Paul Chiddicks
@chiddickstree
Columnist for Family Tree Magazine, avid family tree researcher and blogger, local history writer and a full time Lego builder
I’ll raise your chamber pot with a set of #WW1 medals #MuseumOfFamilyStuff #Genealogy
What a wonderful idea let’s all add something to the thread - Here’s Great Uncle John Daniels ‘Button Stick’. He was a Company Quartermaster Sergeant in the Irish Army
I've spent years writing about the heirlooms we've inherited. My next article asks a completely different question... Not what we've been given. But what we'll leave behind. It's a question I wasn't expecting—and one I couldn't stop thinking about. Tomorrow
Today I'm sharing the story of Despatch Rider Ernest Herbert Henly. One surviving school report described him as: "A very earnest little scholar." Read his story: Every name remembered. Every story preserved. #WW2 #Blitz #Oldpalaceschoolbombing #History open.substack.com/pub/oldpalac...
Tomorrow I'll be sharing the story of Despatch Rider Ernest Herbert Henly. Ernest was just nineteen years old when he lost his life at The Old Palace School during #WW2 Every name remembered. Every story preserved.
Thank you for your kind support substack.com/@essentialgene… just supported Paul Chiddicks on @buymeacoffee! 🎉 Paul Chiddicks is . You can support by buying a coffee☕ here �� buymeacoffee.com/chiddicksfamil�il…
Tomorrow I’ll be publishing the first individual story in the Old Palace School project. Fireman William Rashbrook ("Sonny") was one of the 34 firefighters who lost their lives when The Old Palace School was destroyed during the Blitz on 20 April 1941. Every name remembered. Every story preserved.
Father’s Day is always a poignant reminder for me. I lost my dad, Frank William George Chiddicks, when I was just 3 years old in 1967. It’s now 58 years since he passed, and I miss him more as I get older myself. Miss you, Dad 💔 #Family #Genealogy
Tomorrow's #TalesFromTheTombFriday explores one of Hampshire's most chilling legends. In 1674, Alice Blunden was declared dead and buried. Days later, children playing nearby reportedly heard cries coming from beneath the earth... Was she buried alive? Find out tomorrow. #TalesFromTheTombFriday
Sometimes family history doesn’t come from an archive. Sometimes it comes out of the ground. A remarkable WWI object was recently discovered buried in a garden and its story may trace back to Passchendaele itself. #WW1 #Genealogy #MilitaryHistory #History Out tomorrow…….
I feel a new #Genealogy project forming thanks to @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social
Today would have been my mum’s 85th birthday. (1941-2011) Her life changed so much after my dad died, and nothing was quite the same for her after that. It wasn’t an easy journey. But one thing never wavered, not once, was her love for me. I miss you, Mum. Always. ❤️
Could it be? Was Cecelia Cassidy who was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut the originator of Princess Leia's famous ‘hair-do’ back in 1921? Either way, May the Fourth be with you! #FamilyHistory #StarWars
Every headstone tells the same basic story: Name Year–Year But the real story is never in the dates. It’s in the dash. Coming Friday: a reflection on “The Dash” and what it teaches us about family history. #Genealogy #FamilyHistory
The Bank of England holds one of the world's largest gold vaults. However In 1836, the directors of the Bank of England received anonymous letters from someone claiming he could access their gold. The man had discovered an old, forgotten route through a sewer that led into the Bank’s vaults.
“Genealogy has a habit of quietly rearranging the furniture of our identity.” That line has been sitting with me while writing my latest post. It’s about the moments when family history challenges what we think we know about ourselves. Sharing it very soon…..
‘Dear Paul’ – Where the Genealogy Magic Happens…… A little behind-the-scenes look at my column in Family Tree Magazine — new #blog out this Friday Scandals, surprises, census quirks… #genealogy #familyhistory
Now this is a book that’s right up my street, looking forward to reading this one……. #Tomb #TalesOfTheTombFriday #Genealogy #Grave
A woman denied burial. A grave on a windswept peat moor. A story the church refused to sanctify. This Friday, Stories From The Grave continues. Betty Corrigall’s story is next. #TalesOfTheTomb #Orkney #DarkHistory #Genealogy
Latest model off the #LEGO production line…….#StarWars #StarWarsLego
One day you will unknowingly pose for the picture that will be used at your funeral……..
A child. A fear of darkness. And a family who refused to let him face it alone. This Friday, a new story from the grave. #TalesFromTheTombFriday #StoriesFromTheGrave #Genealogy
It’s taken some time to grow but I’m rather proud of the fact that my blog site chiddicksfamilytree.com has now reached 1000 subscribers thank you to each and everyone of you 👏🏻👏🏻 #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #FamilyTree