake and Quitman, Gerogia.
This place was spared in 1912 when my Great Grandparents, Fredrick and Martha (nee Hearnshaw) Bartlam, boarded a ship for America. In a round about...very very round...way we recently got hold of some genealogy information. The Bartlams have evidently been in and around Birmingham for a long time...Deritend (lots of youngins born here), Inkley...Hinkley. My great grand parents hung around long enough to get married at the Parish Church in Balshall Heath. After coming over here, Fredrick sorta went back when he signed up in Canada to fight in the First World War. There's some fighters in there...but, not too many of us have fought for the U.S. There's a John Bartlam that came to South Carolina, from the same area in Birmingham, during the late 18th century. He was a Loyalist killed by rebels during battle in the American War of Independence. My Daddy's maternal family (Garbetts) seems to have been in Georgia for almost as long as the Bartlams have been in Birmingham...around Quitman. My Daddy was born in a house there on family property. It's weird to be reading along and see my Grandmother's place of death as Jackson, Mississippi...even stranger to read that she had a brother who died in Louisiana. Turns out my Great Great Grandmother was either from Louisiana or Mississippi. Best of all we've been able to pin down family units in the War Between the States. 
Erasmus D. Garbett, Sergeant F company, 6th Florida Infantry. Samuel Garbett was there with him. Lots of cavalry Troopers in Florida too...2nd Cav. Lots of names...Catledge, Collins, Wesley, Smith, Green, Bailey... Anyway...if y'all can tell me about Kings Norton and Deritend...I'll tell you all about Cherry Lake and Quitman, Gerogia.
Birmingham's generally a more decent place than it's made out to be. Ugly as shit, but that's not its fault, and the people are pretty nice.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the nazis beat it up pretty bad during the Second World War.
DeleteI've been there once...just an afternoon and really didn't see much.
It was grim, but the city centre is proper cosmopolitan now, very swanky and cool, it would be a homogenous european city if it weren't for the 'awwwroit' that greats you as you enter any where, there are still grotty bits of course. Kings Norton is a southern outskirt, and one of the older towns/villages that got subsumed into the mass urbanisation of the 20th century, but its still a fairly rural part, and a nice little place, your only a few miles from the place Tolkien spent some of his formative years after returning from Africa.
DeleteBrums are great, lots of great mates from the West Midlands, good fun and straight forward folk. I know my family moved from there to Barrow in the nineteenth century to take advantage of the metalworking bloom up here at Barrow, so hey we could be long lost cousins...
I think it was a Davis Hearnshaw that was a metal worker there in the mid 19th century.
DeleteMust have got the stunning good looks from my Momma's side then.
you tell yerself all you want fella, we all know who the good looking one is, and who the grouchy one smoking the cigar is here. It is known.
DeleteI wish I could add to the info about Birmingham but I'm afraid it's a place I don't know at all. When I think of it the first things that come to mind are Black Sabbath, Slade, and Cadbury World - so that's pretty good! Oh and on the couple of occasions I've been there (one of which was a visit to Cadbury World so I was rather distracted) I did notice there were an awful lot of moustaches. Plus Adam says above that the city centre is swanky... Suave and swanky in one hit, can't be bad ;-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe thats why his nibs always draws a 'tache on hiself in his microsoft art works? Its his Brum heritage shining through
DeleteSome fascinating and important aspects of the city have been revealed...including the fact that there may be people in Birmingham with mustaches wearing heels but, we cannot proceed until I hear more about this Cadbury World.
DeleteParsons...you know I have to obscure my face in some way. These poeple can't handle the full e.f....flippin server would melt.
Indeed, swanky suave Ozzy Osbourne lookalikes in heels and moustaches greeting you with "awwwroit" is not all the city has to offer! This is what you get when you go to Cadbury World (from their website...)
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Uncover a world of chocolate delights and enjoy a fascinating fun-packed day out at Cadbury World! Learn how your favourite confectionery is made, play in chocolate rain and create your own delicious taste sensation covered in warm liquid Cadbury Dairy Milk.
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What's not to like?
Why on Earth would anyone leave such a place...why???
DeleteFamily history is so much fun. Nice to know where your roots are. My family can be traced back to 1066, lots of British service in that family over the centuries. Unfortunately the family name is dying now mostly due to genetic diseases, something about the blue bloods ;)
ReplyDeleteOur Family Tree is drawn out on Drafstmans Paper and is huge, looking back I can see the genetic diseases taking its toll. Of course back then they would not have known that
That's kinda wild Horse. I saw a television drama recently that revolved around a fella with noble lineage and a certain disease that ran in his family.
DeleteIts not surprising when you think about it. The same families marrying into each other generation after generation. Both of the illnesses that effect my family are blood related. My cousin has both together and the hell she has been through is terrible.
DeleteAt one stage she never thought she would see her son grow up.
There were some definitely interesting people on the Livingstone tree including the famous doctor. A couple of industrialists and play boys in the group for sure. Will head to Scotland in the next couple years back to the home town and see where it all began
Livingston's quite a branch to have on your family tree...a true character.
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